Collaborative Complex Problem Solving (CCPS) is a leadership methodology for school improvement that emphasises the often-skipped steps of problem identification and causal analysis. At Rutherford College, this approach was used to address significant achievement inequity for Māori and Pasifika students, beginning with an investigation into why students were struggling to pass the literacy co-requisite.

This session offers a practical tour through a two-year leadership process that united teachers to apply the science of learning to improve outcomes. The work began with strengthening vocabulary instruction, background knowledge, and explicit writing instruction, and later expanded into a whole-school explicit instruction framework. Attendees will gain practical insight into leading improvement, building collective efficacy, and turning evidence into classroom practice.