THE BROADER PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT.
On reading Trends Shaping Education (2016), Family Matters was the trend that caught my attention and is most relevant to my practice. I could instantly see direct connections between the key topics discussed in this chapter and the positions of the families in our school community now and where that might lead to in the future. The fact that these trends are so closely interrelated, being a 'now' and a 'future 'issue was also an attracting feature. The most relevant issue that applies to our immediate school community and the wider community of Aotearoa, New Zealand within Family Matters, chapter (4) of Trends Shaping Education (2016), is that of Diverse Families. The institution of marriage is changing. Marriage rates are declining and same-sex marriages are now legal in almost half of the OECD countries. Our school community is following these trends with more children coming from a non-traditional family structure, when measured against many dynamics . Ou...