"There is a crisis of failure in our school system and Maori whanau are suffering the consequences," he said today citing the findings in a new Education Review Office (ERO) report on the progress of Maori students.
"The report says around one third of schools are doing okay while another third of secondary schools, and nearly half of all primary schools, have woken up to the problem and are starting to make improvements."
Dr Sharples said the rest simply didn't seem to care.
"They fail to monitor the achievements of their Maori students, they fail to use the professional support that's offered and they fail to involve Maori families in the education of Maori students," he said.
"The worst scandal is that there are programmes to help schools, such as Kotahitanga, and the Ministry of Education's Maori education strategy Ka Hikitia, but the schools with a crisis are refusing the help available."
Dr Sharples said the ERO had been reporting on the problem for 10 years and action was at last starting to be taken.
"There are clearly schools which put Maori students at risk of lifelong failure, with all the catastrophic consequences of that," he said.
"I think the ERO should name those schools and consider more urgent interventions."
