Two big policy fails
This is what you get with a hasty, reactive, “top down” policy process.
schools
National standards – a failed crusade
National told us “New Zealand elected a Government that promised to introduce national standards so that every single child could read, write, and do maths when they left school.”
Postcard from the “brighter” future
Evidence of growing poverty hitting “mid-decile” schools.
NRT: Compare and contrast
I/S at No Right Turn compares the government’s treatment of two very different schools. “National’s racism and pandering to the rich pervades every aspect of policy.”
The education review
National is initiating a review of education. They will of course be excluding consideration of resourcing and their sacred cows (national standards, charter schools). One possible outcome appears to be shifting resources from poorer schools to richer ones.
A schools league table that we need
The Nats have created the (spurious) data for school “league tables” so that parents can be fully informed and make choices, so they tell us. But it seems that parents don’t deserve to be fully informed about the dangerous physical health of schools. That would be just too inconvenient.
School lunches – Key vs data
Key claimed that the number of hungry kids in schools was limited to “the odd one or two”. Everyone knew it was nonsense. Now a survey by the New Zealand Principals’ Federation indicates the true extent of the problem.
It’s great to be a charter school!
A charter school banks an “operating surplus” of $2.4 million, while state schools remain chronically underfunded.
Schools under pressure
Schools are not adequately funded for the job we ask them to do.
Key’s pre-budget falls flat
Key’s attempts to drum up enthusiasm for this year’s upcoming budget have fallen absolutely flat. And as usual, promised funding actually represents an ongoing cut in real terms.
The education horse race
On the one hand the government are pushing for more and more NCEA passes to feed the league tables, and on the other they are acknowledging that those passes are no longer enough to suggest success at Tertiary level and tightening criteria to exclude students. Mixed messages, perverse incentives, a giant shambles.
Parata and the Christchurch schools
As widely reported, Chirstchurch schools find out their fate today. The damaged Hekia Parata was the wrong person to front this process…
Bullying schools – again
Threats to schools over the contents of their newsletters? The “brighter future” doesn’t like dissent.
Competition, cooperation, schools
Competition is the wrong model for education, and National’s nonsense “league tables” are going to make it worse…
Big fat Tolley folly
Comment from an international expert reported in The Herald today reminded me that National Standards aren’t the only ideologically driven folly that Tolley is forcing down the throats of schools. She’s also doing her bit to contribute to a major health problem…
A principal writes
School principal Pat Newman posted the following as a comment on Red Alert. It’s not a polished piece written with distribution in mind, […]