The Standard » education

National standards fail in America

Anthony R0bins — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:49:08 +0000

New Zealand schools achieve excellent results and are very cost effective. The Nats are determined to break this great system via the introduction of national standards. They're ignoring the advice of their own experts, and all the international evidence. But will they be able to ignore the now self-evident failure of standards based testing in America, as Obama pulls the plug on No Child Left Behind?

A sustainable future

Ben Clark — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:10:05 +0000

The UN High Level Panel on Global Sustainability has delivered a report about creating a future that's sustainable economically, socially and environmentally. Our government and political parties should be looking at it and measuring themselves against it.

TEU: Treasury’s attack on ordinary Kiwis

Guest post — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:05:05 +0000

Public education is the cornerstone of a good country and a buoyant economy. And New Zealanders have long enjoyed the benefits that come to them individually, to their families, their communities, their country, and the economy from having access to quality public education. But all this now seems under attack from a small group of Treasury officials.

NZ has best value for money education in the world

Eddie — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:52:42 +0000

Generating a false crisis to justify their ideological policies is a classic rightwing tactic. Key gravely pronounces the system is 'broken' and their policy is the solution. Education has been victim to this bullshit. But OECD stats show that we have the best value for money education in the world. How will National justify their ideological assault on teachers now?

Irony

Eddie — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:22:13 +0000

Irony will be if Anne Tolley gets sacked over a portfolio she no longer holds. And if she's fired, not for turning one of the world's most successful education systems into an ideological warzone over performance pay but, for lying to Parliament about a principal turned ministry expert with a sleazy husband being suspended.

Right-wing Herald element goes OTT

Mike Smith — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 07:29:20 +0000

John Armstrong's column today - not yet on website - is extraordinary. "Elements on the left cried wolf about National having a secret agenda" Armstrong's faux outrage is generated by the fact that National's charter schools policy was not part of any election mandate, and some people have pointed this out. Funny how people on the left are always "elements" - couldn't possibly have a mind of their own.

ImperatorFish: The Two Most Powerful Arguments They Can Muster

The Standard — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:36:57 +0000

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here

National seem to be backing Charter Schools on the premise that if the teachers don't want them, they must be good.

ImperatorFish: Not Irony #2

The Standard — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:48:00 +0000

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog - the original of this post is here

David Farrar is running National's line that anything the teachers don't want must be good for the education of our children...

The long game on charter schools & national standards

Eddie — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:32:25 +0000

Charter schools and national standards/league tables are part of the same process. It's about siphoning off public funds, the best pupils, and the best teachers into 'elite' schools, and leaving everyone else behind. It's about cutting money for 'failing' schools and 'failing' students. It ultimately means more lost potential and a poorer NZ, but one that serves the elite's interests.

Charter schools

Anthony R0bins — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:30:19 +0000

Once again, under National, we get to repeat an experiment that failed 20 years ago. All cooked up on the back of an envelope in a coalition deal. Education deserves much better.

Nats’ education policy

Anthony R0bins — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:27:41 +0000

The Nats' education policy came out yesterday and, predictably, it's ideologically driven nonsense that will damage children. Worst aspects, league tables (almost universally condemned by experts and experience) and a proposal for the Nats to specify a "personality test" to select teachers.

A sharp contrast

James Henderson — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:11:04 +0000

When people say 'there's no difference between the two big parties' or 'where are the policies', it's shorthand for 'I haven't been paying attention'. We had a great example of the contrast yesterday. National would subsidise expansion of dairy by selling our assets; Labour would get modern equipment to poor schoolkids by cutting sports subsidies to rich schools.

End of night classes makes for a poorer society

James Henderson — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:04:35 +0000

The number of people attending adult community education has fallen by 80% since National's cuts in 2009. National's cuts have saved only $24m (vs the $1.1b cost of the 'fiscally neutral' tax cuts) but have denied over a quarter of a million people the opportunity to broaden their horizons and acquire new skills. National is leaving a poorer society behind it.

Is Key going where Gove’s gone?

Mike Smith — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:33:33 +0000

National's "Future Fund" asset-sale money will be spent on modernising schools we are told. Is the future they have in mind like Conservative Education Minister Michael Gove's so-called "free schools" now being set up in Britain? It would be no surprise if our public assets were sold down by National to pay for private interests to get a stake in the school system here. We shouldn't be under any illusions that the agenda is just short-term.

VTM Bill passes – rejoice!

Anthony R0bins — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:44:32 +0000

Grateful citizens rejoiced this week at the passage of the VTM (Voluntary Taxation Mechanism) bill.