Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, February 10th, 2012 - 51 comments
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?
Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, December 8th, 2011 - 38 comments
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…
Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, November 22nd, 2011 - 35 comments
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.
Written By: - Date published: 6:01 pm, September 14th, 2011 - 50 comments
The guys at RSA Animate provide their illustative talents to a quite brilliant and wide ranging lecture by Sir Ken Robinson on the topic of education. In the space of just over 10 minutes, he ranges from it’s industrial beginnings to its doped out, standardised present and argues finally, that educationally we’re heading in exactly the wrong direction and suggests alternatives.
Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, September 11th, 2011 - 73 comments
The other night I resigned from the bot of my local school. My experience in the field of education is fairly varied, with time on both sides of the chalkface as it were. … the bot has been forced by the government, through the moe to include national standards, and I can’t in good conscience be a party to such foolishness.
Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, September 8th, 2011 - 132 comments
RNZ had the news this morning that the schools most strongly opposing the nonsense of “national standards” – the Boards Taking Action Coalition – have decided to change their tactics.
Written By: - Date published: 6:54 am, August 31st, 2011 - 57 comments
Where National Standards is only the answer to “what keeps other countries from catching our education system?”
Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, August 17th, 2011 - 53 comments
More and more schools are standing up and saying No to national standards. Naturally, Tolley thinks it’s all about her.
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, July 2nd, 2011 - 63 comments
Yesterday was crunch day for schools who oppose the governments national standards, and a surprising number have made a very bold stand. But according to Tolley: ”Look, it’s election year, so anything goes”…
Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, January 24th, 2011 - 17 comments
Today’s Herald editorial explores Auckland Grammar’s decision to ditch NCEA in favour of the Cambridge exams and the support this elitism, which undermines the NCEA system, has received from Anne Tolley. Never shy to give helpful advice to its favoured PM, the Herald tells Key it’s time to rid himself of the incompetent Tolley.
Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, January 23rd, 2011 - 31 comments
The international evidence that National Standards don’t work is conclusive. Only 20% of schools are ready to implement them and over 300 schools are refusing all together. What’s our Minister for Education’s response to the objections of people who have dedicated their lives to education? A declaration of war – using the kids against the teachers.
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, January 20th, 2011 - 44 comments
Auckland Grammar School (that most private of public schools) has decided that NCEA isn’t good enough for them and that it doesn’t meet the needs of its community. When 300+ Primary Schools said the same about National Standards Minister Tolley threatened Boards of Trustees with the sack, threatened with extra visits by ERO and a cut in funding.
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, December 9th, 2010 - 19 comments
Yesterday, the OECD released its annual comparison of educational achievement in different countries. This study compares half a million kids’ aptitude in reading, maths, and science. Kiwi kids come out pretty damn well: 7th in reading, 13th in maths, 8th in science. And, guess what, we beat countries with National Standards hands down.
Written By: - Date published: 5:17 pm, November 22nd, 2010 - 33 comments
Anne Tolley prefers instead to concentrate on the diversion that is National’s Standards. It must be easier implementing a political slogan than actually doing her job.
Written By: - Date published: 2:07 pm, November 17th, 2010 - 15 comments
Plumedekiwi has revived his disturbingly good John Key impression in a new vid.
This time, John is explaining the importance of national standards.
Written By: - Date published: 1:13 pm, November 13th, 2010 - 33 comments
Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, November 11th, 2010 - 58 comments
The latest Nat campaign to stifle those who speak out against them is in full swing. A report that a “Third of rebel schools appear to soften stance on standards” goes on to note the bullying tactics being used against schools to achieve this “compliance”. These tactics have already caused a senior Ministry official in the Auckland region to refuse to participate in the harassment of schools in protest.
Written By: - Date published: 1:54 pm, November 9th, 2010 - 69 comments
An education blog reports a revolt in the Ministry of Education, with a senior official in the Auckland region refusing to bully schools over national standards. That is well and bravely done. So much easier to keep your head down and “just follow orders”. But these orders are very very wrong.
Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, November 8th, 2010 - 29 comments
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, November 5th, 2010 - 161 comments
Anne Tolley has lost the debate on national standards. The boycott looks set to gather strength, and even The Herald has come out against them. The empirical evidence, academic consensus and weight of professional opinion has always been against standards. The only ones still defending them are hacks and shills pushing a political agenda.
Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, November 3rd, 2010 - 69 comments
225 schools are refusing to take part in the Nats flawed, damaging “national stadards” fiasco. They have a mass of educational evidence and professional opinion on their side. Anne Tolley and the Nats have precisely no evidence to support their position, all they can do is repeat threats, slogans and lies. That is why the Nats are losing this debate.
Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, October 29th, 2010 - 24 comments
According to a recent piece in The Herald: “Education Minister Anne Tolley said a recognition that New Zealand’s education was the best in the world did not rule out reform.” Reform may not be ruled out. But charging ahead with untested, unwanted, and probably damaging national standards certainly is. Where is the case for them, if our education system is so good?
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, October 13th, 2010 - 8 comments
The New Zealand Principals’ Federation has launched their campaign against the Government’s National Standards. The weight of informed debate lies against the Standards achieving what they are purported to deliver. A growing number of education practitioners want the Government to go back to first principles and revisit the design of the Standards.
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, October 8th, 2010 - 2 comments
Hot on the heels of massive cuts to Early Childhood Education Tolley has formed a taskforce to ‘take a look at the provision of ECE services‘. That’s hot on the heels of a similar taskforce to have a gander at why the National Standards won’t work. Has the goose ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you should think before you act?
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 am, September 29th, 2010 - 54 comments
Anne Tolley, Minister for wrecking primary education, doesn’t have the first or faintest idea of what “national standards” are actually going to mean in practice. She is “appalled” at the idea of labelling children as failures. But that is exactly what the standards are designed to do.
Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, September 18th, 2010 - 52 comments
On Tuesday Anne Tolley, Minister for wrecking primary education, dropped another pearl. Has there ever been a comment made by any other minister, ever, in the history of New Zealand, that is as stupid, as arrogant, as offensive, as out of touch, as brain-fartingly idiotic a statement of the bleeding obvious as this clanger from Tolley? Anything even close?
Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, August 27th, 2010 - 12 comments
At what point, I wonder, will National figure out that they’re in a hole over “national standards” and finally stop digging? At what point, I wonder, will National stop lying to us that the parents of insert region here are supportive of national standards?
Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, August 23rd, 2010 - 28 comments
National Standards have been slated by all of the education and assessment experts in New Zealand as being fundamentally flawed. Anne Tolley’s recent admission that she has failed to find a way to ensure that League Tables (the most educationally damaging aspect of the National Standards policy) will be avoided is the final straw for principals around the country.
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, August 20th, 2010 - 41 comments
This government is attacking education at every level. In particular it is attacking teachers over national standards. National blogger DPF’s post yesterday was a particularly disgraceful example. Arrogant, ignorant, and full of lies.
Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, July 12th, 2010 - 8 comments
Two different headlines on national standards this morning paint an interesting picture. Tolley is a disgrace and her national standards are worse. Get rid of both of them.
Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, July 9th, 2010 - 25 comments
Anne Tolley is on record. She told the Principals gathered at their annual conference that rather than run to the media that they need to talk to her directly.
Lets see some of those who have voiced their opposition to Nationals Standards so far…..
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