Socioecomonic status and educational outcomes (and the ignorance of DPF)
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7:50 am, January 25th, 2014 - 49 comments
Categories: dpf, education, poverty -
Tags: education, inequality, poverty, Prof John Hattie
It would suit the right-wing of politics to ignore the profound impact of poverty on education. Nat blogger DPF ran the line, complete with his usual bombastic ignorance, just yesterday:
Let’s put this one to bed. Even if this was true (it is not), this is an announcement on education, not welfare. Turei seems to say we should do nothing to improve the education system while some families are poorer than others. How depressing. I want to see more families doing better, but there is no magic wand. Getting people out of poverty is often a generational thing as you have to confront parenting skills, welfare dependency, employment, drug and alcohol issues, and oh yeah education.
But let’s deal with the big lie. I call it a lie, because the amount of research on what influences educational outcomes is massive. There have been over 50,000 studies. Over 800 meta-analysis done involving 200 million students. Professor John Hattie has done a meta meta analysis of all these studies and identified 138 factors that influence educational outcomes. Not one factor, but 138. Greens think there is just one.
Now socio-economic status is important. It definitely is an influence. There have been 499 studies that looked at its effect. But is it the biggest influence. No. Is it second? No. Third? No. Top 10? Still no. Top 20? Still a no. It is No 32 and home environment by the way is No 31.
So the next time the Greens say the key reason for educational decline is poverty or income inequality, don’t beat around the bush. Call them a liar.
DPF is referring to research described in his book Visible Learning and its related work. It is (predictable but) unfortunate that Hattie’s book should be interpreted and used in this way, because here’s what Hattie himself says in the introduction:
It is not a book about what cannot be influenced in schools — thus critical discussions about class, poverty, resources in families, health in families, and nutrition are not included — but this is NOT because they are unimportant, indeed they may be more important than many of the influences discussed in this book. It is just that I have not included these topics in my orbit. [p ix]
Hattie says factors he has not considered may be highly important. So DPF is wrong that Hattie’s work proves the limited significance of socioeconomic factors, end of story, you can save yourself some time and stop reading this post right now.
Still reading? OK – here’s the long version. DPF’s fallacy is based on a superficial reading of summaries such as this:
Socioeconomic status (marked with a red dot) is Rank 32 out of 138 in this list. As above, Hattie himself admits that his analysis of socioeconomic effects is limited, he regarded many factors as outside the scope of his study, but he has included some data (the main measure was “parental income” where limited effects at the upper range dilute significant effects at the lower range – a measure of poverty would have been more sensitive).
Hattie’s socioeconomic status ranks at only 32 because he used an insensitive measure, because it has a narrow definition, and because of the way Hattie’s study is structured. Most importantly – Hattie’s data is from studies relating to schools, but in his section on socioeconomic status he notes that the main impact occurs before school years begin:
It is likely that the effects from socioeconomic resources are more influential during the pre-school and early years of schooling. For example, Hart and Risley (1995) showed that when students from lower SES groups start school, they have, on average, spoken about 2.5 million words, whereas those from higher groups have spoken 4.5 million words: this demonstrates a remarkable difference in what students bring to school. The lack of resources, the lower levels of involvement in teaching and schooling, the lesser facilities to realize higher expectations and encouragement, and the lack of knowledge about the language of learning may mean that students from lower SES groups start the schooling process behind others. [p 62]
A major part of Hattie’s analysis focuses on the nature of the student when they start school (their background). It is here that we see the effects of socioeconomic status, though it is not being measured directly. The following quotes are all from Chapter 4 The contributions from the student:
The fundamental argument in this chapter is that students not only bring to school their prior achievement (from preschool, home, and genetics), but also a set of personal dispositions that can have a marked effect on the outcomes of schooling. While there is no doubt that schools can affect both achievement and learning dispositions, the origins of both are often well in place before the child enters the school yard. For achievement, there are influences from genetics and early development, very early home and social experiences, and opportunities for learning from birth to five years (e.g., preschool and other early interventions). [p 40]
It is certainly the case that by the time the child enters school, family, preschool, or genetic factors will have already played a major role in generating subsequent differences in school-based achievement. [p 42]
Children in the bottom quartile at 22 months “are significantly less likely to get any qualifications than those in the top quartile”, suggesting that “before children have even entered school, very substantial signals about educational progress” are evident (Feinstein, 2003, p. 82). The effects of social class (based on parental occupation) were marked at 22 months, and if anything, the variability increased over time. This dual influence of early achievement and socioeconomic resources contribute much to what a child brings to school. [p 42 my emphasis]
Where does this show up in Hattie’s list (figure above)? In Student effects. The two top ranked effects in the list are both student effects, they are Self-reported grades i.e. self assessment/confidence, and Piagetian programs i.e. level of cognitive development. These and other student effects are substantially determined by pre-school factors and experience (outside the scope of Hattie’s study) including socioeconomic status.
In summary, Hattie’s analysis of socioeconomic factors is both too little (by his own admission) and too late (focused on school years not the crucial prior experience) so (because of the way he has structured his study) where socioeconomic impact comes out most strongly is in factors relating to student background, such as his Rank 1 and Rank 2 effects.
Of course poverty matters. Duh.
Further reading:
Here’s one of the conclusions of a meta-study of socioeconomic factors (one of the ones cited by Hattie in fact):
Of all the factors examined in the meta-analytic literature, family SES at the student level is one of the strongest correlates of academic performance. At the school level, the correlations were even stronger.
This review’s overall finding, therefore, suggests that parents’ location in the socioeconomic structure has a strong impact on students’ academic achievement. Family SES sets the stage for students’ academic performance both by directly providing resources at home and by indirectly providing the social capital that is necessary to succeed in school (Coleman, 1988). Family SES also helps to determine the kind of school and classroom environment to which the student has access (Reynolds & Walberg, 1992a).
And here’s an analysis of Hattie’s research, including his treatment of socioeconomic factors: Snook, Ivan; O’Neill, John; Clark, John; O’Neill, Anne-Marie; Openshaw, Roger (2009) Invisible Learnings? A Commentary on John Hattie’s book: Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies 44.1: 93-106.
Personal note – I’m on sabatical from The Standard for a couple of months yet, this is a one-off post.
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- Green Party unveils portfolio spokespeople for the 54th ParliamentThe Green Party is pleased to announce the allocation of portfolios across its largest caucus ever. ...2 weeks ago
- The Time is Now for Oceans ProtectionCommunity organisations, mana whenua and the Greens have written to the incoming Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to call for the progression without delay of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Greenpeace nitrates research proves need for strong freshwater regulationThe Green Party is welcoming the release of an interactive map which enables people to monitor nitrate levels in their drinking water. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Chris Hipkins congratulates Christopher Luxon"On behalf of the Labour Party I would like to congratulate Christopher Luxon on his appointment as Prime Minister,” Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens launch petition to save oil and gas banThe Green Party has launched a petition to save the ban on oil and gas exploration. ...2 weeks ago
- Luxon’s Government will whitewash AotearoaNZ First has gotten their wish to ‘take our country back’ to the 1800s with a policy program that will white-wash Aotearoa and erase tangata whenua rights. By disestablishing the Māori Health Authority this Government has condemned Māori to die seven years earlier than Pākehā. By removing Treaty obligations from ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party a strong opposition to divisive governmentThe Green Party will keep up the fight for an Aotearoa that works for everyone. ...2 weeks ago
- Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says. ...3 days ago - New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activityNew Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...3 days ago
- Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga beginsThe Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says. “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...4 days ago
- Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in DubaiClimate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...4 days ago
- New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meetingDefence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...4 days ago
- Study shows need to remove distractions in classThe Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...4 days ago
- Minister sets expectations of CommissionerToday I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...5 days ago
- New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETSNew Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...5 days ago
- PISA results show urgent need to teach the basicsWith 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids. The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...6 days ago
- Collins leaves for Pacific defence meetingDefence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...7 days ago
- Working for Families gets cost of living boostPutting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...7 days ago
- Post-Cabinet press conferenceMost weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...7 days ago
- Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrappedThe Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...1 week ago
- NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in GazaNew Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...1 week ago
- Condolences on passing of Henry KissingerForeign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...1 week ago
- Backing our kids to learn the basicsEvery child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...1 week ago
- US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through tradeI would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber. I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...2 weeks ago
- Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, AucklandGood morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States. This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...2 weeks ago
- India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic PriorityGood morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...2 weeks ago
- Coalition Government unveils 100-day planPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade AgreementA significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...3 weeks ago
- Walking and talking: The Waitakere hīkoi teaching locals about the place they live
A West Auckland iwi is sharing its stories with other Waitakere community members through a unique programme of guided walks. At the meeting point of the Whau awa and Te Waitematā in Waitakere sits Harbourview Park, a taonga of te taiao near the heart of our nation’s biggest city. ...35 mins ago - Digital ID will go mainstream across Australia in 2024. Here’s how it can work for everyone
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Santow, Professor & Co-Director, Human Technology Institute, University of Technology Sydney Simon Lee / Unsplash In a world promising self-driving cars and artificial general intelligence, the prospect of a new form of digital identity verification can feel … less ...1 hour ago - If Ryanair’s social media jumped off a cliff, would yours jump too?The budget airline’s famously sassy tweets and TikToks have commanded millions of eyeballs, and spawned almost as many imitators. What does the brand’s former head of social make of them all? “When you try to be something you’re not, the users can smell bullshit a mile away.” Very calmly and ...2 hours ago
- Prime Minister Christopher Luxon: High net migration not sustainable for New Zealand
New Zealand's 118,000 net migration gain in a year is unsustainable, and infrastructure needs to be better managed to support growth, says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. ...3 hours ago - Transporting New Zealand Outlines Road Freight Priorities
Road freight peak body Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand has released its industry briefing to the Minister of Transport Simeon Brown, including setting out eight actions that would provide practical support and reassurance to the freight ...3 hours ago - Greenpeace billboard labels government 'climate extremists' over oil and gas exploration p...Anyone promoting more fossil fuel use in the midst of a climate crisis deserves to be called out as "extremist", Greenpeace says. ...3 hours ago
- What’s your money doing in Palestine?Your KiwiSaver could be helping to fuel the cycle of violence. Barry Coates, CEO of responsible investing charity Mindful Money, explains how to check. The images of dead and injured civilians pulled from the wreckage in Gaza is tragic. But what is even more tragic is that the atrocities committed ...4 hours ago
- Opinion: Will Our New Government Take The Chance To Fix Accessibility Bill?By Peter Reynolds, New Zealand Disability Support Network CEO I’m holding my breath - hoping for better Accessibility legislation that delivers world class support for all disabled New Zealanders. There’s work to do before we get there. Earlier this ...4 hours ago
- The Geminids: the year’s best meteor shower is upon us. And this one will be a true spectacleSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Shutterstock As an astronomer and meteor enthusiast, I’d say it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Each December sees the return of the Geminid meteor shower – the best natural fireworks ...4 hours ago
- Israel-Hamas war: What is Zionism? A history of the political movement that created Israel as we kno...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Thomas, Lecturer in Middle East Studies, Deakin University Shutterstock As the Israel-Hamas war continues, there’s been a lot of discussion around Zionism. Put simply, Zionism is a nationalist movement that advocates for a homeland for the Jewish people in ...4 hours ago
- I’m trying to lose weight and eat healthily. Why do I feel so hungry all the time? What can I do a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Fuller, Charles Perkins Centre Research Program Leader, University of Sydney Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, famously said nothing is certain except death and taxes. But I think we can include “you’ll feel hungry when you’re ...4 hours ago
- Australia has one of the weakest tax systems for redistribution among industrial nations – the Sta...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Stanford, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work, Australia Institute; Honorary Professor of Political Economy, University of Sydney Shutterstock One of the chief purposes of government payments and taxes is to redistribute income, which is why tax rates are ...4 hours ago
- How an underwater sculpture trail plays a role in the health – and beauty – of the Great Barrier...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Smith, Adjunct Associate Professor, James Cook University The widespread demise of coral reefs due to climate change is now a certainty. But what role does art have in our future for coral reefs? Art is about feelings. One of the ...4 hours ago
- Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden 'less certain' of good relationship with un...The new Workplace Relations and Safety Minister has a busy two weeks ahead, with promises to axe Fair Pay Agreements and start work to reinstate 90-day trials before the summer break. ...5 hours ago
- 2024 will be make or break for New Zealand infrastructureRoads, pipes, houses, hospitals: our infrastructure challenges are overwhelming in their size and scale. Will the government’s new approach make any difference, asks Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A challenge of ...5 hours ago
- Sliding backwards on human rights
This week marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But is the agreement New Zealand signed up to at the UN so long ago still relevant? And are assumptions that we’re doing just fine in this area starting to look a little smug? Today on ...7 hours ago - Workplace Relations Minister 'less certain' of good relationship with unionsThe new Workplace Relations and Safety minister has a busy two weeks ahead, with promises to axe Fair Pay Agreements and start work to reinstate 90-day trials before the summer break. ...7 hours ago
- Xmas: the best nonfiction of 2023New Zealand nonfiction in 2023 went in pursuit of worthy subjects – Māori health, white privilege, law and order, the foaming mad of the alt-right – but lacked the personal touch. In contrast with the blazing artistry and honesty of Charlotte Grimshaw’s memoir The Mirror Book (2021) and Noelle ...7 hours ago
- Winston Peters’ rabbit hole problemClaims by a Whatu Ora staffer have attracted the attention of conspiracy groups in NZ and around the world. And they’re demanding attention from someone they thought was on their side. They didn’t all love him. This was the guy, after all, who stood in lockstep with their bete noire, ...8 hours ago
- Strong and stable pay for all – not just for politiciansIf a market is structured so a race to the bottom is encouraged, then businesses will start racing there The post Strong and stable pay for all – not just for politicians appeared first on Newsroom. ...8 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Monday 11 DecemberThe post Daily crossword, Monday 11 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...8 hours ago
- Surging migration expected to lift economic outputNet migration of 120,000 in 2023 has helped to grow population by 2.7% and supported higher output and demand The post Surging migration expected to lift economic output appeared first on Newsroom. ...8 hours ago
- Leaders go round in a circle at climate summitSigns of weaker language on the phase-out of fossil fuels emerged yesterday as the United Nations’ COP28 climate summit delegates prepared for the final few days of talks. To that end, Sultan Al Jaber, the United Arab Emirates’ chair of the negotiations, convened a majlis – a gathering of elders ...8 hours ago
- Defence Force boosts sexual assault response after ‘serious’ staff auditFormer Navy engineer welcomes reinforcement of armed forces' Sexual Assault Response team, in the hope her daughters' generation won't suffer what she did. The post Defence Force boosts sexual assault response after ‘serious’ staff audit appeared first on Newsroom. ...8 hours ago
- Beyond Xero: Is Wellington ready to take on the fintech world?Seventeen years after Xero launched in a one-bedroom apartment on Willis St, the next generation of Wellington financial startups is ready to go big. Will the capital take advantage? In 2006, Rod Drury and Hamish Edwards started a little company in a one-bedroom apartment on Willis St with the janky ...8 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 11 DecemberLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 11 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...8 hours ago
- Mackenzie solar farm stoush heads to courtApplicants for an 88MW solar array in the Mackenzie Basin says the site's biodiversity values are 'vastly overstated' The post Mackenzie solar farm stoush heads to court appeared first on Newsroom. ...8 hours ago
- Government to toughen scrutiny of international students as it slashes net migration over two yearsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Australia’s net-overseas migration levels will be cut dramatically over two years to bring the country’s exploding intake back to sustainable numbers. In estimates to be released on Monday, net-overseas migration will be 375,000 this ...12 hours ago
- Another march on the cards if new government lets Ngāpuhi down – Hinerangi Cooper-PuruDame Whina Cooper's daughter says her mum would have urged Ngāpuhi to never give up the struggle for justice. ...14 hours ago
- With Annastacia Palaszczuk gone, can Labor achieve the unachievable in Queensland?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Williams, Associate Professor, Griffith University, Griffith University Democracies are, by nature, systems of stability and change. But, north of the Tweed River, Queensland politics is very much about stability, and only a little about change. Where, for example, New South Wales ...17 hours ago
- Environmental Defence Society releases its Briefings for Incoming MinistersEDS has today released its Briefings for Incoming Ministers in the new Coalition Government. The BIMs cover the following portfolio areas and Ministers: Hon Penny Simmonds, Minister for the Environment Hon Chris Bishop, Minister for Resource Management ...23 hours ago
- Tobacco researcher: New Zealand's reputation 'now pretty tarnished' amongst scientist...A public health academic says New Zealand's rowback on smokefree legislation is "very embarrassing" and has tarnished our reputation. ...24 hours ago
- Why does some popcorn not pop?Popcorn has one job. So what happens when it fails? Charlotte Muru-Lanning reports from the stovetop. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. There’s nothing quite like the lively ceremony of making stovetop popcorn. First there’s the clattering of those amber-coloured kernels into the pot. Hopefully within minutes, there’s the first hollow pop. Then, ...1 day ago
- In-between kids: The volunteering experience that inspired Before GeorgeDeborah Robertson on what inspired her to write her new novel, and to set it in 1953 – the year of the Tangiwai disaster. A group of six girls in purple T-shirts are sitting on a log. Well, not really a log. It’s an equestrian hurdle that has been carved ...1 day ago
- Coaster calls for Government to plug stopbanksA Harihari dairy farmer whose land was flooded when a stopbank failed this year says river protection on the West Coast has become unaffordable and the Government should urgently restore subsidies for the work. Andy Campbell lost the use of 100ha when the Wanganui River breached a stopbank last ...1 day ago
- We’re going on a bat huntIn rural South Auckland, a team of conservationists head out on a nocturnal mission to track down Aotearoa’s only native land mammal. Asia Martusia King tags along. The bat hunt begins as usual: with Vengaboys. A group of scientists sits somberly around a table in a rural South Auckland paddock, ...1 day ago
- The Sunday Essay: Is there an age when you can no longer dance?How I faced the limitations of dancing into the ‘sunset years’ of my life. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Illustrations by kūkū. “To choose to be a dancer is a lovely act of defiance” – Daniel Nagrin, How to Dance Forever ...1 day ago
- Ngāpuhi hapū gather to receive Tribunal report on Treaty grievancesA landmark Waitangi Tribunal report into injustices suffered by Ngāpuhi will strengthen the iwi's case as it looks to restart its stalled Treaty settlement negotiations, a hapū leader says. ...2 days ago
- ‘We’re legit filmmakers’: The story behind Viva La Dirt League’s epic new studioIn just 18 months, the Auckland-based YouTube channel has gone from working from home and out of cafes to a brand new multi-million dollar studio. Sam Brooks asks the trio how they pulled it off, and what they’re planning to do with it. On December 4, a video called “The ...2 days ago
- Focus on Politics: Māori dissent sets the scene as Parliament returnsThe resumption of Parliament this week has been underlined by outcry from Māori, soon matched by fury within the debating chamber. ...2 days ago
- ‘Childish, immature, disgusting’: Why TV viewers are mad at Anika Moa this timeThe Anika Moa Unleashed host unleashes her thoughts on After the Party, Paul Holmes, The Walking Dead, stalking celebrities and more. Anika Moa has a proud history of angering strangers online, whether it’s due to her tattoos, her love life, or something else entirely. When she sits down with The ...2 days ago
- Rod Oram: Words, crowds and Kiwis at global climate summitSearching widely for ways to overcome deep opposition by fossil fuel nations to a phase-out of their products, the President of COP28 enlisted an ally while negotiators sought subtler language yesterday. “We have been asked by the UAE presidency to help find common language that will be acceptable ...2 days ago
- Food writing isn’t really about foodWith a topic so universal, it’s almost always about something bigger. Consider the contents of your fridge. What kinds of fruits and vegetables are in your crisper drawer? How much did that block of cheese set you back? Where did you source most of this kai from? Are there ingredients ...2 days ago
- Long Read: The grief birdYou can read the full story, plus see photographs from Craig McKenzie, in the November-December issue of New Zealand Geographic magazine, or on their website. The bittern’s eerie, booming call sounds like a lament, a tangi ringing across the marshes. Now, the birds themselves are in trouble. ...2 days ago
- Theatrical performance: does music work for surgery?Opinion: You may have been there, waiting your turn, wearing an ill-fitting hospital gown, surrounded by a flurry of staff, the smell of disinfectant in the air. If you’ve ever undergone surgery, you probably know the nervous, stress-laden pre-op feeling. What may come as a surprise is that ...2 days ago
- Short story: Beautiful Isolation, by Catherine Chidgey1. In the evening and in the night, I sit on the balcony and think of you. I can’t see the water but I know it’s there, soft and slow. We bathed in it that last day, you and I, when the dusk hung heavy as cloth of gold ...2 days ago
- Togs, togs, undies: The story behind NZ’s most iconic summer adAlex Casey unearths the origin story of an New Zealand icon – featuring a surprise cameo from an international comedy megastar. At first glance, the Facebook post from a Waipu cafe reads like any other heartfelt change in ownership announcement. “George and Amber have reflected on their involvement in our ...2 days ago
- Their house, my garden: What to do when your plant is boltingThis week on Their house, my garden, why my spinach plant has grown suspiciously tall, and how to deal with your own over-eager plants. Beginner gardeners would be forgiven for thinking a plant growing tall is reason to celebrate. We are, after all, the kind of species who mark door ...2 days ago
- Government rocked by second leak in five days, ministers suspend analysis of repeal proposalsThe new government has been rocked by the leaking of another confidential paper to the New Zealand Herald - the second to spill in just five days. ...3 days ago
- 'He gets it' – Christopher Luxon impresses locals on first visit to cyclone-battered...Luxon drove the crumbling SH2 with a handful of MPs on Friday morning to reach the small town, gauge progress of its recovery, and learn what it needs from the new government. ...3 days ago
- Israel’s AI can produce 100 bombing targets a day in Gaza. Is this the future of war?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bianca Baggiarini, Lecturer, Australian National University Last week, reports emerged that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are using an artificial intelligence (AI) system called Habsora (Hebrew for “The Gospel”) to select targets in the war on Hamas in Gaza. The system has ...3 days ago
- Frank and far-reaching: Senate report recommends shake-up of the way freedom of information is handl...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johan Lidberg, Associate Professor, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University The most significant recommendation in the Senate inquiry report on the functionality of the Commonwealth FOI system is this: move the federal Freedom of Information (FOI) function from the Office ...3 days ago
- Week in Politics: New government survives first Question TimeAnalysis: The government was under attack on multiple fronts during a week of relentless criticism and then faced its first Question Time in Parliament, Peter Wilson writes. ...3 days ago
- This is the endWell, it’s 4.30pm on a Friday which feels as appropriate time as ever to say goodbye. The Spinoff’s live updates have come to an end, almost four years after they were first switched on. If you missed my explainer this morning of what’s going on, here it is. In short: ...3 days ago
- Taken together, the NDIS review and the royal commission recommendations could transform disability ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, La Trobe University Shutterstock A home – in the physical and emotional sense – is foundational to living an ordinary life with a feeling of inclusion. National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants with the highest ...3 days ago
- Fire ants are on the march. Here’s what happens when they stingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darren Roberts, Conjoint Associate Professor in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, St Vincent’s Healthcare Clinical Campus, UNSW Sydney Veronika Kunitsyna/Shutterstock Red imported fire ants are a particularly nasty type of ant because they are aggressive, and inflict painful stings that may ...3 days ago
- Watch: Luxon on Hawke's Bay cyclone recovery: 'We don't want to turn all that upside ...Christopher Luxon says the new government is going to continue everything that the previous one put into place to help with the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. ...3 days ago
- Waka Kotahi to use its English name first after pressure from governmentWaka Kotahi will begin referring to itself using its English name first after pressure from parties in the coalition government. ...3 days ago
- Investigation into alleged vaccine data breach ongoingTe Whatu Ora is continuing to investigate after a data breach that saw vaccine-related information shared online last week. The agency is liaising with the Privacy Commissioner and said it will make “any appropriate notifications” if individuals were impacted by the breach. “Alongside the work to identify the material allegedly ...3 days ago
- Watch – Christopher Luxon visits Hawke's Bay to see cyclone recovery progressLive - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been in Wairoa this morning to gauge progress of the town's recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. Watch a media conference with him here. ...3 days ago
- XYZZY is a buzzy good time at the StardomeSam Brooks reviews a new immersive film experience at Auckland’s planetarium. Journalists get invited to review things all the time. Books, films, shows, exhibitions, all of it. I say yes to a lot of them and “no, sorry” to a bit more. Very rarely do I go, “Absolutely I need ...3 days ago
- Waka Kotahi back to being NZTA, board members quitWaka Kotahi has begun the process of re-adopting its former name, the New Zealand Transport Agency (or NZTA). It follows a directive from the new government that public agencies should have their primary name in English and not te reo. This came as part of the coalition deal between National ...3 days ago
- Yes, landlords gain from the repeal of interest deductibility rules – but it was a flawed law from...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Pavlovich, Senior lecturer in the School of Accounting and Commercial Law, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The new coalition government has announced a suite of tax reforms, including reintroducing the ability for property investors to deduct the interest ...3 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending December 8The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (Hamish Hamilton, $37) The runner-up for the 2023 Booker Prize ...3 days ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘a retreat’ by Jasmine O M TaylorA new poem by Ōtepoti poet Jasmine O M Taylor. a retreat if you find a chance before they’ve all melted into the air find time to get on a glacier and find a cave in the glacier and go inside the cave inside the glacier it will speak to ...3 days ago
- Gone By Lunchtime: Do Te Pāti Māori-led protests set the tone for the term ahead?Our award-winning podcast assesses the opening stanza of the Luxon-led government. After the long, serene political gap as coalition talks went on, politics has roared back with plenty of shouting and not so much rizz. Toby Manhire, Ben Thomas and Annabelle Lee-Mather assess the early exchanges, including Winston Peters’ ...3 days ago
- The Amalgamated Workers Union Calls On The Government To Give Fair Pay Agreements A Fair Go“The new government has a clear choice to make before Christmas. Do they live up to their stated intention of governing for all New Zealanders, or do they dash the hopes of tens of thousands of kiwi workers by unilaterally abolishing Fair Pay ...3 days ago
- What does El Niño do to the weather in your state?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley Reid, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Atmospheric Sciences, Monash University titoOnz, Shutterstock You’ve probably heard El Niño brings hot and dry weather to the eastern states, but what about the rest of Australia? Are we all in for a scorcher ...3 days ago
- Australia’s first mobile cooling hub is ready for searing heat this summer – and people who are ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Currie, Professor of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Heatwaves are a major public health hazard. Socially disadvantaged people are especially exposed to extreme heat and other impacts of climate change. Many people experiencing homelessness – more than 120,000 ...3 days ago
- Free Speech Union Releases Briefing To Incoming Government, Outlining Key Areas Of Policy To Protect...The Free Speech Union has sent 14 Cabinet Ministers a comprehensive Briefing to the Incoming Government, outlining five key areas of policy that the Government must address in order to protect and expand Kiwis’ speech rights. We look forward to ...3 days ago
- Interislander ferry upgrade: Finance Minister warns of cost blowoutFinance Minister Nicola Willis says she has already met twice with KiwiRail bosses over a "major cost blowout" in the project to replace the Interislander ferries. ...3 days ago
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So David Farrar read the book and is lying about it. Or he read it but failed English comprehension. Or someone fed him a pack of lies that he didn’t even bother to check.
It must suck being a wingnut.
Fisiani seems notable by his absence from this thread; given his slavish posting of DPF’s post verbatum over on Karol’s post yesterday.
It must be worse being brain-sucked by a wingnut.
I think he, and the rest of the wing-nuts, just looked at the pretty graph and then jumped to the conclusion that met their ideology and needs. The ideology that people are poor because of their own bad decisions and their need to distract from the increasing poverty in NZ.
Ad hominem responses are not the same as a rebuttal of the comment that obviously incensed you. You come across asa small-minded bigot.
That post is full of educational jargon that went straight over my head.
IMO it is Tomorrow’s Schools that got us where we are now in terms of educational ‘achievement’. It simply whipped away the support structures for our schools and replaced them with a free market, and closures for schools in poorer areas (dicated by central government). Boards and principals were given too much powers and ran schools like their own private fiefdoms, obessed with atttracting international students and using suspensions and explusions to get rid of the “bottom 20%”, and squeezing every last penny out of parents, to the point of making them supply whiteboard markers and scissors..
Even the Picot taskforce recognised the shortcomings of getting rid of the Education Department and the education boards, and proposed education service centres, a parent advocate and community education forms (the first of which never got off the ground, apart from specialist accounting pracitises, the 3rd was chopped by National in 1991 and the third never came to pass).
To fix education, means to fix Tomorrow’s Schools. It may mean pissing off Lorraine Kerr, but it needs to be done.
The TLDR version is: DPF says poverty doesn’t matter as much as teacher ability because Hattie’s study says so. Hattie’s study is flawed because the only thing used to indicate poverty was parental income.
The two most important factors according to Hattie are self assessment/confidence and cognitive development – both of which will be strongly affected before school starts by poverty and socioeconomic factors.
The moral of the story? The right want to pretend that the only effect poverty has on your life is that you can’t buy as many nice things.
As a matter of interest QoT, the Decile Rating of a school is determined by the occupation of the parents. There must be a connection between the lower incomes and lower achievement in a sort of vicious circle in Decile 1 schools. (Though many Low Decile Schools have fantastic results in getting disadvantaged kids started while higher Decile Schools are complacent and may be underachieving.).
Indeed. And in line with recent reporting about how much it actually costs to put kids through our public education system – which Hekia Parata brushed off as being about “donations” – kids in Decile 9 and 10 schools will be able to have better resources, equipment, overseas trips, and thus the gap keeps getting wider.
And that if you’re poor then it’s all your fault.
Completed.
@ millsy ….+100 agreed( but now it is a sacred cow)…Tomorrows Schools was a poorly thought out change in education…and adopted enthusiastically by David Lange who knew nothing about education .
Tomorrows Schools allows for Principal manipulation of Boards of Trustees and parent manipulation and cronyism of Principals…it creates fiefdoms and unholy alliances for Principals who find their niche and an unwillingness to move on…
imo one of the biggest failings was that the Boards of Trustees was open to parents who had no understanding of education or teaching ( I met one such head of a BOT who was a former expelled student from a private school….She had no education to speak of ,but she was a Queen Bee and married to a rich farmer……and she backed a Principal who was subsequently replaced by a Commissioner and then sacked…..this woman divided the existing BOT which was trying to get rid of the Principal and a whole community( previous BOT Heads had resigned) …. the school roll was taken down by two thirds over a year while she was head of the BOT….it was a nightmare and ERO and other safeguards seemed impotent to do anything)..I have also seem a Principal co-opted by the parents of bullies…you can imagine that not much was done about the bullying problem at that school
….it is all very well to involve parents but the professional standing of teachers/schools must be evaluated by other education professionals ( hence school inspectorates)….eg. would you have a law firm run by a bunch of uneducated hicks? or a doctor’s practice?
….children from the lowest socio-economic groups deserve the best of educational practice ( this means involving parents but not allowing them to run Principals and Schools) Education is a profesion and a vocation…..like law and medicine
Yes, Tomorrows Schools was the first of the strategies to change education from a co-operative model to a competitive one. It was cleverly disguised as involving the community, but really it was the start of setting one educational institution against another by putting them into competition with each other. How could it ever work when the lower Decile schools struggled to find the necessary legal and accounting skills necessary to run a school board, let alone the ability to select and appoint the most suitable teachers?
Teachers, and consequently children, have been, and continue to be, the big losers in this model. Competition does not encourage the sharing of information and resources, a very valuable professional tool for adding depth and experience to practice (and praxis).
This is nowhere more evident than in Early Childhood, where the sector has been allowed, even encouraged, to develop on business model lines (much like age care) with some truly appalling results at times. This is inexcusable – a careful reading of even Hattie’s conclusions would show how important early childhood education is, especially for children who have home – life challenges to overcome. They never really recover from that early deprivation.
This last round of right wing nonsense seems to make the competitive model even stronger. Our poor kids!
Chooky – and Millsy – 100% agree with you.
So it’s clear that National and their revolting appendages (eg DPF) are going to run with the strategy of out-right denying that poverty and inequality are getting worse. They’re going to flatly deny that the economic and social policies they support have anything do with this. In fact, they are going to argue that those policies are helping ameliorate inequality and poverty.
National is going to run an ‘inverted reality’ campaign for this election.
Yep, in the best traditions of classic Crosby Textor.
Yes its time the left devised a counter to crsoby textor. They seem to be able to trample all over any democratic notions of fairness and equity in favour of neanderthals like fatboy farrar and wail boil who believe that their own thoughts are facts. Its time they were exposed for the snivelling lackspittles they are.
Yes its time the left devised a counter to crsoby textor.
The left isn’t capable of doing it based on recent performance. Labour in particular is just cringe-inducingly amateurish when it comes to communications.
Difficult when the media insist on framing everything National does as good policy and everything from the other side is dammed with faint praise.
Where is the in depth analysis, from Armstrong and his partners in crime, about the theft of assets or the “pie in the sky” “benifts of the TPP”, for example.
Difficult when the media insist on framing everything National does as good policy and everything from the other side is dammed with faint praise.
That’s because things from the left – again, particularly Labour – come across as the work of a bunch of amateurs. Doesn’t matter what the policy actually IS; the messaging and timing and articulation of the policy say “we’re a bunch of muppets, don’t take us seriously”.
Just look at the timing of Cunliffe’s speech. On a Monday, on the Auckland Anniversary public holiday, on the Australia Day Australian public holiday, on the day of the Grammy awards when Lorde was nominated. It’s like Labour sat down and went “hey, let’s choose a day when people are least likely to listen to us or feel positive even if they do”.
Then National gets a Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Fri of media commentary saying “response to Labour’s welfare plan was quiet” NO SHIT IT WAS QUIET THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS ON A PUBLIC HOLIDAY WHERE ALL THE PEOPLE ARE.
Perfect example, right now.
It’s the day after the Leader’s big speech. The name you want on everyone’s lips is CUNLIFFE, the issue you want on everybody’s minds is POVERTY, and the solution is Labour’s plan to HELP PARENTS. Got that? Cunliffe, fighting poverty, through Labour’s plan to help parents. Say it with me now. Cunliffe, poverty, help parents.
So what does Labour do today?
Didja hear that? David Clark just called Facebook a paedophile website. Bill English and John Key got to reply and sound sensible. There was something in there about tax, but like whatever.
Conspicuous by their absence:. CUNLIFFE. POVERTY. HELPING PARENTS. Also NOT LOOKING LIKE AMATEURS.
And yet again it’s lack of basic discipline. How do we stop these dolts shooting everyone else in the foot?
We can’t. There have been too many brain explosions and self-inflicted injuries over too long, communications incompetence is ingrained too deeply in the organisational culture. They don’t even know they’re incompetent.
“The mainstream media are in the pocket of the Right!”
“Crosby Textor are pulling the strings!”
“The rightwing bloggers are all being paid by big business!”
“John Key is a smiling waving superficial puppet! And a brutal Machiavellian mastermind!”
You’d think that at some point in this litany of excuses somebody in the Labour comms team would say “hey, maybe it’s not that everyone else in the world is part of a shadowy rightist conspiracy… maybe we’re just crap?”
But no. Oblivious.
Yeah, well, there is a right wing conspiracy, but there always was, and it didn’t stop MPs doing their job.
The Nats work so bloody hard in Opposition. Labour seems to have forgotten how to run issues, get out of the beltway, stir the pot a little, keep pushing, supply the journos with lots of stories, not just the big set piece policy announcements. Comes down to hard work.
Plus there’s a little bit of this:
“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” ~ Charles Bukowski.
It’s not ignorance. He knows it as well as you and I do, but if he were to publicly accept it there would be conclusions to draw that would be highly disadvantageous to the National Party. And his role as a blogger is to run propaganda for National, not undermine it.
+1
Anthony, fantastic post.
Actual analysis rather than the somewhat mundane and baron insights from National media lacKeys.
Poor dears, they maybe a little scared people, if educated well will see through their BS
Maybe they should be reminded of this (sorry already posted this):
Consider this Jesuit motto “Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_Series
Now consider this chilling statement (somebody posted the other day)
It is a matter of personal belief as to whether a high proportion of all centre staff should be trained teachers.
John key, prime minister, 2010
http://www.matuaplunketkindergarten.co.nz/Why_Trained_Teachers.html
http://www.beststart.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Anne-Smith-NZEI-ECE-hui-Oct-2013
So after 5 years and two failures put in charge of Education ( Tolley and Parata), National has some vague sort of education policy that involves throwing money at it ! ( so much for that mantra )
Of course this ‘could’ happen next year , after the election.
Remember too the promises made to Pike River families that were so easily discarded and those families of the quake victims .
-Quake Families group co-chairmen Dr Maan Alkaisi and Brian Kennedy maintain Key gave face-to-face assurances the Government would do everything it could to assist the families. Key met the families in the days after the quake.
If national is in power after the election, the actual scheme will look very different
Then there was Novopay- national cant even get the existing pay system to run properly but want to introduce even more layers
Come on. The extra money – if it ever gets close to amount over 4 years talked about- will come out of the existing school budgets- mark my words.
Probably the change principals primary role is to close schools without the blame being put on central government
My guess is that Bill English, a former Minister of Education is behind this pile of cash disguished as an education policy. It will plaster over some cracks but in the scheme of things hardly will make a difference
Still grumpy about this. The most annoying thing about DPF’s propaganda is that you don’t even need any fancy academic studies to get the point that poverty or the lack of it is the biggest factor in education – you just have to have a functioning brain.
1. If you look at the school’s decile number you get a good idea of where its pupils will rank academically.
2. The possibilities to account for this are:
a) It’s just a very, very unlikely coincidence; OR
b) Bad schools that don’t teach kids properly cause the surrounding neighbourhoods to become poor; OR
c) Kids from poor neighbourhoods do less well in school.
If we were to take DPF’s propaganda at face value, we could only conclude that he imagines a) or b) to be the case. Some of the Kiwiblog commenters strike me as being that stupid, but he definitely isn’t.
You’re missing d) Poor people are inherently stupid and lazy, and that’s why they’re poor. An idea which is used to justify a heck of a lot of shitting on the poor but which few people (except in Stuff comments) will openly admit to.
Educational experts are like historians- I can find another one that I can skim over and misrepresent their basic argument with out actually having checked the evidence for their position
DPF= David PantsonFire
Okay, here’s my take on things, thanks to Hooton, Farrar and McNasty – DPF. Our parents. or our grandparents generations survived the “great depression” and “the second world war”. Most of them didn’t go to high school, let alone university. But they wanted a better future for us, their children, and for that, they sacrificed a lot. What “pleasures” they had were simple, they rarely asked for much.
And how do we, the next generation, pass on the baton? Like the rotten spoilt ungrateful children we’ve become. When it was our turn to receive those “rewards”, we smugly took each and everyone we could, we challenged authority at every turn, nothing was too good, and boy, did we expect, want, demand and get more.
It seems our politicians and those who hold the shackles of power are weary of ever letting go. But our generation tookover from the previous generation and the sky did not fall in, and soforth. I think the word missing in this “discussion” is trust.
But then trust is not a word bandied around by the right. They have proven time and again to be the least trustworthy of all. But at some stage we need to ensure the following generations are ready to take on the mantle of leadership and Government. We have to empower them, and if that means they are well-feed, then so be it.
Poverty is not a reason for doing nothing. Poverty is not a reason for lying.
Interesting comment in the latest Economist which seems to make more sens than much of what National is trying to do.
So instead what does National do, reduce payments for adult education/ night classes and reward reasonably well paid principals even further. Redirecting the recent gift to educators into the preschool early learning programmes might well be a better solution but then children don’t vote so why bother.
I see one of the new categories National is creating is one called “Change Principals”. So if they’re anything like the “Change Managers” in business they will do the following:
1)Parachute into a school
2) Have no idea how things work because they don’t know anyone…
..and therefore..
3) ..completely shag things up..
..and then..
4) …piss off to do the same again somewhere else.
National has done the same to so many government departments, why not replicate the successful formula in schools? /sarc
The fundamental thing that National is planning to do is to create a layer of heirarchy in schools which will enable them inject in their neoliberal poison. Make no mistake, this is part of a long-term plan to destroy socialised education in New Zealand.
Chooky
‘…Tomorrows Schools was a poorly thought out change in education…and adopted enthusiastically by David Lange who knew nothing about education ..’
Education reorganized by politicians who knew nothing about education.
Surely that couldn’t happen again?
geoff
Change managers read ‘ Change principals’ are often called ‘Seagull managers/ principals’
Fly in-sh*t on everyone- fly out.
Excellent post, Anthony.
There was an interview between Kathryn Ryan and a chap from Arizona State University (who just happened, fortunately, to be here for a conference).
His opening comments were right on this point: What the research overwhelmingly shows is that non-school related factors contribute about 60% of the variance in educational performance. School-related factors, about 20%.
He also had critical comments to make about the idea of taking so-called ‘turn-around’ principals (those who seem to have transformed educational outcomes at one school) and putting them in other schools. He cited the case of the teacher behind the film ‘Stand and Deliver’: Accomplished ‘turnaround’ in an LA school, went to a school in Sacramento and completely failed. The moral? Individual cases of success are highly contextualised and not dependent on the ‘super-principal’ or ‘super-teacher’.
Of course, in our individualistic society, we have this funny idea that the most important ingredient in any socially notable event is an individual. Fairly unsophisticated thinking but very common.
It’s well worth a listen.
Yes, I heard the same article and agree it is worth a listen.
“Of course, in our individualistic society, we have this funny idea that the most important ingredient in any socially notable event is an individual. Fairly unsophisticated thinking but very common.”
This attitude also drives the super sized salaries of corporate CEO’s, etc…perhaps it stems from Right wing authoritarianism.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism
Its the Cult of the Individual and Randian Super-Heroes that we’ve had lumped on us over the last few decades along with neo-liberalism. The two fallacies seem to go hand in hand. Both are very unsophisticated thinking.
It’s an even more basic deficiency: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error
Well that’s some compelling statistical analysis right there.
Nats Keep Flailing in Education
This is the bit that gets me though:
You know, our universities that are slowly going downhill.
All National’s new education policies sound like is more jobs for the boys.
Of course Draco, the Executive Principals will have to prove their success. No one is sure what reliable measure there will be but for the Government they must trumpet successful outcomes or face ridicule for wasting millions.
“Even if it it is a failure it will be a success,” John Key will say with a straight face.
+1
There is another laughable thing going on here, this ‘solution’ that National are planning shoots their own spin out of the water that was flying around a few months back about the Left just wanting to ‘throw money at a problem’ – they are going to have to come up with something new to condemn Labour, the Greens and Mana with now
http://thestandard.org.nz/child-poverty-in-new-zealand/#comment-741232
http://thestandard.org.nz/garth-georges-best-column-ever/#comment-754575
We can now come right back on them with this one because it is surely a case of “throwing money at a problem rather than coming up with effective solutions”
+1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-ravitch/obamas-race-to-the-top-wi_b_666598.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Ravitch
‘The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Undermine Education’ by Professor Diane Ravitch
( just in case people havent seen this before…..even American Education Professors dont believe what John Key is doing…it has been tried in the USA before and failed….better to go the Finland way)
I have been following David Farrar and his blog over recent weeks, and yes, he is clearly gearing up for the election, doing all to hype it up, to support Key and his beloved Nats.
It is unbelievable how biased his blogs are, especially recently. There used to be a bit of distraction and liberal “entertainment”, but now he seems to be in full steam and full gear, to get Key a third term.
So there he goes picking that suits their agenda, and everything else, especially coming from the Greens, is straight away rubbished, even harsher than usual.
And then today – or rather yesterday, he did a post on Scoop and questioned their “independence” again, so what “independence” is there in the rest of the damned “mainstream media” then? Radio Live, 1ZB, TV3, TVNZ, even Radio NZ now, and do not even go down to the rest of the commercialised mercenary lot.
What a bloody sick joke!
Most of the MSM are in a self fed frenzy, to cheer on Key and Nats, and they have lost all decency and accountability, they have clearly thrown “independent” reporting well over board. Analysis and investigative journalism are language they no longer comprehend, and do not want to know. F them!
Good you go behind enemy lines Xtasy….we need to get reports on what the enemy is spinning ……I stick to here and the Daily Blog ( otherwise I would get too depressed with all the lies)
…I hope you do a bit of sniping and sabotage and stirring while you are there
To beat National I believe you have to attack them where it hurts.
So instead of discussing what JK wants to discuss, reframe everything as an attack. One of the best points of attack in education is the rots that Private Schools use to their advantage.
1. Charitable status of Private Schools- this needs to be eliminated- Charitable Stauts comes up for review this year- an election year – a perfect time to get rid of it- or make National Defend it- I wonder if they will if it is under sustained attack.
2. Private schools payment per pupil- based on an average cost model rather than marginal cost to the state system that is forgone-
Breaking Private education is an important step. They are helping to tear NZ apart more and more. Break them in the same way as the right broke the union movement.
In fact if anyone really wanted to do something about education that will actually be of some use they would stop mucking about with primary and secondary schooling, which is more or less doing its job, and focus attention on early childhood education. Time after time research shows that quality education and care before five can seriously counter the effects of negative challenges children face. Even John Hattie is saying this if you read his conclusions.
I can remember Karen Sewell (CEO of the Education Ministry at the time) telling a somewhat miffed education conference full of school principals and other education wallahs that if a child enters the compulsory education system two years behind then try as they might that child will probably emerge still two years behind.
Governments have allowed this essential asset to fall into the hands of the commercial sector with the consequent shortcomings that inevitably flow from the commercial imperatives of profit-making. A lot of it is in a sickly state and likely to remain that way while more attention is paid to it as a business opportunity than an important education sector and pretend it’s not really relevant.