Written By: - Date published: 2:59 pm, December 13th, 2017 - 74 comments
It’s great to see Chris Hipkins abolishing ‘National Standards’ as a matter of priority. This policy was nothing but an unfortunate bit of populism from the previous government, and a Prime Minister in John Key who specialised in band-aid solutions to problems that required stitches. While it may have made some people feel better that it […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, December 7th, 2017 - 30 comments
The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study results suggests that National Standards has been a failure.
Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, August 27th, 2017 - 124 comments
The centerpiece of National’s campaign launch was an education package that doubles down on the demonstrably failed national standards policy. Out of ideas.
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, April 24th, 2017 - 37 comments
Parata can believe whatever brings her comfort of course, but the fact is that this National government has made, as usual, a mess of education.
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, March 21st, 2017 - 137 comments
An excellent piece by Simon Collins in the weekend Herald. NZ’s educational scores in international comparisons are locked in a downward spiral. National’s ideology has failed, while we ignore successful models.
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, November 30th, 2016 - 45 comments
Thanks National: “NZ kids worst at maths in English-speaking world”.
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, May 3rd, 2016 - 260 comments
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.”
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, June 3rd, 2015 - 67 comments
Further evidence that “national standards” are an omnishambles.
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, June 12th, 2013 - 34 comments
If there was a national standard in scientific method than the right wing spinsters talking up yesterday’s national standards results would all fail it.
Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, October 16th, 2012 - 51 comments
Did you know that national standards must be completed in written form and there is no provision for extra time or oral answers from students (oops, sorry, ‘learners’ in Parata-speak) with disabilities? At high school and uni, if you have the need, you get these things. National’s stupid national standards have no such flexibility. Instead, they label you a failure.
Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, October 6th, 2012 - 13 comments
Teachers are terrible at national standards. Almost half of them get them wrong, on one standard 97% of teachers were wrong. This is an outrage! Teachers are terrible!! Right? Am I right? Or is there an alternative hypothesis…
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, September 24th, 2012 - 85 comments
Reprinted with permission from Dave Kennedy (bsprout) at Local Bodies. “While National Standards has cost around $60 million to force onto schools many programmes designed to address the causes of underachievement have been under resourced or cut altogether.”
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 22nd, 2012 - 135 comments
So the first ‘ropey’ National Standards data is slipping out. It may not bear comparison, and not be moderated or indeed standardised, but Hekia Parata can now divulge the great wisdom that National’s StandardsTM provides.
Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, September 10th, 2012 - 86 comments
Shearer has set out some bold new ideas for education. Key is clinging to failed national standards. Shearer’s views are well supported by the successful Finnish model, while Key’s are condemned by failures in the UK and USA. Does the evidence matter?
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, August 21st, 2012 - 20 comments
Decile ratings of schools are to be dropped from ERO reports because they are “confusing” and “unfair” and lead to “white flight”. Unlike, say, ropey national standards data. Uh huh.
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, August 11th, 2012 - 33 comments
How to explain National’s blatant inconsistency in not requiring national standards for charter schools? After further reflection, I think it makes sense after all…
Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, August 5th, 2012 - 45 comments
No one can fix the tail of educational underachievement without fixing poverty.
Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, August 3rd, 2012 - 215 comments
The right hand of National’s education policy doesn’t know what the far-right hand is up to…
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, July 17th, 2012 - 154 comments
School league tables are harmful to education. Tables based on “ropey data” are even worse. In this open letter 100 academics speak out against league tables.
Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, June 8th, 2012 - 6 comments
While the public’s attention is focused on educational issues, use the platform to press for change on the Nats other damaging educational initiatives, national standards and charter schools.
Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, April 18th, 2012 - 49 comments
The Nats are determined to ignore the evidence on the harm caused by charter schools, just as they are ignoring evidence on the damage done by national standards. This willingness to harm kids, as incidental pawns in their ideological games, really pisses me off.
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, March 16th, 2012 - 34 comments
The predicted problems created by a “national standards” system are coming home to roost already.
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 - 74 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 - 133 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 - 58 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.
Recent Comments