national standards Archive

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  Judge Becroft and the role of schools - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Senior Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft has put out a challenge to Boards of Trustees to stop expelling students because it help creates youth crime. He says schools should be social service hubs where we do everything we can to keep students engaged. His speech highlights the way in which inequality has impacted on youth [...] read more
  July 16, 2012 2:18 pm - 13 Comments
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  Government needs to rethink National Standards after US experience - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  In 2002, then US President George W Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 into law. No Child Left Behind was the US equivalent of the National Standards that New Zealand’s National-led Government has imposed on primary and intermediate schools – in fact it was the model upon which National Standards were [...] read more
  February 13, 2012 2:29 pm - 16 Comments
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  Government cherry-picks research to justify school class size increases - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Yesterday, I asked a question in Parliament to Education Minister Hekia Parata: CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green) to the Minister of Education: Will she rule out implementing Treasury’s advice to increase class sizes in schools? I was expecting a similar rejection to those we have grown used to from John Key in response to some of the [...] read more
  February 9, 2012 12:55 pm - 21 Comments
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  Schools should appoint their own principals - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  I am concerned by media reports that the Ministry of Education is considering taking off boards of trustees the role of hiring their school’s principal. Rumours about such a significant proposal should not be swirling around in the media without a confirmation or denial from the Ministry. School boards and parents should be formally notified [...] read more
  December 19, 2011 7:42 pm - 9 Comments
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  National’s Unhelpful Education Policy - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The National Party’s education policy launched yesterday lacks a vision for quality public education. Threatening to punish “low performing schools” and reward “high performance”  is a dangerous, divisive and elitist approach to our public education system. The policy is about continuing to enforce Nationals Standards, which are the central failure in education of the last [...] read more
  November 23, 2011 4:02 pm - 36 Comments
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  When is civil disobedience justified? - by frog

  
  
  
  Dave Kennedy is the Green Party’s candidate for the Invercargill electorate. He has worked as a primary teacher for 30 years. Dave has his own blog site, which is well worth a regular read. I’ve decided this insightful post by Dave yesterday on how we have reached the stage that at least a quarter of schools are refusing to comply with Education Minister Anne Tolley’s National Standards deserves republishing here in full: read more
  August 18, 2011 9:04 am - 36 Comments
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  National Standards rural resistance - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Last week, I attended a meeting on National Standards in a small town in the Waikato. It was a cold Thursday evening but about 50 parents and teachers and the three candidates for the Coromandel electorate had a chance to hear Professor Martin Thrupp report from his current research on National Standards in schools. Martin [...] read more
  August 17, 2011 12:07 pm - 3 Comments
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  National Standards – fake it till you make it? - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Some school principals have revealed that they are getting some interesting advice from the Ministry of Education about how to incorporate the National Standards into their school charters. The suggestion that they should essentially fake it – by inserting the words “national standards” into their charters, even if they are not actively using them – [...] read more
  May 18, 2011 2:30 pm - 4 Comments
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  National Standards race to nowhere - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited our Parliament and promoted free trade agreements with all the fervour of the faithful. This position was predictable, but less well known is her stance on education. Julia is the leader who imposed the Australian version of National Standards on Australian schools against the wishes of the teachers’ unions. read more
  February 17, 2011 10:31 am - 21 Comments
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  What is a real education? - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  I asked young people directly what they need from their education. Their answers are summarised in our report, ‘What is a real education’, released today. read more
  February 4, 2011 9:25 am - 12 Comments
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  School boards join the National Standards debate - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  It’s always nice to wake up to good news, and this morning it was the news that 225 school Boards of Trustees will today deliver the message to the Government that they have no confidence in National Standards, and will defer setting student achievement targets based on the standards for at least a year. read more
  November 3, 2010 10:32 am - 39 Comments
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  Cuts to Pasifika learning resources - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Government has announced a completely bizarre decision to “pause” the popular Tupu and Folauga series of Pasifika language learning resources while the Ministry of Education considers ways of improving the achievements and literacy of Pasifika children. If this is really the goal, why on earth have they destroyed the viability of a programme that [...] read more
  October 21, 2010 3:08 pm - 5 Comments
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  37,000 say no to National Standards - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Yesterday the petition calling for a trial of National Standards was presented to the Education and Science Select Committee. It’s the first time the committee has had a serious discussion of National Standards because the original legislation never came to us. Like so many other crazy things, it was rushed through the House under urgency. [...] read more
  September 23, 2010 10:25 am - 132 Comments
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  It must be time for a Tolley thread - by frog

  
  
  
  I’m busy for a lot of today, but it must be time for a thread about one of the most incompetent Ministers ever. So, I’ll borrow stuff. What’s your view on the competence of OUR CHILDREN’S Minister of Education? read more
  August 27, 2010 7:32 am - 35 Comments
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  It’s a shambles, Mrs Tolley - by frog

  
  
  
  Teacher and songwriter Clint Green’s take on National Standards read more
  August 2, 2010 1:24 pm - 56 Comments
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  ToTolleytarianism - by frog

  
  
  
  Anne Tolley turned up, gave a 15 minute lecture to the assembled school principals, and left. Perhaps if she had stayed to listen to the concerns of the principals, instead of making not so subtle threats to remove their right to speak out on the very issues on which they have professional expertise, some progress may have been made. read more
  July 2, 2010 1:59 pm - 21 Comments
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  The Minister of Education and the disappearing National Standards research - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  I’m a great fan of the Parliamentary Library. I think it’s fair to say that without the wonderful research they do, my job as an MP would be nigh on impossible. So I was surprised to read in yesterday morning’s NZ Herald that Education Minister Anne Tolley was dissing the Parliamentary Library for a research paper it had prepared on her National Standards for primary and intermediate schools. read more
  July 1, 2010 9:29 am - 49 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: Education - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  It is often assumed that the desire to raise national standards of performance in fields such as education is quite separate from the desire to reduce educational inequalities within a society. But the truth may be almost the opposite of this. It looks as if the achievement of higher national standards of educational performance may [...] read more
  April 27, 2010 4:50 pm - 237 Comments
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  National XT - by frog

  
  
  
  The real reason Telecom called their new network XT? read more
  February 28, 2010 8:16 am - 8 Comments
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  Does anyone know what Tolley is trying to say? - by frog

  
  
  
  Does anyone have any idea what Anne Tolley is trying to say here? Can she say anything sensible without having John Key hold her hand? read more
  February 17, 2010 9:55 pm - 24 Comments
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  The notional standards of Anne Tolley - by frog

  
  
  
  Education Minister Anne Tolley could do worse than heed her supposed mentor Professor John Hattie’s advice. Scrap the current shambles of “National Standards” and start again. read more
  February 6, 2010 7:06 pm - 65 Comments
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  More for school support staff rather than more tests - by frog

  
  
  
  National has come in for some flack over its suggestion that it would introduce national testing and national standards in schools. It doesn’t seem entirely clear that it is introducing national testing, with the media saying yes, and National’s education spokesperson Anne Tolley saying: I am mystified by the Federation’s references to National testing. We [...] read more
  October 2, 2008 9:41 am - 3 Comments