Tags >> education politics
Posted by:
on Aug 31, 2010
I have been playing around with the Reserve Bank Inflation Calculator and it has thrown up some interesting statistics.
My calculations show that teachers rather than being disconnected have been sidelined. Mr Key says we have had significant pay increases over the last 10 years however what is significant is the fact that this has been insignificant in real terms when adjusted for inflation.
Compared are 2000 at top of basic scale $50300 with 2010 top of basic scale $68980
Salary for 2010:
2000 - 2010 CPI adjusted is $65,000
2000 - 2010 Wage increases adjusted is $70,750
2000 - 2010 Food price increases adjusted is $69,000
2000 - 2010 Housing price increase adjusted is $105,000
Averaging these out is $77,000
Salaries have kept pace with food but that is it. In real terms secondary school teachers' salaries are barely keeping up with inflation.
In terms of food and housing someone teaching in 2000 would need to be earning $87,000 in 2010 just to keep pace with inflation.
Actually no New Zealand Government has given secondary teachers a decent pay increase in the last decade. So far it has been a catch up for inflation. Increases in productivity (NCEA workload etc ) have NOT been rewarded.
Posted by: Cynic
on Aug 17, 2010
Been following stories and tweets about the name and shame approach of the Los Angeles Times’ article, “Who’s teaching L.A.’s kids?” (August 14th).
It led me to some interesting and valuable research including the IES report Error Rates in Measuring Teacher and School Performance Based on Student Test Score Gains:
Our results are largely driven by findings from the literature and new analyses that more than 90 percent of the variation in student gain scores is due to the variation in student-level factors that are not under the control of the teacher. Thus, multiple years of performance data are required to reliably detect a teacher's true long-run performance signal from the student-level noise. In addition, our reported sample requirements likely understate those that would be required for an ongoing performance measurement system, because our analysis ignores other realistic sources of variability, such as the nonrandom sorting of students to classrooms and schools (Schochet & Chiang, 2010, p.35)
Posted by: Winged Avenger
on Aug 3, 2010
Was Mrs Tolley starting to learn something about her portfolio?
For a moment it appeared that someone was listening...
PLD is highly valued by teachers and principals – and rightly so. Suddenly it's appeared on the government's list of things to do. Are they really listening? Is Mrs Tolley learning?
Nope.
Once again the government is adopting a once over lightly approach that smells strongly of tokenism.
MOE doesn’t have the staffing to offer this service? That’s not surprising given its regional focus on property and finance. Schools are businesses; principals are CEOs. Now, get on with it: sell your brand and balance your books.
Posted by: Observer
on Jul 22, 2010
What the hell was that? Tolley (who clearly had only the most superficial grasp of what a PPP was) must have felt like she had been savaged by a flock of dead sheep because Henry’s interview was so pathetic.
If he hasn’t time to get to grips with the main problems with PPPs, he should at least have had someone on the programme (Bill Rosenberg, Ganesh Nana, - even Trevor Mallard) who does!
No Paul, it isn’t just unions who oppose them. If you look here you’ll see that the NZ Treasury concluded there was nothing in it for NZ – hardly a bunch of leftwing pinkies!
Posted by: Rob
on Jul 22, 2010
We wonder how many Treasury officials send their kids to state schools or use our public health services? We wonder how many have lived on benefits or had jobs that got their hands dirty, or in which they have had to face the consequences of the stupid policy proposals they seek to inflict on the population?
Treasury advice to the National government on funding for education includes the proposal to remove the automatic adjustments to base funding which occur through demographic and other projected changes and fund these changes within the allocation of new money each year or make a case for additional funding on a year by year basis.
School rolls are projected to rise to about 2024. These are demographic changes which increase operations funding and staffing levels in a predictable manner. Currently the funding for school staffing and operations is automatically adjusted to fund the increased cost this creates.
Posted by: Observer
on Jul 14, 2010
The NZ School Trustees Association has been celebrating 21 years of its existence by claiming credit for other peoples’ work. Apparently, it is entirely responsible for progress made in educational achievement in New Zealand schools.
I don’t wish to denigrate individual boards of trustees who give up many hours of their own time to do what department of education officials once received a salary for doing, but it stretches credibility to imagine that student achievement is influenced in any significant way by governance arrangements.
Posted by: Observer
on Jul 9, 2010
Associate education minister and trainee space cadet, Hon Heather Roy, has stumbled on the shambles that passes for an education policy in England and is advocating it here. Now anyone who has had the sad experience of teaching in a state school in England knows that it is not a system to emulate. Basically, the English system runs for the benefit of the elite private schools Eton and Harrow etc (though they call them public) and state schools are treated as either whipping boys or political footballs or both.
Posted by: majo
on Jun 30, 2010
Did they listen to a word – did they listen to a single argument over those 12 days of bargaining?
It doesn't sound like it!
This government is showing total disregard for the work teachers do and the issues they face daily.
Posted by: Observer
on Jun 21, 2010
MP Roger Douglas is trumpeting the fact that his private members’ bill aiming to bring in bulk funding and site contracts has been drawn from the parliamentary ballot. According to Douglas, his “Education (Board of Trustee Freedom) Amendment Bill would, if passed, enable Boards of Trustees to manage their own affairs by having full control over the employment of teachers at their school." He is seems to be under the illusion that currently teachers' pay is set by “Ministry of Education bureaucrats dictating salaries from their offices in Wellington." Even though he was once a Minster of Finance, he appears to have forgotten that salaries are in fact dictated by the amount of money the government sets aside for that purpose. A zero pay offer made by boards not the government is still a zero offer.
The Labour Party, the Greens and the Maori party oppose bulk funding and before the election the National Government indicated that it would not re-introduce bulk funding. It will be very important to keep the politicians honest when this bill makes its way into the House. A final thought: Will the ACT Party also be proposing that MPs salaries be set by a panel of taxpayers rather than being “dictated by the bureaucrats on the Higher Salaries Commission?"
If you want to know how destructive and divisive bulk funding was - watch A Civilised Society.
Posted by: Cynic
on Jun 11, 2010
Dr Muriel Newman founding member of the ACT party and one time deputy leader is concerned about the brainwashing of kids in New Zealand schools.
She presented a petition to the Education and Science Select Committee seeking "that New Zealand school children be protected from political indoctrination".
However to Muriel's distress the petition didn't go any further than the select committee recommending "that the House take note of its report".
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