Posted by: Tom Haig
on 10, Nov, 2012
Tagged in:
secondary schools ,
public education ,
private schools ,
National Party Education Policy ,
Maori achievement ,
Hekia Parata ,
funding ,
Fees ,
equity ,
education spending ,
education politics ,
education policy ,
education
So a day after announcing the closure of two residential special schools, Parata announces the government is going to be giving $3 million a year to Wanganui Collegiate.
Collegiate is a decile 10 school, which according to the 2011 ERO report had no Pasifika students and 11% Maori.
The same ERO report praised its ‘relatively small class sizes’ which enabled teachers to know their students well, and commented on the ‘success rates considerably above national comparison levels.’ Yep, well that’s what a top private school is supposed to do, right?
Parata and Longstone have been berating schools and teachers to raise the achievement of Maori, Pasifika, special needs and students from low-socio-economic status families - these are supposed to be the priority learners that are the Minister’s ‘unrelenting’ focus.
Posted by: PPTAweb
on 13, Jul, 2012
Tagged in:
transparency ,
teaching ,
teachers ,
stupidity ,
students ,
secondary schools ,
public education ,
power ,
New Zealand School Trustees Association ,
National Party Education Policy ,
learning ,
Hekia Parata ,
G30 ,
education politics ,
Education forum ,
collaboration
Came across this cartoon on Susan Ohanian's website this afternoon and it seemed to fit.
Posted by: Rob
on 30, Mar, 2012
There's been considerable discussion in the office and among members about performance pay. I've put together some thoughts around this discussion. What do you think?
It is useful to first determine what is meant by 'performance' or 'merit' pay
Does it mean more pay for those who take on more work? Extra-duty payment.
It can mean pay for doing extra work over and above the teaching job you are employed for. We have such 'extra duty' pay for managing a department (units and MMAs) or being in charge of specific management functions (units, MMAs, SMAs).
Posted by: PPTAweb
on 01, Mar, 2012
Tagged in:
school choice ,
research ,
Onehunga High School ,
National Party Education Policy ,
John Banks ,
education politics ,
Don Brash ,
Christchurch schools ,
charters ,
charter schools ,
ACT Party
Back in December 2011 John Banks announced that Onehunga High School is a charter school.
This was a surprise to Onehunga High School, it is not a charter school and neither is Bairds Road Intermediate.
We thought John, our Associate Minister of Education, might have taken the time to research this model and find out a bit more over Christmas ... but it seems not .....
Posted by: Observer
on 06, Dec, 2011
Tagged in:
teaching ,
teachers ,
students with high needs ,
students ,
school choice ,
public education ,
National Party Education Policy ,
John Banks ,
education politics ,
Christchurch schools ,
charters ,
charter schools ,
ACT
What are we to make of the two multi-millionaire politicians - the two Johns - signing an agreement whereby the state abandons any responsibility for education in poor communities and instead hands it over to various churches, charities, American multinational franchises and any fly-by-night concern that sniffs a buck to be made. Apparently, the two Johns think poor communities are disadvantaged by having to learn what everyone else learns, do the same qualifications and have trained and qualified teachers so they are giving poor kids that chance to miss out on all the the things that wee Keys and the little Bankses take as their birthright.
Amazingly, lowering standards like this is apparently going to lift achievement even though that's not what has happened in the US which invented charter schools. The studies don't show any educational benefits for the model, once you control for the tendency to manipulate the school's roll to keep out the more challenging kids.
