children are not bricks in the wall

Some good analysis and commentary regarding the national standards for children teachers.

From Lew at Kiwipolitico

"This is not to say that KKM should be denied their national standards trial process. But that is what National should be saying, in order to be consistent. Because the stated reason a similar trial has been repeatedly denied the mainstream education sector is urgency — the sense that we must move swiftly and make the changes so that not one more child will be left behind. This sort of incoherence in policy and rhetoric (or, as it is in this case, between policy and rhetoric) always yields flaws which can and should be exploited, and here’s the flaw in this. One of the two following statements is necessarily true:

"The Government’s justification for rolling out national standards in mainstream schools without a trial period (urgency) is false and misleading, and accordingly the government’s motives in rolling out the trial period are different to their stated motives; or

The Government doesn’t care about kura kaupapa Māori students or schools, and doesn’t consider their educational standards a matter of urgency or substantial importance."

And Gordon Campbell

"The inconsistencies in the government’s stance are extraordinary. Key and Tolley have been steadfastly refusing to let the standards be trialled or piloted in state schools – but incredibly, the government is now willing to do exactly that in kura kaupapa schools."

And Tumeke

"These national standards have NOTHING to do with the educational betterment of NZ's children and has EVERYTHING to do with National implementing free market ideology into education. The standards will be used to create league tables, these league tables will create a false competition, which is what National have aimed for within education since day one."

Children learn at different rates because they are all different. This whole 'standards' approach is incorrect and won't work - but it will create an enemy for the gnats to get stuck into - namely the teachers and their union. I am pleased to read strong commentary against this.