Monday 2 November 2015

Be true to your school
Stuff.co.nz
According to the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, up to 40 percent of parents now choose a school that isn't local. Last year the PPTA reported a growing 'educational apartheid' in our schools, an unspoken racial and social segregation.

Decline in fluent speakers could impact Māori Language Strategy
Māori Television
Flavell says he is seeking services from the Māori Language Commision to measure the number of Māori speakers. The Commission as well as The New Zealand Council for Education Research (NZCER) have commissioned a new Māori language survey, ..

Education Act update gets underway.
Hekia Parata | Education
Education Minister Hekia Parata is urging New Zealanders to have their say on a revamp of education legislation that will help to shape the future of the education system. “When the reforms known as Tomorrow’s Schools were introduced in 1989 they transformed the way education was administered,” she says. “For the first time local communities, not a centralised bureaucracy became responsible for running schools. ...

MedTech Centre of Research Excellence opened in Auckland
Steven Joyce | Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
The MedTech Centre of Research Excellence, based at the University of Auckland, has been officially opened this afternoon by Minister of Tertiary Education Skills and Employment Steven Joyce. New Zealand's medical devices and health IT industries are an emerging sector of around 150 companies with an estimated value of $1 billion. ...

Education Act review a farce
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
“It is impossible to have a genuine review of the Education Act if the Government has excluded all the most controversial aspects of itseducation reforms, including National Standards, Charter Schools, and the new undemocratic Education Council ...

Govt suggests rewards, punishments for schools
A new system of rewards for good schools and sanctions for those struggling has been proposed as part of a review of the Education Act.

New Zealand's education model to be revamped for first time since 1989 

The model determining how Kiwi children are educated will be reviewed for the first time since it was introduced 26 years ago.

NZQA urges parents to help students prepare for exams
Educators NZ
With NCEA exams beginning in a few weeks, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is encourages parents to help their children prepare. Divisional manager Kristine Kilkelly says approximately 145,000 students will be preparing for the end-of ...

More charter school applications
3News NZ
The Partnership Schools Authorisation Board says it's received 25 applications from educators and community groups across the country in its third round application round. There are 10 from the Auckland region, 14 are from the rest of the North Island, ...
Enthusiastic Response to Partnership Schools Applicatication Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Charter school interest a 'vote of confidence' Radio New Zealand

Faltering schools may face closure
Schools with persistent student underachievement will face a broader range of action from officials, including possible closure, under a proposed revamp of education law.Education Minister Hekia Parata also wants to reward high-performing...

Gloriavale, girls, and the purpose of education
Stuff.co.nz
This week Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty took up the invitation from the women of Gloriavale to visit and see how their community andeducational opportunities work. OPINION: The welcome my colleague and I received could not have been more ...

Holiday through term rising trend: Principal
Hawke's Bay Today
Hawke's Bay's school absence rate was 11.3 per cent last year, up on the previous year's 9.8 per cent, according to the Ministry of Education'sAttendance in New Zealand Schools 2014 publication. The attendance survey is a snapshot of school attendance ...
Increase in pupils' absence at school Wanganui Chronicle

Education Minister Hekia Parata asks us to embrace our identity as Pacific...
Gisborne Herald
After education minister Hekia Parata officially opened the exhibition of school children's artworks based on first contact between Maori, Lieutenant James Cook and HMS Endeavour crew, educator Peter Jarratt said the week-long workshop was made up of ...

Maori school families send a message to Bishop of Auckland 

The families of Hato Petera boarding students are putting the Catholic Church and the Bishop of Auckland Patrick Dunn on notice.

Minister makes good on promise to student
Northern Advocate
Following controversy over the run-down state of Northland College, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye visited the school in August to announce a $14 million rebuild. While there she met a group of senior students to ask what she could do to make ...

Students pocket profit from study by selling their detailed exam notes
Stuff.co.nz
A quick search of "university study notes" revealed 2,792 listings which ranged from personal study notes to books. Prices listed on Trade Me ranged from $9 to $30 and most users had sold multiple copies of study notes used for each exam paper. If a ...

Should kids take transgender classes?
Children as young as four are receiving lessons from transgender campaigners - including a man who revealed to primary school classes that he is a "trans man" and was "assigned female" at birth.Thousands of UK pupils have had the...

Future of learning discussion more important than flag debate
The review of the Education Act introduces an important opportunity to debate and build a strong national consensus around what is needed to ensure we have a high quality, free public education that meets the needs of every child.

NZEI supports moves to lift pay for thousands of working women 

NZEI is welcoming the government’s decision to begin negotiations over equal pay for women.

New Plymouth Boys' High school ransoms exam admission for ...
Judy Botha is upset that NPBHS is using NCEA exam admission forms as incentive to pay outstanding fees at the end of the school year. A New Plymouth high school ... New Plymouth Boys' High School was warned by the Ministry of Education on Friday after being told students were expected to complete leaving processes, including having to pay outstanding fees, in order to receive the necessary documentation to sit their final NCEAexams. In a statement, Katrina ...

Kids wait months for help to learn 

Almost half of preschoolers referred to a government service because of learning or behavioural difficulties are not getting help quickly enough.Children with a development or learning delay, a disability or behavioural difficulty...

Students create hoax letter for full body inspections 

Avondale College students have been reprimanded over a hoax letter outlining the need for full body inspection prior to entering their end of year exams. Principal Brent Lewis said the letter, which had been distributed to Year...

World Teachers Day protest over ECE funding cuts 

A crowd of about 100 braved Wellington’s early morning chill to celebrate World Teachers Day and call on the government to reverse funding cuts in early childhood education.

Research output contentious at University of Waikato 

Waikato academics are being judged by how much research they're putting out, the union says, especially those over 55.

Unlawful' students can still enrol in school

Auckland stuff.co.nz
The deadline for 2016 enrolment is drawing near and Ministry of Education refugee and migrant senior support adviser Adel Salmanzadeh is asking Kiwis to reach out. Anyone who knows an "unlawful" family should advise them their children could be ...

Time & Place: Students meditate their way to success
Stuff.co.nz
As the pressure of the exam period approaches and the weight of expectation increases, the students at Auckland's Diocesan School for Girls are taking time out to appreciate the things that really matter. And they're using meditation to do it. Deputy ...

Canterbury University predicts attracting more local students in 2016

Stuff.co.nz
Vice-chancellor Rod Carr said "very positive" feedback from schools, recruitment events and enrolment applications showed good signs of a rise in interest in studying locally by Canterbury school pupils. "It appears significantly more year 13 students ...

Autistic student excluded from school formal and camp
Stuff.co.nz
The family of 16-year-old Australian boy Tyran Fennell, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, say he was "uninvited" to his Year 10 formal by a teacher who wondered "what he would get out of it". The teenager's mum, Deanne Fennell, of Kearsley, said Tyran ...

Hato Petera to close boarding hostel
Radio New Zealand
... without students, "and if you take away the boarding, you're effectively trying to shut the school down". Another parent, who didn't want to be named, said her daughter had a scholarship that paid her accommodation if she attended a Māori boarding ...
Capital E's 2016 Education Programme Announced
Scoop.co.nz
For students in years 5-9 Hinepau, directed by NZ theatre artist Jamie McCaskill, presents a mythological story about staying true and standing strong, respecting our environment, history, cultural traditions, and understanding how the choices we make ...

e-hubs replace desks at Tairua School
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
The challenge was to develop a “classroom of the future” where, alongside traditional literacy and numeracy programmes, Year 5-6 students would engage in “big question” studies. To support this, there has been significant investment in new technology ...

Friday 30 October 2015

School opened in key Auckland growth area - Auckland stuff.co.nz
a seamless transition between all the schools in this area." The terminology used at Ormiston Primary is unconventional. Students are referred to as learners, teachers as learning coaches, the principal as the leader of learning and classrooms as ...

Opposition say Maori Language Commission is gone
Known to many as the language police, Te Taura Whiri or the Maori Language Commission has dutifully promoted the use of Te Reo Maori for nearly 30 years.

Kids wait months for help to learn
Almost half of preschoolers referred to a government service because of learning or behavioural difficulties are not getting help quickly enough.Children with a development or learning delay, a disability or behavioural difficulty...

School watchlist hits new low, concerns remains
The number of schools on the government's poor performance watchlist is at a new low - but has the system actually improved?

Waitoa School to close after 111 years
The school bell will ring for the last time at Waitoa School, near Te Aroha, on December 16.

Thursday 29 October 2015

Parliament protest over cuts to early childhood education
Teachers, children and concerned parents will be gathering outside Parliament early on Friday morning to protest ongoing funding cuts that are starting to bite in early childhood services. Concerned parents and teachers want to send a message to ...

Green MP unconvinced girls getting decent education following Gloriavale visit
A Green Party MP has been welcomed into the reclusive religious community of Gloriavale but is still not satisfied girls are receiving a broadeducation. Catherine Delahunty, the Greens education spokeswoman, was invited to a lunch with the ladies of ...

New scholarship for European Union students
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce today announced a new scholarship for European Union (EU) students that will allow them to study for a semester at a New Zealand university. The announcement comes during Prime Minister John Key’s visit to Europe to advance the bilateral and trade relationship between the EU and New Zealand. ..

Fund boosts sister school ties with China
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced that 25 schools across New Zealand will each receive up to $2,500 to build sister school relationships with China. “The China-New Zealand Sister School Fund enables schools to support staff or student exchanges, curriculum-based collaborative projects, and to offer enhanced Chinese language programmes with New Zealand’s largest trading partner,” Mr Joyce says. .

$2.7 million for international education in regions and new markets
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced that the Government will be investing an additional $2.76 million into initiatives to boost the international education industry in regional New Zealand, and help develop new international markets. The Export Education Levy funding will strengthen regional partnerships and diversify the spread of international students across New Zealand.

Why 5+5+5 doesn't always make 15
Working out the answer to 5x3 may seem simple enough but the solution one student gave has sparked an online debate.The maths question, which asks pupils to work out 5x3 using the repeated addition strategy, was posted on Reddit

Pay boost for high school teachers - 3News NZ
Secondary school teachers who are a part of the Post Primary Teachers' Association are set to get a pay bump after they ratified a new salary deal. The PPTA announced they had ratified a three-year agreement with the Ministry of Education today, which ...

Massey University may sell part of campus
Massey University has announced plans to sell or lease a section of its Auckland campus to help fund the next stage of its development.

Marlborough Boys' College under fire for charging $28 to attend prizegiving ...
A secondary school in Marlborough has come under fire from the community for charging students and parents to attend prizegiving ceremonies. Residents have written letters of support for parent Vonny Paul after she spoke out against a $28 attendance ...

Wednesday 28 October 2015

New evidence shows charter school experiment not working
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stop plans to open another round of charter schools after documents reveal existing charters are failing to achieve agreed targets for NCEA Level 2. Budget documents show that on average only 41.5 percent ...

Group school starts and special classes recommended for New Zealand
"This advice is particularly relevant for children who have had no formal early childhood education before coming to school." National Standardshad also prompted "a downward push in assessment practices", which affects how pupils feel about their ...

Wanganui Collegiate teams up for primary sector careers - Stuff.co.nz
His commitment to his career and hard work was this year recognised by a Dairy NZ Award. ... Students will live in housing on nearby Landcorp or Shanghai Pengxin farms and combine classroom study with working on the Ariki dairy farm. Following the ...

Education Minister heads to Finland
Education Minister Hekia Parata has returned from the Global EducationIndustry Summit, and says she is 'delighted' with the reception the collaborative Communities of Learning model received. The summit, held on October 19 and 20 in Helsinki, brought ...

The Chinese education market - it's all happening
The matter of fact is that this won't happen soon, though many othereducational arrangements run concurrently alongside export education. The most basic model is an exchange programme. The exchange programme allows a Chinese student to study in a ...

Student innovation wins this year's Sysmex Award - Scoop.co.nz (press release)
The innovations offered covered a diverse range of topics as shown in the six shortlisted essays, with business cases presented for an app to assist in the management of asthma in Maori children in a primary care setting; a medication management app ...

No increase for Pacific achievement rates in tertiary
A Pacific academic at Auckland University says achievement rates for Pacific students are not increasing at tertiary level.

Cannons Creek School dish the dirt on gardening - Stuff.co.nz
Cannons Creek School was the first Porirua school to get involved in the national Garden to Table project and the garden it planted in last June was growing enough produce to feed the 25 pupils involved. The programme teaches youngsters how to grow, ...

Secondary school science students problem-solve for NZ - Scoop.co.nz
Forty of the brightest secondary school science students have been selected to attend the inaugural event Powering Potential in Wellington from 13 – 16 December, which will seek answers to some of New Zealand's future problems. Organised by the Royal ...

Parents sentenced for not enrolling son at school - Stuff.co.nz
Two parents have been ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months for failing to ensure their son was enrolled in a registeredschool. The pair, who have final name suppression, appeared before Judge Mark Callaghan in the ...

'We need school buddies' - Interest.co.nz
Ministry support of these schools is at best fragmented – from singling out one aspect of the school's performance and targeting, it to appointing a commissioner as a statutory intervention option. The Ministry opts for the latter usually on ...

Sensory resource centre opens at Hamilton North School
Specialist teachers who work with kids from Taumarunui to Mercer now have a central hub, and say it may help more children get help.

Troubled Linwood College names new leader
Linwood College has appointed a new principal to deal with its declining roll and establish closer community ties.

Former refugees making the most of life at Selwyn College
Two Selwyn College students with refugee backgrounds have shared their experiences of how their lives have changed. Lis Haraqia and Haadi Sarwari, 18, presented as part of a panel of four at the AUT Refugee Education Conference on October 1 and 2.

Tuesday 27 October 2015

Seven myths about dyslexia put to rest - Stuff.co.nz

As a result, some children who appear to have a form of dyslexia are struggling because of classroom teaching methods. Phonics helps children learn to read by teaching them how to convert letters into sounds and then blend those sounds into words.

School visit brings back memories - Stuff.co.nz
There was the classroom in which we accused our new male teacher of being too touchy-feely. The toilet block where I was bullied by a girl with outrageous hair and Black Power connections. There was the courtyard where I bullied a small boy named after ...

International education providers move into Wellington's commercial property scene
However, training providers often faced hurdles when trying to lease space for their businesses, as some landlords were reluctant to have certaineducation providers in their buildings, Bayleys national director commercial real estate John Church said.

Minister meets with education experts in UK
Education Minister Hekia Parata says that her meetings with leading British education experts have confirmed the critical importance of good data and school to school support. Ms Parata met with several leading education experts in London this week, including Chief Inspector of Schools Sir Michael Wilshaw; Minister of State for Schools Nick Gibb; and former Chief Advisor for London Schools Professor David Woods CBE. ...

Waikato-Tainui releases new Poukai App - Māori Television
It was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. The App is an interactive digital story-book that focuses on poukai through the eyes of a kuia which shares its history and proceedings in reo Māori sentences. Any of the words that are ...

Nine of 30 inaugural Kupe Scholarships go to Wellingtonian high achievers - The Press West Coast
The Miramar resident is one of nine Wellingtonians who took out prestigious education scholarships - the inaugural Kupe Scholarships - last month. The scholarships celebrate the top 30 Maori and Pasifika student teachers in New Zealand, and support ...

Assessment practices – an early childhood perspective - Scoop.co.nz (press release)
The speaker said that the aim of her research was to explore NZ EC teachers' understandings in their assessment of four year old children's learning, and spoke about why she thought assessment of four year old children is important. She called it a tool ...

University of Auckland students rally against fee rises
Carrying lunches and the occasional placard, the students crowded the quad to protest those increases. A stage and PA system were set up for speakers, who included student representatives and politicians. 

Wellington College student dies in tree fall
Wellington College headmaster Roger Moses today faces his grimmest task - telling the school a friend and classmate has died.
Rohan Watts, 15, was climbing a tree at a friend's rural property in Makara on Sunday when he fell. He never regained consciousness, Moses said.

Former Salford School principal Marlene Campbell awarded $158,000
The former principal of Invercargill's Salford School has received more than $158,000 after court battles to clear her name.

Aiesha Ross is working to create a new normal and make a more accepting society
After being bullied so badly she had to change schools, Aiesha Ross is working to create a "new normal".

No hiding another tertiary provider going belly up - Scoop.co.nz (press release)
"Cynically dumping news of the liquidation of rort-ridden AgribusinessTraining Ltd (ABT) over a long weekend can't hide the fact that the tertiarysector is in a compliance crisis", Labour's Tertiary Education spokesperson David Cunliffe says. ABT has ...

How to build a learning worker mindset | Learning in the Social ...
Participants on the workshop automatically become members of the MWL Association, which provides an opportunity for ongoing discussion of the wider implications of ModernWorkplace Learning with learning professionals ...

Teacher deregistered for sexual comments - Auckland stuff.co.nz
The committee's just-released decision said Palmer's classroom sexual "banter" included repeatedly talking about his penis, talking about sexual positions, talking about celebrities in a sexual way and telling students he watched too much pornography.

Friday 23 October 2015

NZ Minister launches OECD education report
Hekia Parata | Education
Education Minister Hekia Parata today launched an OECD report on innovative learning systems at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Paris headquarters. Ms Parata, who is in Europe to meet with international education experts, says the invitation to launch the report is recognition of the high-esteem in which the New Zealand education system is held internationally. ...

Single-sex schools offer girls more and deliver higher paid futures: principal
Stuff.co.nz
Boys could also be a distraction in the classroom, she said. Boys also do better at single-sex schools according to 2014 NCEA results. SUPPLIED. Boys also do better at single-sex schools according to 2014 NCEA results. Girls were more likely to ...

Charter schools planning expansion
Charter schools have been pilloried for enrolling fewer students than they're being paid for this year, but some are talking about growth and expansion.

Public schools starve as charter schools get funded
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Many school principals are appalled at reports that charter schools are receiving funding for students they don't have enrolled while public schools are desperately short of resources for vulnerable children. It's been estimated that more than a ...

ChildForum raises concerns about NZ's early childhood education
Educators NZ
In New Zealand there is a growing concern about early childhood education(ECE) and the lack of response from the Government, according to ChildForum. Earlier this month, the ChildForum ECE Service National Network released the results of a survey on ...

Digital transformation driving IT spending in higher education
Educators NZ
Higher education IT spending in the Asia Pacific region (excluding Japan) is expected to significantly increase by 2019, thanks to digital transformation initiatives, according to new research from IDC. The research, Best Practices: Enabling Tomorrow's ...

Refugee students call Porirua's Bishop Viard College home
Bishop Viard College's multi-cultural environment continues to grow as more children from refugee backgrounds are welcomed as students.

Silverdale Normal School back under its own board of trustees
Stuff.co.nz
Silverdale Normal School no longer has a commissioner and its next ERO review will be in three years' time. Pictured are deputy principal Gavin Clark, left, Ayvaa McGreevy 11, Mikaela Blackett 10, Lucie Scarle 10, principal Stuart Armistead and Levi ...

Thursday 22 October 2015

Finalists showcase strength of NZ content in educational publishing
Booksellers.co.nz
New Zealand students need strong local content to help them think critically, engage in their own environment and learn. The finalists in this year's CLNZ Education Awards showcase the very real strength and breadth of our home-grown educational ...

Minister meets with Finland’s education experts
Hekia Parata | Education

Education Minister Hekia Parata is delighted with the reception that the collaborative Communities of Learning model received at the Global Education Industry Summit in Helsinki, as well as with having had the opportunity to meet with a number of experts in Finland’s education system. The Summit on October 19 and 20 brought together ministers of education and international education experts to discuss and engage in education issues and strategies for innovation. ...

NZ/Korea joint qualification recognition one step closer
Steven Joyce | Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
A joint research project between New Zealand and Korea has brought formal senior secondary school qualification recognition between the two countries one step closer. Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and the Republic of Korea's Minister of Education HE Hwang Woo Yea met in Seoul today and announced the completion of the research project, which confirmed senior secondary school curricula between the two countries is comparable.

Charter schools paid for students that aren't there 

Latest figures show the Government has been paying charter schools for students they don't have.

Govt funding schools' 'ghost students'

For the second year in a row, the government has funded charter schools for more students than they actually have.

Government funding of charter school rolls questioned
Stuff.co.nz
The seven charter schools who had not met minimum rolls were funded for 669 students but only had 490 students in September. Post Primary Teachers Association president Angela Roberts told Radio NZ charter schools should not be funded for students ...

Complaints about early childcare education centres on the rise
Stuff.co.nz
Complaints against early childhood education centres are increasing every year, with most relating to governance and health and safety concerns. The Ministry of Education has revealed 360 complaints were lodged in 2014 against centres and kohanga reo, ...
Concerns Remain for Children in Early Childhood Education

Scoop.co.nz

Early childhood complaints rise
Complaints about early learning services jumped almost 50 per cent in a year, with children's health and safety the leading cause for concern.Understaffing issues almost tripled, justified behavioural complaints more than doubled...

Support service: Māori education under threat
Radio New Zealand
... this initiative would mean that I would no longer receive the support of mentoring, a whānau environment to work in, career information evenings, and most importantly the opportunity to help close the inequality gap for Māori and Pasifika students ...

Funding cuts threaten Pasifika centre
Auckland stuff.co.nz
New Zealand's oldest Pacific community education provider could be forced to shut because of funding cuts. The Pasifika Education Centre in Papatoetoe was founded in 1974 to help educate the country's rising Pacific Island population. But its future is ...
Students get second chance at education
Māori Television
Coleman believes the Māori aspect of learning plays a big part. “We use whare tapawhā as a model, even though it's a health model it fits very nicely into education and its actually good for all kids, the majority of our kids are Pākeha,” said Coleman.

Handling stress at exam time: A message for all senior secondary students
Stuff.co.nz

School balls: more trouble than they're worth?
Stuff.co.nz
"Simply if a school's ball becomes problematic because of student behaviour ... it's only natural for schools to say 'Well, why are we doing this?' "And we have made it clear in the past and in the present, that if we hear that there are large scale ...

Supporting teen parents into education and training
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
“A range of supports has contributed to 48 per cent fewer teen mums being on a main benefit at the end of 2014 compared to 2009, and we are continually looking at how we can offer them more support to get into education, training and employment,” says ...

People's History: education for freedom – or conformity?
Scoop.co.nz
Inspired by the centennial of the Workers' Educational Association (WEA), the organisers asked presenters to look at aspects of education history in New Zealand, through the critical lens shaped by educator Paulo Freire: iseducation for freedom, or ...

One in 400 Auckland students turns up to fees protest | Kiwiblog

Carrying lunches and the occasional placard, the students crowded the quad to protest those increases. A stage and PA system were set up for speakers, who included student representatives and politicians. Probably wasn't ...

New prisoner education programmes launched
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Methodist Mission Southern have been contracted by Corrections to deliver the intensive literacy and numeracy programmes in all Corrections-run prisons, giving priority to learners with the highest educational needs.

New ICT grad school set to pump NZ tech industry
Educators NZ
These include a Master of Software Development focused on developing real-world software-based systems and a Master of Information Technology, which is designed to sharpen the technical skills and knowledge of those already in industry or who have a ...

NZ universities seeking more opportunities with China
All eight New Zealand universities are in China this week as part of a Ministerial delegation led by Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce. Their goal is to deepen links between the education systems of both countries in line with the importance ...

Limited Statutory Manager appointed to rural Palmerston North school
Stuff.co.nz
A Ministry of Education manager has been appointed to address a number of curriculm and assessment issues at a small rural school near Palmerston North. The Ministry of Education has confirmed that it has appointed Laura Snowden as a Limited Statutory ...

Ex-truckie rewarded for teaching role
New Zealand Herald
Whangarei's Regan Reti was recently awarded a Ministry of Education Kupe Scholarship as one of the country's top 30 Maori and Pasifika student teachers. He's pictured with 4-year-old Durome Henry and 3-year-old Chloe Valentine (on the slide).

Monday 19 October 2015

Bill to bring David Seymour and charter schools under OIA passes first reading
Stuff.co.nz
It was UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne who broke ranks with National and ACT and got the bill over the line - voting in favour of it along with fellow Government support partner, the Maori Party, as well as Labour, NZ First, and Green Party MPs ...

Comparing charter school achievement with state schools back on the agenda

Stuff.co.nz
"National standards mean kids have to be tested constantly and why should charter schools be treated differently...it's a real double standard," he said. "Clearly they are all over the show on this. There's so many double standards, u-turns and ...

Principals concerned over open-plan classrooms
3News NZ
Principals from some of New Zealand's top schools are concerned about a $517 million Ministry of Education plan that will see open-plan classrooms rolled out across the country. The 'innovative learning environments' include moveable walls and ...

Editorial: Fancy classrooms no substitute for good teaching
For too long, the only opportunity for our most inspirational teachers to develop their careers and pay their mortgages has been by stepping out of the classroom and into middle management. Now, about 6000 of them will be get a promotion and pay top-up ...

Top schools give multi-million dollar classrooms a fail grade
Stuff.co.nz
Students want to learn in classrooms that are bright and stimulating - they don't want large sterile open spaces with absent teachers and loud noises. Rangitoto College headgirl Carmen Camilleri's English class is still a traditional classroom, where ...

Good teachers trump high deciles
Dr John Hattie, director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute, is the myth buster for New Zealand and Australian school systems.Key among those myths, says Green Bay High senior social science teacher Leah Stewart, is the...

Teaching still the key to student success
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
More personalised learning requires a change in approach. ... We will raise the bar for new teachers entering the profession, revamp teacher training, and provide much more professional development and support to teachers throughout their careers.

Radical new teaching system comes to NZ 

A teaching revolution that's helped turn around some of the world's toughest schools has come to New Zealand - but not everyone is laying out the welcome mat.Teach For All - a network of international programmes that seek to get...

Skills and training critical to economic performance 

Skills and training critical to sustained economic performance Apprenticeships and vocational education should be viewed as a normal career pathway for many more young people, and a key way for businesses to recruit and develop their talent pipeline. ...

Schools face looming Chinese language teacher shortage

There is a looming shortage of Chinese language teachers at schools as student numbers continue to grow.

University warned over enrolment incentives

Canterbury University has been warned after offering Auckland teenagers ski trips and sports tickets if they enrol next year.

Review over methods to attract students

The government body that funds New Zealand's universities is reviewing rules about student inducements amid revelations one institution has offered students ski trips and sports tickets if they enrol.Radio NZ reported this morning...

University students rally against rising fees
3News NZ
Students will rally tomorrow at the University of Auckland against rising fees and inadequate student support. The New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA) and Auckland University Students' Associations (AUSA) say in the last ten years fees ...

How (not) to study
Most people get a little giddier at this time of year. The weather is warming up, the flowers are in bloom, and that Christmas break is so close you can almost taste the ham.But when I say most people, I do not mean students. For...

Huntly College gets help with student achievement
Stuff.co.nz
"The board is keen to provide extra support to the school leadership team to strengthen teaching and learning in the school so that more students are retained through to 18 years old and leave with at least NCEA Level 2," she said. There were many ...

Few Shore public high schools offer NCEA alternatives
Auckland stuff.co.nz
Just two North Shore public high schools will offer alternatives to NCEAfollowing Westlake Boy's High School's decision to phase out Cambridge exams. From next year Takapuna Grammar School and Rangitoto College will be the only Shore public high ...

Wellington ICT Graduate School provider announced
Steven Joyce | Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today announced that three Wellington tertiary education providers will jointly host the region’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Graduate School. “Victoria University of Wellington, WelTec and Whitireia have collaborated on developing a successful proposal for an ICT Graduate School that will be based in the heart of Wellington to support connectivity to the city’s burgeoning ICT sector,” says Mr Joyce. ...

Young educator inspires students to connect with science
Auckland stuff.co.nz
Sam Kettle, 25, is one of 30 graduates from around New Zealand to be awarded the Ministry of Education's Kupe Scholarship at a Wellington ceremony on October 13. The award recognises high achieving student teachers and potential leaders of Maori or ...


Technology centre stage at Tairua School
Stuff.co.nz
Tairua School has future proofed the classroom and is using technology to re-imagine education. The school is into its second term of piloting two classrooms which feature e-hub styled rooms. These feature a layout with no set front or back of the ...

Salford School seeks new principal
Salford School is looking to hire a new principal.

Canterbury University offers generous incentives to attract students
Universities have been warned their generous enrolment incentives could breach government funding conditions.

Friday 16 October 2015

More youth development initiatives in Northland
Youth Minister Nikki Kaye visited Northland College in Kaikohe today with Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell to announce further investment in developing the potential of young people in Northland. “The Government is committed to helping young people in Northland realise their potential and today I unveiled new ways that we’ll be doing this,” said Ms Kaye. ...

Should Hato Petera open its doors to non-Māori? - Māori Television
He told Te Kāea, If the number of Māori students is declining, we need to allow non-Māori into the school, so Pākehā can have an idea of what Māoriprotocol is. But the Education Minister Hekia Parata says it's not an issue affecting just Māori ...

First new grammar school in 50 years as Tories 'ditch social mobility ...
Mirror.co.uk
Labour have accused David Cameron of tossing social mobility down the drain as the Tories approve Britain's first new grammar school for 50 years.Education secretary Nicky Morgan today gave the green light to plans for a 450-pupil school in Sevenoaks, ...

Anglican church rejects school funding criticism
The Anglican Church says it is doing enough to ensure the survival of the kura it runs, contrary to criticisms made by the Minister of Maori Development.

Alice in Wonderland - now in Te Reo
The famous novel Alice in Wonderland has been translated into Te Reo Māori to mark its 150th anniversary.

Teachers union take legal action over gender pay gap
The primary teachers' union has started legal action over the pay gap between men and women.

Niue youth dive into langauge week
An Auckland community leader and teacher says Niue youth in New Zealand are getting behind the Niuean language week in an unprecedented way.

Industry award for Victoria bioscientist
Dr Shivali Gulab, who has had a long association with Victoria University of Wellington, has received top honours from New Zealand’s scientific community.

Limited Statutory Manager appointed to rural Palmerston North school
A Ministry of Education manager has been appointed to address a number of curriculum and assessment issues at a small rural school near Palmerston North.

School guidance counsellors' support needs improving - Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Students are suffering because of poor resourcing for guidance counselling in secondary schools, says the NZ Association of Counsellors. Many schools are ... The new guide was produced following the 2013 ERO review of guidance provision, which found ...

Everyday Workplace Learning: A quick primer | Learning in the ...
Everyday learning is the learning that takes place everyday as individuals do their jobs – individually or working with their internal colleagues, as well as connecting with others in (online) professional networks and channels.

Thursday 15 October 2015

Labour's charter school Bill quashed
A Labour Party attempt to force charter schools to basically follow the same curriculum as state schools has failed. Phil Goff drafted the Member's Bill, arguing it was needed to ensure charter school students were taught a "broad and balanced" curriculum.

Bill to bring David Seymour and charter schools under OIA passes first reading
It was UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne who broke ranks with National and ACT and got the bill over the line - voting in favour of it along with fellow Government support partner, the Maori Party, as well as Labour, NZ First, and Green Party MPs ...

Nats sacrifice Kiwis' health and education for surplus
National's drive for surplus has meant less investment in critical areas like health, education, housing and transport – yet John Key told Parliament today he wants the money for cycleways, Labour's Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson says.

Education Minister to speak at international fora
“I will also attend several bilateral meetings in Helsinki, Paris and London to discuss international opportunities in education, educational disparities, and education policies and systems,” she says. “New Zealand has a world-class education system ...

Wellington to host the country's third ICT Graduate School - Stuff.co.nz
Wellington tertiary providers and businesses have teamed up to train students for the digital workforce at a new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Graduate School.

Big jump in new early childhood services in Auckland
New figures show a boom in the number of home-based early childhood services being set up in Auckland.

Time to restore staff, student voice to polytechnic councils
Restoring staff and student democracy to university, wānanga and polytechnic councils is a simple task for parliament, says TEU national president Sandra Grey.

McCutcheon told it’s time to move
Working people at the University of Auckland will rally for a negotiated pay rise next Wednesday. Academics and professional staff at the university expect vice-chancellor Stuart McCutcheon to negotiate a pay increase with them like all the other universities do says TEU organiser Jane Kostanich

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Chorus of Disapproval Over Education Funding Plans - Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Mrs Martin says it's right up there with the “class size doesn't matter” decision the Minister made and then had to retract. “Northland principals are worried that in some areas of the region, many of their students are already on the back foot when it ...

Further consultation over school’s future
Education Minister Hekia Parata has initiated a second round of consultation over the proposed closure of Turakina Māori Girls’ College. “I have carefully considered submissions from the Board of Trustees, the Proprietor, the Presbyterian Church, Ngā Wāhine o Turakina Ngā Hara and members of the public,” says Ms Parata. “These demonstrate a great deal of goodwill towards the school. ..

Postgraduate boost for Maori medium teachers - waateanews.com
That will be extended year, with 90 postgraduate places available for people working n early childhood education and 85 places for Maori medium teachers to study at Waikato University, Massey University Te Wananga o Raukawa and Te Whare Wananga o ...
More post-graduate qualifications for teachersScoop.co.nz (press release)

Students expecting 3% fee rises
Students are expecting most polytechnics and universities will raise their fees by three percent next year even though inflation is below 1% and competition for enrolments is growing. The President of the Union of Students' Associations is Rory McCourt.

Why New Zealand Doesn't Need Charter Schools - Scoop.co.nz (press release)
New Zealand First congratulates Manukura School in Palmerston North on securing its future through achieving special character status, but Education Spokesperson Tracey Martin says it raises the question of why we need charter schools. “Manukura not ..

No tuition cost increases for Open Polytechnic
Fee-paying students at one of New Zealand’s largest tertiary education organisations will have no increase in tuition costs next year.

Relationships flourish at Playcentre
In contrast to the recent Childforum survey in which a quarter of the early childhood teachers surveyed indicated they would not enrol their children at the service they worked in, nearly 100% of the educators at Playcentre have their children attending

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Show me the money: NZ First calls out Government on education spending
Revamps of the Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour scheme and truancy programmes, the PACT tool and selling National Standards to parents?” Martin says. “New Zealanders' long held belief that their children are entitled to a free education, ...

Fire at Hawera Intermediate - Stuff.co.nz
Various schools in the town had already offered spare classrooms but Simpson said no decisions had been made yet about how the school's 333 students would be accommodated. Simpson said he was meeting with the Ministry of Education this morning to ..

Trans-Tasman education project
New Zealand will partner with Australia in a trans-Tasman educationproject exploring how innovative learning environments can enhance teaching, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today. The Ministry of Education and at least six New Zealand ..

More post-graduate qualifications for teachers - Scoop.co.nz (press release)
For the first time trainee teachers are to be offered the opportunity to earn post-graduate qualifications in Māori medium and Early ChildhoodEducation (ECE) teaching, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today. From next year up to 85 post ...

Hato Petera School to close its boarding wing
Auckland's only Maori boarding school, Hato Petera, has closed its junior boarding houses.

Labour wants qualified ECEs
Labour would introduce a minimum qualification requirement for all early childhood educators (ECEs), seeking to curb the rapid growth of taxpayer-subsidised nannies and au pairs.The party's education spokesman Chris Hipkins says...

Song writing used to combat bullying
Song writing is being used by a New Zealand based mentoring group to help Pasifika school students combat bullying.
ational Science Challenge to Launch Research
What if New Zealand developed the next generation of foods that will help consumers maintain their health and protect them against diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome or chronic allergies? What if we could answer some big science questions – use ...

Schoolchildren could be working until they're 100, says expert
Teachers should prepare schoolchildren for a future that could see them having to work 40 different jobs until they reach 100, as many occupations are being taken over by robots, an expert has said.

Student protests spark victory for civil rights - 150 Years of News
It began as hundreds of student activists railed against the privatisation of education, and ended with a watershed victory for civil rights.

Monday 12 October 2015

Education Council Announces New Chief Executive
The Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Graham Stoop QSO to the position of chief executive. Dr Stoop will take up the position on 9 November.

Fears over quality of tots' education - New Zealand Herald
•Home-based care is funded by the Government at a maximum of $9.27 an hour per child. •There are 32,000 youngsters in home-based care, compared to 113,000 in "educare" centres, 25,000 in kindergartens, 13,000 in kohanga reo and 11,000 at ...

Education expert says charter schools getting kid gloves
Professor John O'Neill Director of the Institute of Education at Massey University was among those arguing for the benchmarking.
Govt accused of failing to hold charter schools to account
The Government's being accused of failing to hold charter schools to account by blocking a plan to compare their results with those of state schools.

Mixed results for NZQA online maths exam - Educators NZ
Eleven thousand students took part in the digital assessment, representing about 30% of those eligible. The students who sat the electronic version will also sit a paper-based assessment, with their highest mark counting towards NCEA Level 1. Deputy ...

Cable Green: open education and sharing
Director of Global Learning at Creative Commons International, and advocate of affordable universal access to quality education.

Universities ready to help NZ export companies
Universities ready to help New Zealand’s emerging export companies Universities want to play a bigger role in helping emerging New Zealand export companies break into international markets. University Vice-Chancellors and representatives from ...

Trading student debt for a practical career
If Nolly had his way he would have high schools giving students as young as 12 and 13 years old acess to different industries and trade careers so that could make early and informed decisions about what subjects they needed to pursue their goals. And ...

8-9 October 2015

Education Minister overrules ministry's advice on charter school report
Stuff.co.nz
Isaac said the report intended to evaluate outcomes not essential to the success of charter schools yet had no plans to measure important aspects like "educational performance results". But on March 18 Parata overruled the ministry and its intentions ...
Parata puts brakes on charter school appraisal

Scoop.co.nz (press release)

Seymour: Too soon to judge charter schools
3News NZ
Labour and NZ First are criticising Ms Parata for blocking the survey. They say she knows the results will show charter schools are no better than state schools. There are nine charter schools and the first few opened about a year ago. They're ...
Independent evaluation of Charter Schools needed

Scoop.co.nz (press release)

Education Minister overrules ministry's advice on charter school report 

The Education Minister shut down comparing student achievement results from charter schools with those of state schools despite ministry advice to do so.

Concerns over evaluation of charter schools
Concerns were raised about an evaluation of charter schools by the head of the Government-appointed board overseeing the model and former Act Party president Catherine Isaac, documents show.Ms Isaac, a strong supporter of the controversial...

Early childhood education 'threatened' by lack of funding

3News NZ
Karen O'Leary is an active member of the New Zealand education union and head teacher at a community-based centre. She also has her son at the centre she runs. Ms O'Leary told the Paul Henry programme this morning the problems highlighted in the ...
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Call for more investment in childcare quality
Stuff.co.nz
The focus for early childhood education should be quality, not high participation, sector representatives say. ... New Zealand Educational Institute early childhood representative Virginia Oakly said the report endorsed what the union had been saying ...

Editorial: Early childhood disquiet a wake-up call 

New Zealand's early childhood education system came under friendly fire this week as a survey found up to a quarter of teachers in the sector would not enrol their own children in it.

Study Reveals Parents' Perceptions of New Zealand Education 

Study Reveals Parents' Perceptions of New Zealand Education Education aspirations equal success for New Zealand children ASG Parents Report Card reveals parents’ perceptions of state of education in New Zealand The aspirations New Zealand parents ...

Parents feel the squeeze from school funding shortfall
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Parents are being forced to shell out more and more for their kids' education as government underfunding really starts to bite, Labour's Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says. “A survey released today confirmed what we already know, the vast ...

Growing price of a 'free' education
Half of middle-income parents believe they don't have enough money for their children's schooling, as experts warn of the growing costs of modern education going unmet by the state.The survey, from an inaugural ASG Parents Report..

Child education a struggle for poor families 
"Parents hold incredibly important, often intangible, resources in contributing to their child's educational success," ASG chief executive John Velegrinis said. "The ASG Parents Report Card has found that parental aspirations for their children's ...

New digital education 'clicks' with Māori
Radio New Zealand
The teaching style is called 'Manaiakalani' and has been adopted by 12 schools, including a Kura Kaupapa Māori, that said it had transformed their students' learning. The kaupapa of the IT-based learning programme, Manaiakalani, is 'Learn, Create, Share'.

Parents' aspirations key driver in children's academic success: study
Stuff.co.nz
Monash University Faculty of Education associate professor Dr Shane Phillipson said while parents thought they did not have enough financial resources, at the end of the day the key to educational success was parents' aspirations, not how much money ...

How your school can manage student and teacher data
Schools must develop efficient policies around how student and teacher data is managed, according to the Ministry of Education, who is offering advice on how schools can go about simplifying and automating tasks for running schools, and sharing data ...

New teaching resource to help support diversity

Inside Out, a video-based teaching resource created in partnership by University of Auckland’s Dr John Fenaughty, Curative, and RainbowYOUTH, is set to be launched to the Wellington community at Parliament on Tuesday October 13th. The free classroom ...

Where Have the Government's Education Millions Gone?
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Revamps of the Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour scheme and truancy programmes, the PACT tool and selling National Standards to parents? “New Zealanders' long held belief that their children are entitled to a free education, no matter how much ..

Speech: Adult Illiteracy Costs Us
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Several years ago the World Literacy Foundation estimated that the Economic and Social Cost of Illiteracy to New Zealand was a staggeringNZ$3 billion a year. A 2008 study found ... That was false as funding for hundreds of adult learners was summarily ...

Lifelong Learning Key to Wellbeing
Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Henley Men's Shed in Masterton will host the launch of this year's Adult Learners' Week/He Tangata Mātauranga, September 7-13. The custom built shed is set up for older men to participate in a range of activities from metalwork, woodwork and gardening ...

Aro Valley's radical educational experiment - 150 Years of News
By then Matauranga had a waiting list with parents in the Hutt Valley, Auckland and Christchurch either setting up or planning similar schools buoyed by the Playcentre philosophy of parent-run preschool education and learning through play.

Next generation will need to work until 100 at 40 different jobs, expert says
Think your little ones will have a better life than you, like your own parents probably thought about you? Think again.

Decision on Blenheim colleges not far away
A decision on the future of Blenheim's two colleges is expected by the end of the year, the Ministry of Education says.