Curriculum changes, Education Act amendments and the art of misdirection
It is interesting that exactly when school leaders up and down the country are grappling with an onslaught of curriculum changes there is a fundamental change to our education system being proposed. I suspect the timing is in partly due to the pace the current government likes to operate at, but part of me also wonders that proposing such significant changes exactly whilst school leaders are being absorbed by curriculum updates could also be by design. Is this coincidence or is it a classic case of misdirection??
The way the proposals and questions are laid out strike me as minimising what an absolutely fundamental shift we are about to be hit with. For example the removal of "giving effect to Te Tiriti' as a primary objective being sold as a "move" designed to highlight it's importance. Hmmm. Is that really the message we get from removing it as a primary objective. If I read the proposal correctly we are about to experience a fundamental shift in the objective of schooling, moving away from a holistic, inclusive and overtly bicultural set of "primary objectives", to three objectives that read like they are designed to improve a set of KPIs and shift a set of data points rather than aspiring to look after the whole child. Basically it appears the government is proposing to cull all but one of the current objectives, but then adding two more.
Below is the current set of objectives that all schools are expected to deliver. Under that is an attempt to reframe Section 127 to reflect what appears to be being proposed in the feedback.
And note the NELPs are gone burger! Which has massive implications for what may or may not get funded in future Vote Education budgets. ECE, Tertiary and compulsory school sectors all need to think about what the removal of The Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) actually means! I'm not sure where it leaves the Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) but that is also a question worth asking.
Check out the NELPs here. What does their removal signal to you?? Note - the NELPs were seen as groundbreaking in what they were aspiring to achieve. If you have the bandwith it worth reading this review of them here.
Here are the current stated primary objectives of every school in Aotearoa. Note - I have bolded the actual objectives in the current and proposed versions of the act.
Section 127 Objectives of boards in governing schools
(1) A board’s primary objectives in governing a school are to ensure that—
(a) every student at the school is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement;
and
(b) the school—
(i) is a physically and emotionally safe place for all students and staff; and
(ii) gives effect to relevant student rights set out in this Act, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, and the Human Rights Act 1993; and
(iii) takes all reasonable steps to eliminate racism, stigma, bullying, and any other forms of discrimination within the school; and
(c) the school is inclusive of, and caters for, students with differing needs; and
(d) the school gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including by—
(i) working to ensure that its plans, policies, and local curriculum reflect local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori; and
(ii) taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori; and
(iii) achieving equitable outcomes for Māori students.
To meet the primary objectives, the board must—
(a) have particular regard to the statement of national education and learning priorities issued under section 5; and
(b) give effect to its obligations in relation to—
(i) any foundation curriculum statements, national curriculum statements, and national performance measures; and
(ii) teaching and learning programmes; and
(iii) monitoring and reporting students’ progress; and
(c) perform its functions and exercise its powers in a way that is financially responsible; and
(d) if the school is a member of a community of learning that has a community of learning agreement under clause 2 of Schedule 5, comply with its obligations under the agreement; and
(e) comply with all of its other obligations under this or any other Act.
And if I have read the proposal document correctly, the new objectives of boards in governing schools will read something like this:
Section 127 Objectives of boards in governing schools
(1) A board’s primary objectives in governing a school are to ensure that—
(a) every student at the school is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement;
(b) the school must focus on attendance in their strategic planning and reporting processes;
(c) the school’s principal and staff use good quality assessment and aromatawai information to monitor and evaluate students’ progress and achievement the (including use of these standardised assessment tools once these requirements come into effect).
To meet the primary objectives, the board must—
(a) give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including by—
(i) working to ensure that its plans, policies, and teaching and learning programmes reflect local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori; and
(ii) taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori; and
(iii) achieving equitable outcomes for Māori students.
(c) Ensure the school caters to different learning needs. (also, assuming this gets moved here. Not clear)(d) give effect to its obligations in relation to—
(i) any foundation curriculum statements, national curriculum statements, and national performance measures; and
(ii) teaching and learning programmes; and
(iii) monitoring and reporting students’ progress; and(e) perform its functions and exercise its powers in a way that is financially responsible; and
(d) if the school is a member of a community of learning that has a community of learning agreement under clause 2 of Schedule 5, comply with its obligations under the agreement; and
(e) comply with all of its other obligations under this or any other Act.
I openly acknowledge that the above is a best guess after reading this paper. I am more than happy to be corrected if I have misunderstood the intentions of the proposed changes.
At the very least. I encourage you to visit the page, consider what you believe the ramifications are of the proposed changes and please, please, please have your say, before it is too late!
Comments
Post a Comment