Claire Amos

Chris and David discussing the joy of testing. Whilst we are still awaiting the outcome of special votes, it is pretty safe to assume that we are staring down the barrel of a National / Act Party government that will be bringing a very distinct flavour to the education landscape. Below is an outline of what each party promised for education.  Front and centre is a focus on "back to basics" and what looks like a whole lot more standardisation (from both National and Act) and testing to ensure we are all "teaching the basics brilliantly". Those of us in schools know that standardisation isn't necessarily the answer and testing didn't seem to turn the dial in the past either. That is the trouble when policies are designed to satisfy parent voters who just want their kids back in school and succeeding.  In their 100-day plan, National is promising to do the following in the education space: Require primary and intermediate schools to teach one hour a day each of...

  Possible actual photo that inspired many of this year's policies As we barrel along towards the 2023 General Election and as educators dig deep to find the energy to give a damn about anything beyond surviving the end of Term Three and desperately hoping to enjoy a sickness-free break and some much-needed sunshine, it is important we find a way to engage with what’s on the horizon for education this election cycle.  If like me you are thinking that education is all but missing in action (beyond a few clickbait-worthy headlines) this election season you wouldn’t be wrong. Clearly “cost of living” and “getting tough on crime” are the issues de jour this time around. It is disappointing to see the resolute lack of vision for education across the board this year. Our two major players seem to be vying for first place by serving up shades of beige and different versions of “back to basics” ideology with little more than financial literacy, literacy, numeracy and truancy on the me...