Weekend reading from Allan

Weekend Readings

By Allan Alach

Another week, more educational madness in New Zealand, as the current government races down the ‘us too’ track being followed by other equally ignorant governments. This time the government has decided that the best way to ‘raise achievement’ and to ‘improve delivery of the curriculum’ is to increase class sizes and to spend the money saved on improving ‘teacher effectiveness’ whatever that means. However, since the government didn’t do their homework, this decision has rebounded on them, and succeeded in bringing parents alongside teachers in the fight to overturn this. As a result the government has had to backdown and cancel the increase to class sizes. This is a major victory, the first against the neo-liberal education agenda. One battle doesn’t mean the war is won, far from it, as the agenda is still there, and I expect a retaliatory attack on principals and teachers fairly soon, in an attempt to split them off from the parent support.

 I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allan.alach@ihug.co.nz.

This week’s homework!

Is Real Educational Reform Possible? If So, How?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201108/is-real-educational-reform-possible-if-so-how

Why Daydreaming Isn’t a Waste of Time.

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/06/why-daydreaming-isnt-a-waste-of-time/

Research paper from England that shows that class sizes do make a difference.

http://www.classsizeresearch.org.uk/aera%2008%20paper.pdf

Did A Big-Bucks British Testing Company Hijack America’s Public Schools?
http://dailycloudt.com/voice-single?id=166

Read and despair.... people like this are the influences behind the National Party's education agenda in New Zealand and Naplan regime in Australia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/education/15face.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Is American education backing the wrong horse?  Is Australian education backing the wrong horse? Is New Zealand education backing the wrong horse?  What’s the connection between these countries? Why do schools get blamed for the ills caused by poverty?

http://www.susanohanian.org///core.php?id=275