Welcome - to the hot topics page
We hope that you will use this page to read articles, engage in debate, comment on the topics here. From time to time we may ask you voice an opinion or simply to respond to a question or ask for feedback about something happening in our school or on something that affects our school in wider sense.
Have your say on child abuse:
Tena koutou,
As you may know, the Government is asking for feedback from all New Zealanders on its Green Paper for Vulnerable Children, a discussion document released last year.
With New Zealand very low in the OECD’s rankings for child wellbeing, the document suggests ways government practices and policies might be changed, and our communities strengthened, so our children are better protected. But nothing has been decided, and all New Zealanders have until February 28 to give their opinions on what the Green Paper proposes, or how they think our country’s woeful record on child abuse can be improved.
I was honoured to be appointed by Social Development Minister Paula Bennett to be one of the Green Paper’s three Champions, and I would be very grateful if you could please include the message below in your next newsletter (provided it goes out before February 28), and/or load it onto your school website if appropriate, or even print it out as a letter to be taken home to parents.
Children’s opinions are also very welcome. We have created two resources (for different age groups) for teachers to use with children to explore these issues and find out what they think. Those resources are available at: www.childrensactionplan.govt.nz/home/resources. You can also download or order posters, flyers and freepost submission forms from that site.
Thank you so much for your time and your help.
Norm Hewitt
The Green Paper for Vulnerable Children: Norm Hewitt asks us to “Say something and change children’s lives.”
Like me, as parents I’m sure you feel angry and sad another every time another child is deliberately hurt – or worse – by their caregiver. Each year, around 10 of our children – our own tamariki – are killed by the very people they are supposed to rely on for protection, while at least 160,000 children are living in conditions that mean they are unlikely to reach their potential. We know the factors that make these children vulnerable – the big question is how can we fix them? What needs to change to make New Zealand a great, safe place to bring up kids?
These are the types of questions the Government’s Green Paper for Vulnerable Children asks. Released in July last year, this discussion document is asking what we think should be changed to ensure all children reach their full potential. We need as many New Zealanders as possible to answer – it doesn't matter what you say; you just need to say something. We aren’t powerless to stop child abuse – this is something we can all do to help.
Please take the time to go to www.saysomething.org.nz and have your say. You can also mail in a submission, or post comments on Facebook or Twitter. After the submissions are read, a Children’s Action Plan will be developed and released during 2012. As parents, you know what it’s like to raise a child in New Zealand; you are the experts. So, please, do your part to become part of this critical conversation. Submissions close on February 28.
Naku noa, na
Norm Hewitt
Champion. Green Paper for Vulnerable Children
ENDS
If you have any questions please call David Balham, Green Paper for Vulnerable Children
Have your say to help protect vulnerable children from abuse. www.saysomething.org.nz
Child, Family and Community Policy
Ministry of Social Development - Te Manatu Whakahiato Ora
DDI +64 4 917 5085
We look forward to your contribution. We thought we would start with an easy one.
NATIONAL STANDARDS- WHAT DO YOU THINK? read the Articles and visit some for / against web sites . If you come across other relevant sites or articles then let us know about it through the message board and will post it for others.
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/
http://parentsagainstlabelling.weebly.com/
http://www.nzei.org.nz/National+Standards.html
http://www.nzpf.ac.nz/news/national-standards
http://www.nzsta.org.nz
Assessment expert and Co-director of the Educational Assessment Research Unit at the University of Otago, Lester Flockton, has examined the government's claims and measured them against the reality of national standards.
Lester has produced this letter to parents
Dear Parents, Students and Teachers
National Standards: there’s more to this than meets the eye!
I fully support the positions of respected educational organisations, experts and leaders throughout our country who endorse quality teaching, high expectations, and standards of achievement appropriate to the individual student. I also share with those organisations and experts my deep concern and strong opposition to the National Standards regime that the Minister of Education wants to impose year by year on every primary and intermediate child - from five year-olds onwards.
Claims that National Standards will benefit all children, parents and teachers sound good, but are far from true and quite misleading. There is huge and compelling evidence from around the world that warns of the harm that National Standards can do to the quality of children’s schooling. Considerable international experience (e.g. USA, England) provestheir outright failure to “fix” underachievement or improve learning.
Parents want to be confident that their school is doing its best for their children, and that it is a good school. Most parents want to know how well their children are doing at school – where they are succeeding, where they need to improve, and what they can do to help their children’s learning. I agree with and work to these expectations. However, National Standards and reporting as designed by the Ministry of Education, can only give very narrow and even misleading answers.
Because of the potential flaws and harm that can be done by the systems the Minister of Education is pushing onto our schools and children, consideration is being given to conditions that will have to be met before agreeing to try National Standards. It is fair to expect a fully independent, Government funded evaluation into whether National Standards do what is claimed. We need to be convinced that National Standards do not undermine a well-rounded and modern education for our children. We also need to be convinced that the reporting of National Standards will not label or harm our children, our schools and our communities. Any full implementation of national standards would depend on positive evidence from a thorough investigation.
The public has a right to know the truth of the matter. Education leaders are disturbed that the Minister of Education fails to take notice of sound and expert advice about flaws in this Government policy despite numerous attempts to get her to understand the implications of her policy. Many are also specially worried about the lasting damage National Standards could do to a well-rounded education for our young people, and the quality of teaching and schooling in New Zealand. These are held in very high regard around the world.
Thank you for taking the time to think about what National Standards could do to our children and schools. Any change needs to be proven to be good change – for our children. There is absolutely no proof that National Standards will work. There is a lot of well-justified doubt, and continuing misleading statements from the Minister of Education who takes comfort from the general public’s lack of sufficient insights into what National Standards mean and could do. It is costing the tax payer millions of dollars at the expense of other important provisions. The fact sheet at http://parentsagainstlabelling.weebly.com/ summarises the truth of the matter. Your support is appreciated
Lester Flockton
courtney[1].pdf
clark[1].pdf
greaney[1].pdf
Parliamentary research paper.docx
National Standards Fact Sheet - L Flockton.htm
National Standards revisited- Terry Crooks.pdf
Lester Flockton Q& A.pdf
National standards and the accountablity question- Bill Courtney.pdf
National standards and League tables-Cedric Croft.pdf