Charter School Advocate Steers Ship
Nanaia Mahuta
Education Spokesperson
28 March 2012
Charter School Advocate
Steers Ship
By appointing a business leader rather
than an education expert to implement its plan for charter
schools, the Government is making its intentions clear:
charter schools are more about enabling private companies to
make a profit from education than they are about improving
education says Labour’s Education spokesperson Nanaia
Mahuta.
“The Government has finally confirmed what has
been well known for some time - that Act Party President and
businesswomen Catherine Isaacs will head the group charged
with implementing charter schools.
“Ms Isaacs’
official appointment will see the charter schools plan
rammed through with little regard for best practice in the
New Zealand context. Expect a collision course.
"There has
been a lot of hype from the Government about charter school
models lifting achievement. But research shows that results
are variable across schools, inconsistent amongst specific
learner groups and there are serious quality issues that
cannot be neglected.
"There are also important questions
about the design features of the Government’s charter
school model. For a start, the timeframe for implementation
should be released publically so communities of interest in
South Auckland and Christchurch can see what they're in for
and reflect their views to the Minister.
“There are
basic concerns about transparency and process, but grave
concerns about educational outcomes.
“The emergence of a charter school model has the potential to create a two-tier system where there will be stark contrasts between who succeeds and who fails, who will eventually be recruited into charter schools and who will remain in our public schools.
"New Zealand has a very good education system and Labour wants it to be a fantastic education system that leaves no-one behind.
“The terms of reference for the working group and the timeframe for reporting on the implementation of charter schools is a top priority and should be released quickly,” Nanaia Mahuta said.
ENDS