“Step Change” Treading on Eggshells

“Step Change” Treading on Eggshells

“The report ‘Step Change’ contains some good ideas, but ultimately it isn’t deep or broad enough. Our education system needs holistic improvements that can benefit all students. Instead, the report focuses on one quarter of students and one main strategy for helping them,” according to Maxim Institute CEO Greg Fleming.

“The IPWG should be applauded for their recognition that we need to make meaningful changes to the way we educate. Unfortunately their prescription does not fully match their diagnosis,” says Fleming.

“’Step Change’ offers support and advancement for the bottom 20 percent and the top 5 percent of pupils, who would have ‘personal learning plans [aimed] at tailoring solutions for the diverse needs of individuals.’ But while this offers potentially significant gains for those students, the other 75 percent of pupils who do not qualify miss out entirely, unless the initiative is rolled out more widely—something the report only says might happen over time.”

“Alongside these changes, we could do more to overhaul the education system. Schools should have the flexibility to respond to the diverse educational needs of all families and children. They could do this if they could have more control over how they use their property. Further, there should be more opportunities for independent schools to expand.”

“Simultaneous to the release of ‘Step Change’ a minority report signed by two members of the IPWG has been released, under the title ’Free to Learn.’ This report is laden with serious recommendations for how to improve schooling across the board in New Zealand,” says Fleming. “It provides an opportunity for a courageous Government to go further and make a real difference—one that would be so popular with parents, it would stand the test of time.”

ENDS

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