Chris Hipkins

MP for Rimutaka

Education

MEDIA STATEMENT

20 February 2016

Far right US politics not the answer

Performance pay for teachers has repeatedly failed in the United States and has no place in New Zealand, says Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins.

“Pilot schemes in Nashville and New York were scrapped after research confirmed there was little or no effect on student performance despite the whopping $55m price tag.

“A number of other attempts also failed to get off the ground.

"It's notoriously difficult to design any kind of performance pay system for teachers when so many of the factors that influence how well students do are outside their control.

"What we should be focussed on is recruiting the best and brightest to the teaching profession, training them properly, providing ongoing professional support and development opportunities while paying all teachers properly.

“Yet under National, funding for teacher salaries has been frozen in real terms.

“No wonder we’re experiencing a massive teacher supply crisis and falling down international rankings in maths, science and reading.

“After the disaster experimenting with charter schools, another radical right wing policy imported from the US, Hekia Parata must rule out introducing performance pay.

“The next Labour Government will invest in education because we understand the importance of every child getting the best start in life,” says Chris Hipkins.

See below:

Ministry of Education data on teacher salary funding for New Zealand schools

http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1702/Nashville.pdf

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