In relation to:
- “Robertson declared he will reserve the surplus for “a rainy day,”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1811/S00006/nz-teachers-union-moves-to-call-off-strikes.htm
Tag: drawing
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A Rainy Day
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Taillight
Over the last several months, we’ve seen an increase of ‘Principal-related’ jobs that have stacked on-top of the role that Principals already have to play. For one, I know that for many Principals, Novopay was one stress that has turned them greyer than ever, and continues to cause week in and week out stress as they become glorified pay clerks for their staff. Many Principals have off-loaded this role to their admin team; but many wish to take the responsibility of paying their staff on themselves, and won’t sleep soundly until they know each member has the right pay.Add to this the new legislation coming in such as the Health and Safety Act, and the Vunerable Children Act, which boards and Principals now inundated with new policies, new procedures, and paper work to sink HMS Bismark all over again.
Some Principals are now facing the ongoing struggle to wrangle other local schools and boards together into a community of learning, even though they may or may not want to.
Of course then there’s the ongoing pressures of financial audits, property regulations and funding, the charter and strategic plans, and that’s all to be done with the knowledge that ERO may or may not be far away depending on your school.
Then, after leaving schools alone for the best part of a term, along come the senior advisors from the Ministry, who are meant to be a sounding board, a guide, someone who works alongside principals and schools. Do they ask how things are going? Do they ask what is on top? What is impacting the school? No. Do they actually visit the school and see how its going? Talk to principals, staff, children, to find out how the school is operating? No.
No they are asking two questions.
What is your data like? What are your target students results?
Well, quite frankly; that’s like checking the taillights at a serious car accident.
Don’t forget to comment below if you’ve heard similar stories! Share with your friends and colleagues.
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The Gap is Closing
In response to:
Hekia Parata: Improved Maori education shows gap is closing
Key Points
- Data used by Hekia Parata is from 2008 to 2014. Why didn’t she use 2015 Data which would have been more current?
- Up to 2014, before schools got found out, there were schools who were screening students and would only have those that would succeed be represented in their data; or even sit NCEA Level 2.
- Hekia makes mention of the increased “…information about the performance of their children and their schools and they are using that information to engage in informed discussion with teachers and schools”, which is a clear promotion of the changes the Government made to reporting schedules with the introduction of National Standards. Students who passed through NCEA Level 2 in 2014 would have had very limited, if any, input from anything related to the National Standards, as they will have been Year 8 or Year 9 when the standards were introduced.
- “However, while there has been dramatic progress in recent years we are not satisfied” – and never will be until 100% of students are passing every form of qualification. This will of course immediately count for nothing, as it essentially makes those qualifications worthless if everyone has them.
