Ngātahi Aumangea Ake
Anne Tolley's Address
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Greg MacLeod on
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I wrote to Alfie Kohn, I thought I would share his response, his wisdom and his direction for us to use his articles and books to build a response...
Note - my feelings have changed somewhat about feeling alone, however, some teachers and principals (in my district) have used the words 'fait accompli' and unless parents and the community are educated, National Standards will appear to be a wise and wonderful thing for our children.
"Alfie
I do not know if you recall the below letters I sent last year?
Since then, New Zealand, with a change of Government, has recently introduced (during school holidays) legislation to bring in National Standards for Numeracy and Literacy for all Primary aged children.
Having developed and interest in your ideas and ideals over the past year, I had spent some time going over your articles (and sparking much debate in the staffroom) regarding National Testing/Standards. I was pleased to say, this was not a reality for me.
However, Anne Tolley, our Education Minister, has been moving across the country in a so called 'consultation' period, explaining that they are with us and we have to decide what they will look like, how we will report to parent and she has been questioned on National Radio regarding league tables (her interview -- http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport).
Help!
I feel alone in this corner of the world and no one seems to make sense. National Testing is being hidden under the word Standards and I don't feel I am expert enough to make a grand-stand. Most teachers are rolling over and taking it!
Your thoughts would be invaluable.
Kind regards,
Greg MacLeod"
His reply:
"I’ve received a surprising number of messages from Kiwis over the last few years, most dealing with education policy, classroom strategies, and parenting. In particular, folks are concerned about the move to adopt one-size-fits-all educational standards along with standardized tests. (If you’re going to standardize what’s being taught across the country – wiping out innovative teaching and local autonomy – I guess you might as well seal the deal with standardized assessment to enforce compliance.)
I thought it might be interesting for you to know who else in NZ shares your concerns, so I’m taking the liberty of listing some of the educators other than you who have written to me. (I’m leaving out a few parents as well as a union official who wrote to me about the scourge of workplace incentives.) I’m doing so, first, in the hope of raising your spirits: If all these folks feel strongly enough to write to me all the way over in America, imagine how many more allies you probably have who just haven’t been identified and mobilized yet. Second, I wanted to send a couple of resources to all of you at once. And finally, I wanted to encourage you to write to one another as a way of beginning (or continuing) to organize against this juggernaut.
If any of my articles or books about standards and testing (at http://www.alfiekohn.org/standards/testarticles.htm) might be useful to you, feel free to steal from them, adapt them, distribute them, or whatever. Also see Deborah Meier’s important essay called “Educating a Democracy”: http://bostonreview.net/BR24.6/meier.html. Of course, you’ll have to extrapolate a bit, or read selectively, since both of us are talking about the U.S.
Beyond the substantive arguments is the matter of organizing to challenge the top-down push for national standards. Here it’s a matter of figuring out how best to use the media: organize letter-writing campaigns, hold marches and invite reporters to cover them, get experts in front of cameras and microphones, circulate petitions; and also set up websites, use Facebook and Twitter, delegate responsibilities to parents and teachers in different areas of the country who can set up local affiliates of a national effort. The issue has to be framed as a government-imposed mandate that’s bad for children, not just for teachers. Ordinary people have to be educated about the implications, and those who are skeptical have to be organized so their voices are heard.
Have a look at my own (again, U.S.-based) efforts to organize – at www.alfiekohn.org/stdtest.htm. You may also get some ideas from FairTest’s listserv, the Assessment Reform Network (www.fairtest.org/get_involved/k-12).
Hope this is helpful. Good luck!
-- Alfie Kohn"
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Permalink Reply by Zachary Markham on
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Hi Greg
i continue to be very impressed by your thoughts , passion and articulation over the issue of National Standards . I totally agree that we need to be organised over this issue and provide a sensible and constructive alternative to what the National Government is proposing . No, you are not alone - far from it and no , if Tolley and any other sitting MP's think that this is just a roll over situation they have another think coming . I totally agree there is no research - internationally that indicates a one size model actually works . National standards targets students who are actually acheiving but gives no support to students who are struggling to meet these targets and cuts across our current curriculum .
I think the solution is to present evidence to parents that provides that National Standards dont actually give any benefits to their son/ daughters acheivements in their formal school experiences . This means we as an organisation must be organized to the point of making political change . NZEI has the benefits of having developed structures where this change could take place . A good start is as the teacher clusters reform in October , a formatted stratergy is debated and developed
Greg MacLeod said:
I wrote to Alfie Kohn, I thought I would share his response, his wisdom and his direction for us to use his articles and books to build a response...
Note - my feelings have changed somewhat about feeling alone, however, some teachers and principals (in my district) have used the words 'fait accompli' and unless parents and the community are educated, National Standards will appear to be a wise and wonderful thing for our children.
"Alfie
I do not know if you recall the below letters I sent last year?
Since then, New Zealand, with a change of Government, has recently introduced (during school holidays) legislation to bring in National Standards for Numeracy and Literacy for all Primary aged children.
Having developed and interest in your ideas and ideals over the past year, I had spent some time going over your articles (and sparking much debate in the staffroom) regarding National Testing/Standards. I was pleased to say, this was not a reality for me.
However, Anne Tolley, our Education Minister, has been moving across the country in a so called 'consultation' period, explaining that they are with us and we have to decide what they will look like, how we will report to parent and she has been questioned on National Radio regarding league tables (her interview -- http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport).
Help!
I feel alone in this corner of the world and no one seems to make sense. National Testing is being hidden under the word Standards and I don't feel I am expert enough to make a grand-stand. Most teachers are rolling over and taking it!
Your thoughts would be invaluable.
Kind regards,
Greg MacLeod"
His reply:
"I’ve received a surprising number of messages from Kiwis over the last few years, most dealing with education policy, classroom strategies, and parenting. In particular, folks are concerned about the move to adopt one-size-fits-all educational standards along with standardized tests. (If you’re going to standardize what’s being taught across the country – wiping out innovative teaching and local autonomy – I guess you might as well seal the deal with standardized assessment to enforce compliance.)
I thought it might be interesting for you to know who else in NZ shares your concerns, so I’m taking the liberty of listing some of the educators other than you who have written to me. (I’m leaving out a few parents as well as a union official who wrote to me about the scourge of workplace incentives.) I’m doing so, first, in the hope of raising your spirits: If all these folks feel strongly enough to write to me all the way over in America, imagine how many more allies you probably have who just haven’t been identified and mobilized yet. Second, I wanted to send a couple of resources to all of you at once. And finally, I wanted to encourage you to write to one another as a way of beginning (or continuing) to organize against this juggernaut.
If any of my articles or books about standards and testing (at http://www.alfiekohn.org/standards/testarticles.htm) might be useful to you, feel free to steal from them, adapt them, distribute them, or whatever. Also see Deborah Meier’s important essay called “Educating a Democracy”: http://bostonreview.net/BR24.6/meier.html. Of course, you’ll have to extrapolate a bit, or read selectively, since both of us are talking about the U.S.
Beyond the substantive arguments is the matter of organizing to challenge the top-down push for national standards. Here it’s a matter of figuring out how best to use the media: organize letter-writing campaigns, hold marches and invite reporters to cover them, get experts in front of cameras and microphones, circulate petitions; and also set up websites, use Facebook and Twitter, delegate responsibilities to parents and teachers in different areas of the country who can set up local affiliates of a national effort. The issue has to be framed as a government-imposed mandate that’s bad for children, not just for teachers. Ordinary people have to be educated about the implications, and those who are skeptical have to be organized so their voices are heard.
Have a look at my own (again, U.S.-based) efforts to organize – at www.alfiekohn.org/stdtest.htm. You may also get some ideas from FairTest’s listserv, the Assessment Reform Network (www.fairtest.org/get_involved/k-12).
Hope this is helpful. Good luck!
-- Alfie Kohn"
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