Education (National Standards / School Closures): Feeling Our Way to the Police State Without Thinking.

Without entering the debate on whether National Standards in our state school system are up to much of anything, here goes the feel versus think problem again. From a Twitter discussion with Citizen Bomber this morning (and I still don’t understand Martyn Bradbury’s handle):

Thinking: Why shouldn't parents have such information? And if National Standards are incomplete - why?

Feeling: Because there is no academic value measuring educational rates on children this young, it’s about injecting false competition.

Thinking: But aren't we talking the most important, informative, age in education? This is precisely the age we need to pinpoint causes.

Feeling: (1/2) You miss my point - there is no value knowing this at that age because Children learn at very different speeds … (2/2) this isn't about educational achievement measurement, its about creating false competition models via league tables.

Thinking: So are you saying there is no rich/poor divide in education then?

Feeling: I'm saying no such thing, I'm saying measuring educational achievement at this age is pointless.

Thinking: How can you say there is rich/poor divide in education, so we must throw money at it, AND say achievement can't be measured?

If you believe that you can't meaningfully measure academic achievement at this age, then you shouldn't be advocating government must 'do something about a supposed disadvantage showing in low decile schools', because under your own definitions, no such conclusions as to 'disadvantage' can be made.

And in other education news I note my below letter to the editor made the first slot and title for letters to the editor in this morning’s Press. (Sorry mum, I hope the hate mail's not too bad).

Some small, but vocal, section of Christchurch seems to be reverting to cry-babyhood. On the issue of school closures, teachers and parents instead of teaching their (primary school) children in an adult fashion about the inevitable nature of change - that can be embraced for its positives - are feeding them inappropriate emotions on how to make a childish tantrum pay off politically via protest. On Campbell Live I saw one poor kid in my old primary school, Greenpark, worked up into tears: that was irresponsible. Regarding the school issue, the Cathedral issue, et al: some people in the city have to grow up, and teachers need to set a proper example to the children, of adult behaviour, rather than operating on the level of their students, John Minto, or Sue Bradford. Plus if you want to keep your schools open, there is a solution: charter schools.