Good luck in Waitangi today!

Here's the text of a letter about National Standards read on Nine to Noon on Feb 4th.

Hello Katherine,

Thank goodness for some perspective and balance this morning on this topic. If only successive governments had resisted the urges they have all had to use education as a vehicle to establish their mark on the country through their endless initiatives and constant meddling.

We are witnessing yet again the softening up processes through misquoted and inaccurate statistics (20% is really 10% Hmm... reminds me of ACC a short while ago! ) and the accompanying scaremongering and doubt-casting about the state of the teaching profession, and all as a build up for the solution which National has at its fingertips - National Standards.

The saddest feature of all this is that no long term difference will be made as the Government is clearly committed to using education yet again as a means of demonstrating its control. If only it was seriously committed to really dealing with the issues. Alas - that would involve listening to and working with the sector over time. Surely the answers here must begin with respect for the teaching profession and the work it does as that would take the emotional heat from the debate and allow us all to pursue real solutions.

The Prime Minister has said frequently that we must "measure monitor and report" if we are to change things. All the effort in National Standards has been about these measuring aspects until now, but as any teacher could tell the Minister - assessment is just a task. It is evaluation (the professional thinking about what the assessment data tells us) and subsequent re-direction of teaching and learning, which makes the difference.

Roger Marcon
Taupo