Briar specialises in education. Before joining the Initiative she was a Maths teacher and Assistant Principal in London. Briar has worked for International Education consultancy CfBT, and the Westminster think tank Policy Exchange. She holds a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh.
Have you ever wondered why children learn to speak with relative ease, and yet find reading so much harder? This question was answered in the last 30 years by evolutionary psychology. Read more
Imagine what would happen if a third of the people you worked with were absent at least half a day per week? Most employers would not tolerate it. Read more
The primary teachers' union NZEI reports that partnership schools attract two to three times as much funding as state schools. But the Ministry of Education, in its role as referee, has always maintained funding is equivalent across both school types. Read more
Over the past week, TVNZ aired a series of interactive programmes exploring the future of society and work. It is an appealing idea: that in the future, life and work will look dramatically different. Read more
When the Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) started testing 15-year-olds in 2000, New Zealand students ranked second in reading and third in maths. Ever since, our scores have perpetually declined. Read more
It has been two weeks since I started work in New Zealand, at the Initiative. Starting a new job in a new country, there are a few things to get used to. Read more