NCEA completion rates have been increasing, with more children than ever earning an NCEA diploma, but New Zealand’s performance on international benchmarks in numeracy and literacy has been flat or declining. Co-author Eric Crampton discusses on Radio Ngati Porou our new report Score! Read more
To begin with, sugar taxes are offensive. They presume that some government official knows better than you about what food choices are best for you. Read more
New Zealand’s education system is designed not to measure performance. How can we tell whether policies intended to boost student performance are successful, or how much academic achievement matters for later life outcomes, if we cannot measure it? Read more
Wellington (12 March 2018): At the same time as NCEA completion rates have been increasing, with more children than ever earning an NCEA diploma, New Zealand’s performance on international benchmarks in numeracy and literacy has been flat or declining. Solving the puzzle requires knowing more about real student achievement. Read more
2017 was an extra special year for The New Zealand Initiative. We celebrated our fifth anniversary by producing more high-quality research. Read more
Policy analysis is like a lot of other project work. It can be good, it can be fast, and it can be cheap – but it cannot be all three. Read more
In last week’s Insights, Oliver Hartwich argued that ACT can learn little from Germany’s FDP. As ACT’s Leader, I am grateful for the right to reply. Read more
Sir Michael Cullen wants to use the tax system to help us all behave better. We have a few ideas to help build upon this noble pursuit. Read more
If there is one lesson from our species’ past, it is that we are not very good at thinking about the future. This is irrespective of our personal inclination toward optimism or pessimism. Read more
Mike Hosking interviews Hon Peter Costello AC, our keynote speaker for the Retreat dinner on Thursday 8 March. They discuss the state of Australian politics, the relation between New Zealand and Australia and the keys to economic success for a country. Read more
Research Fellow Briar Lipson discusses on TVNZ's Breakfast our new education report, Spoiled by Choice: How NCEA hampers education, and what it needs to succeed. The report analyses the history and evolution of NCEA; and its impact on students, teachers and end-users. Read more
Kathryn Ryan speaks with Briar Lipson about her new education report, Spoiled by Choice. The report is calling for a reform of NCEA because it is failing too many students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Read more
Parliament deserves better advice about the policies it is being asked to consider. Imagine that you and your partner agreed that you would buy a house together after the wedding – and you both had your eyes on a particular property. Read more
Education is about learning. However, as assessment expert Alison Wolf explains: …formal education is also, and intrinsically, about selection and certification… ~ Wolf, A. Read more
Wellington (4 March 2018): The New Zealand Initiative’s newest report Spoiled by Choice analyses the history and evolution of NCEA; and its impact on students, teachers and end-users. 15 years of sustained decline in our students’ performance in PISA assessments testifies to NCEA’s negative unintended consequences. Read more