Degrees and the job market
Education is valuable and having one should improve your life prospects. But does a generic bachelor’s degree guarantee its owner influence, riches and success? Read more
12 October, 2012
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Public meetings and partnership schools
Partnership schools (kura hurua) have become a topic of intense political debate in what appears to be a case of those shouting the loudest being heard the most. The criticisms are many and varied – and unavoidable on both radio and TV. Read more
21 September, 2012
Tertiary Funding Policy at an Impasse
A fundamental law of economics is that you can control the price of something or the quantity supplied, but not both. We saw that law in operation in the old Soviet system, with rationing and queues, and during the Muldoon wage and price freeze. Read more
18 June, 2010
Submission: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill
Compulsory students’ association membership (CSM), as opposed to voluntary students’ association membership (VSM), is an anachronism. Students’ associations are incorporated societies formed by members with common interests and are akin to the Automobile Association, the Consumers' Institute, staff associations and sporting clubs. Read more
30 March, 2010
Does a Bad Start in Life Make for Failure at School?
At an Easter hat parade at Bellfield Primary School in Melbourne, a child’s mother got into a punch-up with another mother and head-butted her unconscious in front of 250 children. Did anyone bat an eyelid? Read more
9 August, 2009
Skill Development and Skill Shortages in New Zealand
Despite considerable government investment in tertiary education and training, New Zealand has seen sustained and substantial shortages of skill labour. Norman LaRocque looks at the reasons behind this and outlines the policy environment necessary to address the skills deficit. Read more
1 October, 2007
The New Zealand Curriculum: A submission on the Draft for Consultation 2006
The draft New Zealand Curriculum adopts an intellectually flawed ‘outcome-based’ education model. This is an approach which prevailed in the late 1980s and early 1990s and has now been largely discredited and abandoned by countries with successful education systems. Kevin Donnelly advocates the internationally proven syllabus or standards-based approaches and argues that continuing to ignore the large body of international evidence in this area will put future generations of New Zealand students at risk. Read more
26 February, 2007
School Choice: The Three Essential Elements and Several Policy Options
The three essential elements of successful school choice policies are: the freedom to open, expand and close schools in response to increased or reduced demand; funding following the student, putting all schools on the same footing; and independent management, so that schools are free to innovate in areas such as teaching practices, teacher pay, and school organisation. The report draws on a wide range of evidence including a study of the impact of Chicago’s charter schools on the environment. Read more
1 August, 2006
Parental Choice as an Education Reform Catalyst: Global Lessons
Limited school choice programmes that give parents a little more choice within a system of largely unchanged, uniform schooling alternatives, should not be used to judge the effectiveness of school choice as a reform catalyst. John Merrifield looks at examples of both real and limited school choice policies from around the world and finds out why some succeed while others fail. Read more
1 June, 2005
Education Matters: Government, Markets and New Zealand Schools
How do markets and governments operate in education and what is the best way to organise, finance and regulate education? Mark Harrison assesses the performance of the New Zealand school sector, the impact of the reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, and current government spending policies. Read more
1 February, 2004