School Principals Promote Class-Divided Society
School principals trying to stop people using NCEA results to compare schools will recreate the `where did you go to
school' kind of class divisions so many people came here to escape, ACT New Zealand Associate Education Spokesman
Stephen Franks said today.
"They will get the opposite of what they want, because they are not respecting the parents' need to judge them and
their schools. If parents don't have objective measures, like exam results, they will fall back on whatever measures
they can get. Some, such as numbers of computers, don't tell much about the quality of teaching and leadership. Nor may
the wealth of the suburb. But if that is the only obvious measure, it will be used," Mr Franks said.
"The objectivity of externally-assessed exams has been the tool for breaking down `old school tie' hiring preferences,
and allowed outstanding schools in poor areas to face down uninformed prejudice. These principals would rather see that
go, than provide the extra information that would allow comparisons to be fair.
"Stop patronising parents, and stop trying to hide failure. If parents need more data to make proper comparisons, give
it to us. NZQA could give us decile-adjusted rankings. Parents know there is much more to school quality than just exam
results, but they will not trust waffle from professionals who think comparisons are taboo.
"If only we had an education minister and a qualifications authority with some of Tony Blair's honesty. Over the top of
teacher union outrage, the British Labour Government has insisted on publishing `league tables' so parents can help
press for better schools," Mr Franks said.