New Orleans provides charter school warning

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New Orleans provides charter school warning

3News NZ

By 3 News online staff

When New Orleans rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, there were some fundamental changes made to the way the city functioned.

Changes were made to the education system which now solely consists of privatised charter schools.

New Zealand’s education sector is looking to make a similar change in the attempt to rebuild Christchurch, but Parents Across America campaigner Karran Harper Royal says the move to charter schools is a change for the worse.

“The impact of public charter schools in New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina has been that parents no longer have a right to a neighbourhood school, and most often a parent’s decision-making process has been limited to simply choosing a school… and hoping that they will be chosen,” she told Firstline this morning.

Ms Harper Royal says parents are not represented on the boards of charter schools and as a result have no say in the school’s direction.

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Comments

25/09/2012 12:04:36 p.m.

Judynz wrote:

Govt decisions have got nothing to do with lack of finance & cost of living (they control). Its all about the big fist David Lange tried to warn us that we (NZ) are the pinky on this fist....& the dumbing down of people so we wont challenge our lying leaders. If you are a really good teacher you probably wont get a job. Note how many govt decisions are not made because they benefit the people & how the exact same decisions are being made in other western countries (& more) STAND TOGETHER & insist on seeing the COMPREHENSIVE BUDGETS (not the budgets) so we can see whats really going on. Expose them. Complaining doesnt achieve anything.

25/09/2012 11:58:11 a.m.

Mike wrote:

Labour stands for devaluation and inflation. Labour will put education last on any solution list as they dont believe in education.

Take the real income levels in 2008 vs 2011 and they have improved under National.

We are in recession, so its not easy, but it is simple to live within ones means.

Take the min wage of $13.50. While Labour preaches raising it, their polices are of devalutation and inflation to reduce the buying power to around $10 of the current $13.50. How else do they intend to make exporters more competitive - by lowering real wages!

NZ min wage is actually quite high. In 2011 NZ was 9th highest in min wages of a list of 197 countries, and above most in the OECD. Labour had us much lower down the list, and wants our real wages reduced through the backdoor of devaluation and inflation.

The US is finding their wage levels high so hard to compete internationally. So how high is their min wage? $7.25 US is the min wage there, with exchange rate thats $9 NZ, while our min wage is 50% higher at $13.50. If take the $13.50 NZ, adjust by 25% lower dollar and Labours inflation, it brings you back down to around $10 min wage in todays value (which still higher than the US, even before their latest print money scheme).

We have lefties claiming that smoking canibis shouldn't be illegal, like you can make paedos 'safe' by decriminalising that too!

We do need change in education in NZ. We have had technical changes through technology, but we dont see the benefit reaching students - why?

Sometimes you need fresh ideas to show a different path. Many of the so-called new ideas have worked in Christchurch post quake where they couldn't comply with our education system due to the quake. They are also wanting more accountability in teaching, ie putting checks in to make sure NZ gets education and value for money.

25/09/2012 9:53:52 a.m.

David wrote:

Charter schools are a phenominally bad idea... but thats all National has... bad ideas. Winz, ACC, Solid Energy, the GCSB, legalising the illegal survelience of the New Zealand police in hundreds of pending criminal cases. All our systems are failing... and yet National fantatics think that this will be Nationals one good idea? even though in the majority of cases around the world these schools have been monumental failures?? It shows how retarded some people can be I guess. Schools based on profit arent about achieving results... they are about profits. And when it comes to profits business will always cut corners and take the immoral path... thats the way they have operated for hundreds of years.. why would they change now?. How does having non trained teachers benefit the children exactly? non trained means teachers with absolutely no idea. The teachers council checks registered qualified teachers, their skill level, their competence and their safety in respects to police checks etc. National says in the case of non trained teachers that it is the board of trustees job to check these things... but really will they? will they even care?. These schools are far more unsafe than the ones that we have in place and their results have never been great. People also have to remember that this policy wasnt brought up before the election, it wasnt campaigned on... it was pushed through on the sly by National.