The Nation: Teacher performance pay frustrations

17/06/2012 10:21:18 p.m.

Argosous Maron wrote:

wooohooooo ! Makoli aldaay ! We rock ! I'm SO proud of our girls who are passing their exams:) YOUR ROCK ! peowpeow. ~OUT~

26/05/2012 5:12:37 p.m.

isn't this rule only applies for Cooking, Performing Arts & Woodwork classes? wrote:

Reading the comments here, it seems like people are firing up the budget news without checking the details?

26/05/2012 1:44:58 a.m.

Lolita wrote:

This is an absolute joke!! Mr Key, please assign someone who has an education background to be the Minister of Education. Why are we targeting our children? Didn't National promise they will do everything to help all NZers? Totally rubbish!!

23/05/2012 10:21:29 a.m.

John Stone wrote:

If bigger class sizes and performance pay for teachers is such a great idea, lets apply the same idea to politicians .. Performance pay for MPs - based on a set of criteria formulated by a committee of voters. Larger electorates with more constituents in each electorate. This will allow us to have fewer MP's and the money saved will allow us to provide training for MP's who are struggling to provide world class service to the people who voted for them.

22/05/2012 4:26:05 p.m.

Myra Wooderson wrote:

We watched the item about Macauley High School and were very impressed. THe statistics were amazing BUT we wonder if the students who achieved were the students who were encouraged to sit NCEA 1 2 or 3 - and that a big portion of students were discouraged. If this is so then the statistics dont really mean a lot ...

20/05/2012 8:22:28 p.m.

brin murray wrote:

I attempted to post a similar opinion to this on Thursday but for some reason it did not appear. I wonder if it was an accidental oversight, or there was some line I have crossed? I shall be interested to see if it is allowed this time. Does anyone seriously believe Hekia Parata’s claim that the Government has made a ‘conscious decision’ to increase class sizes in order to target increasing professionalism through performance pay? On entering office Parata stated that her priority was to tackle the underachieving tail, largely made up of Pacifica and Maori students. Yet now, a few months later, she announces cuts which will have precisely the opposite effect. The Union is mistaken when it states that she lives in a ‘fantasy world.’ Parata must know perfectly well that disadvantaged student achievement cannot possibly be enhanced by reducing access to quality teacher time. The fine words of concern for failing students are precisely that: words, and empty ones. By introducing performance pay, however, she has provided herself with a perfect scapegoat for when the disadvantaged tail does not magically disappear: the failing teacher. This is not fantasy, it is simple hypocrisy. It takes a profound cynicism to plan increased class sizes while claiming to prioritize disadvantaged student achievement, and yet the debate, depressingly, is on Parata’s terms. No one has the grit, or guts, or maybe clear-sightedness, to really tackle the complacent underlying hypocrisy.

20/05/2012 4:40:49 p.m.

ALAN PARKER wrote:

wake up the biggest issue here is your kids will be in classes of 50 and 100 the rest is a smoke screen to divert your attention from larger classes . why are these rules not being introduced to their private schools ? .this govt are full of it .

20/05/2012 9:06:31 a.m.

john smith wrote:

High School can be effective learning environments IF Principals understand what the meaning is of running tight schools.I can assure you many do not!!!!!. Many principals are very liberal. Saving money look at the student ratio of RTLBs over a ten week time frame then (per year) it is disgusting, now check the costs @80 million how many RTLBs? about 780 this is disgraceful. I oversaw a group of RTLBs for a number of years it was well acknowledged (between the principal group overseeing the RTLBs)that it was a frigtening waste of money ( the RTLBs )RTLBs only came into existence in 2000.The academic gain and bang for buck with RTLBs is just not real sorry, divide the monies up and give back to schools, they should best know how to spend it. Remember loose schools do not work!!!!!!!. Look at Hasting Girls High School to see how well a low decile school functions, It is because of a sound dicipline system and high expectations, you cannot have one without the other. The mantra that students will take control of their own learning is just silly they need real direction and timeframes to fininsh work.Parents need also to be much more involved in their childs education outcomes. Bonuses for high performing teachers, well how about underperforming Principals who will favour the teachers they like , this is the real world sorry.!!!!! and low decile loose disciplined high schools yea right , you have no idea how loose they really are, whos fault the underperforming principal. John Smith