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A CONVERSATION WITH DOUG STONE
FEEDBACK! It’s not just that performance review at work or the medal ceremony ...
Back to School
Turning up the heat on education
NEW ZEALAND WAS ONCE VERY PROUD OF ITS EDUCATION SYSTEM – and we rated highly when compared to others. In fact, as recently as 2000, we were one of the top performers in the OECD, ranking third for maths and fourth for reading in a group of 41 countries. However, since then (and many would argue that it started a lot earlier), we’ve been in steady decline.
In 2022, after being alerted to shockingly poor levels of numeracy and literacy among New Zealand’s school leavers, the Ministry of Education finally assessed what was happening. In tests given to 15-year-old students, only two-thirds passed the reading tests, just over half passed numeracy – and writing was even worse, with only one-third passing.
Some have called it a national disgrace …
Barely a day goes by without the state of our schools being discussed in parliament and newspapers, talkback radio and online media. So, we reached out to a well-known figure in the New Zealand education system, ALWYN POOLE, to get his thoughts on what’s going on … how we can stem the decline … and the vital role parents play in giving their children the greatest chance of success.
As a school founder, past principal and academic consultant (amongst other things), his extensive teaching career and study have qualified him more than most to help answer the question: Why is education such a hot topic at the moment?
Issue 3, 2023
FEATURED ARTICLES
Art of Manliness
Is the seven-year-itch real?
YOU'VE HEARD OF THE SEVEN-YEAR-ITCH.
It’s the sense of restlessness or dissatisfaction that supposedly sets in ...
Sibling Rivalry
5 strategies for managing the age-old mortal combat
‘THERE'S NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN’, as they say, and nothing could be truer regarding the age-old issue of ...
Home Sweet Home
How to Sing
SINGING IS WHAT YOU DO when you want to make a noise but haven’t got anything much to say. A lot of animals, ...
The Lucky Taco Cookbook
Beef Cheek Chilli PLUS Lucky Taco Chipotle Hot Sauce
THE LUCKY TACO FOOD TRUCK has been serving up fresh, authentic and delicious tacos to appreciative fans for years ...
Van Life: part 2
No regrets!
I HAD FINISHED SCHOOL and had been working for a year, saving money. University wasn’t on my agenda yet, and ...
Rest of issue
You Ain’t Gonna Believe This!
Fun facts that'll blow your mind!
There are at least 6700 languages in the world.
Ostrich racing is a popular sport in South Africa. (Although ...
Backchat
Babies Rule!
I’VE NEVER HAD A BABY. I’VE never conceived, been pregnant, or given birth to anything. So I’m probably the wrong ...
Going Places
Mekong Memories
WHEN IT COMES TO WATERWAYS, THE MEKONG IS A WHOPPER! It starts as a creek somewhere in China, and by the time it ...
Stillpoint
Raising our wild ones
THIS GOES OUT TO THE MAMAS RAISING
the wild ones:
the not to be tamed,
the rare,
the reckless,
and ...
The Crispy Bits
War Comics
I’M SORRY, LORRAINE. Your big brother and I mocked you because you couldn’t make the right gun noises. In ...
Pick of the Bunch
Hind Licks & Crabby Love
FIRST AID?
Two friends were having lunch when one began choking. The other ran quickly behind his friend, ...