Discussion Paper | The Case for Character Skills

By Kieran Madden

“Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Success early on in life is about…

Discussion Paper | Catching the Tide

By Rowan Light

Young New Zealanders face compounding challenges in their transition to work in 2020. Young people globally are bearing the brunt…

The early years consensus

By Kieran Madden

The first three years are critical for a child’s development and long-term success in life, but policy has unfortunately been…

Beyond the “Growth Mindset” hype

By Kieran Madden

In just over a decade, “Growth Mindset” has graduated from an exciting theory to accepted wisdom in classrooms across the world. But when it comes to actually changing mindsets in the classroom, the hype is way ahead of the evidence.

Vocational surgery required

By Kieran Madden

Our vocational educational system is on life support— haemorrhaging badly in desperate need of surgery. Four of New Zealand’s sixteen…

Learning Support funding should bridge to work

By Danielle van Dalen

School can be difficult for everyone, but for students with disabilities the difficulties are generally heightened. The Prime Minister acknowledged…

Excessive tertiary education sends the wrong signals

By Kieran Madden

The higher education system is a colossal waste of time and money—far more about signaling to future employers than gaining…

Changing the way we educate

By Danielle van Dalen

Nelson Mandela is credited with saying: “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” It…

Our politicians must learn what actually makes a difference in education

By Danielle van Dalen

I can clearly remember my favourite teacher. He was a jovial and portly history teacher, who would get incredibly excited…

Supporting the village raising our children

By Danielle van Dalen

An African proverb claims that “it takes a village to raise a child.” Labour’s School Leavers’ Toolkit Policy seems an…

Death to deciles

By Kieran Madden

The Government is about to drive school deciles out of town. Good riddance. What will replace the much-maligned decile system?…

The future is not (only) digital

By Kieran Madden

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution” is upon us—the exponential rise in technology that is set to disrupt every aspect of our…

‘Cash for class’ a bankrupt idea

By Guest Author

According to PISA, 42% of New Zealand students are skipping school at least once every two weeks. Why are kids…

“Beautiful as heaven, lonely as hell”

By Julian Wood

I have heard friends of mine visiting New Zealand describe it as “beautiful as heaven, and lonely as hell.” If…

Sir John Graham Lecture 2016 | Achieving Change

Using evidence to empower educators and help students succeed Every parent, teacher, principal, policy expert, and education leader wants an…

Free tertiary policy lacks precision

By Julian Wood

I never knew the “glory days” of tertiary education where everything was free. After high school I was ushered into…

Social skills to pay the bills

By Kieran Madden

Modern workplaces are like preschool. Our schools and homes should be too. At preschool “children move from art projects to…

Is education the great equaliser?

By Kieran Madden

Last week, New Zealand got a glowing report card from the OECD for our economic performance and the policies set…

What’s happened to Finland’s schools?

By Jane Silloway Smith

Spend any time with an education reformer and you’re likely to hear something about Finland. This Scandinavian country of 5.5…

Back to school

By Jane Silloway Smith

Uniforms are washed and ready to wear; iPads are fully charged; and backpacks are laden with fresh stationary supplies –…