Academics Not Afraid To Critique Bad Policy

Media Release
13 April 2012
Academics Not Afraid To Critique Bad Policy

PPTA president Robin Duff congratulates a group of Massey University academics who have not bowed to political pressure over the National/Act charter schools experiment.

The university’s Education Policy Response Group released a major report today, which describes government plans to introduce the charter school model as misguided and ideologically driven.

The report investigates Sweden’s ‘free schools’, England’s ‘academies’ and charter school research in the United States and reveals a lack of accountability, increased inequality and questionable results.

“Unless the government proceeds with care, it is quite likely that the charter school experiment, will be another costly mistake which will lead to further inequality in educational achievement and leave our most vulnerable children at the mercy of the market,” the report says

Duff said it was refreshing to see the group take its academic leadership role seriously when so many universities were reluctant to challenge bad policy because of their relationship with government.

The group had done the work that should have been carried out by government before the concept of charter schools had even been put forward, he said.

“We expect the members of the charter school implementation group to read the report very carefully and – if they are principled people – play no further part in this political experiment being inflicted on the children on New Zealand,” he said.

ENDS

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