Year: 2009
Author: Alison, Judie, Cross, Bronwyn, O'Brien, Lynette, Willets, Rob
Type of paper: Abstract refereed
Abstract:
The idea is that of an educational science in which each classroom is a laboratory, each teacher a member of the scientific community... The crucial point is that the proposal is not to be regarded as an unqualified recommendation but rather as a provisional specification claiming no more than to be worth putting to the test of practice. Such proposals claim to be intelligent rather than correct. (Stenhouse)
In the devolved schooling system that operates in New Zealand in which each of the 2400 schools has its own employing board of trustees, it can be difficult to assert any central direction or authority. One of the ways the New Zealand Ministry of Education endeavours to"steer"the system is by way of"evidence-based"research. This can be problematic firstly because the Ministry has significant sway over the nature of research as a monopoly purchaser and secondly, because it is fundamentally a political organisation directly accountable to the Minister of Education. For example, the Ministry is charged with monitoring teacher vacancies to enable effective planning for teacher supply but this research can be compromised by its responsibility to its political masters who would prefer to see teacher shortages downplayed.
As unionists working for the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA), the union that covers secondary teachers, we sometimes find ourselves in dispute about the approach taken to research by the Ministry and the conclusions it draws. As well as publicly questioning Ministry research, PPTA also attempts to provide a counter-balance by either undertaking research itself or commissioning its own research.
This presentation explores the issue of integrity in respect of educational research and goes on to consider a specific piece of PPTA research into school climate which seeks to identify which New Zealand schools are the best places to work. In a system where boards have hiring and firing powers, and teachers are able to apply for positions at the school of their choice, the results are likely to give a new twist to the notion of league tables.
Key Phrase: Educational Policy, Leadership and Management
In the devolved schooling system that operates in New Zealand in which each of the 2400 schools has its own employing board of trustees, it can be difficult to assert any central direction or authority. One of the ways the New Zealand Ministry of Education endeavours to"steer"the system is by way of"evidence-based"research. This can be problematic firstly because the Ministry has significant sway over the nature of research as a monopoly purchaser and secondly, because it is fundamentally a political organisation directly accountable to the Minister of Education. For example, the Ministry is charged with monitoring teacher vacancies to enable effective planning for teacher supply but this research can be compromised by its responsibility to its political masters who would prefer to see teacher shortages downplayed.
As unionists working for the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA), the union that covers secondary teachers, we sometimes find ourselves in dispute about the approach taken to research by the Ministry and the conclusions it draws. As well as publicly questioning Ministry research, PPTA also attempts to provide a counter-balance by either undertaking research itself or commissioning its own research.
This presentation explores the issue of integrity in respect of educational research and goes on to consider a specific piece of PPTA research into school climate which seeks to identify which New Zealand schools are the best places to work. In a system where boards have hiring and firing powers, and teachers are able to apply for positions at the school of their choice, the results are likely to give a new twist to the notion of league tables.
Key Phrase: Educational Policy, Leadership and Management