To stop internet gossip -- 'give parents more information on schools'

While some principals want a ban on a new website asking for ratings of teachers, the National Party says the controversy could be defused if the government publicly released information on schools that only principals could see.

The Rate my Teachers website, which has many members in the United States and Britain, was launched in New Zealand this month.

Principals reportedly fear the site will be exploited by disgruntled students and that teachers can do little to defend themselves.

The number of comments on the site has increased rapidly in recent weeks.

Click on this link to read a Wellington student's opinion of the website.

National Party Education spokesman Bill English said the controversy around the website was a good reason why Labour should make the SchoolSmart website public.

SchoolSmart is available to principals only. It gives access to information about rolls, secondary student achievement data, teacher turnover and school financial information.

"Teacher unions should lobby Labour to make SchoolSmart more widely available, so parents and students don't have to rely on internet gossip," Mr English said.

"If the unions are concerned about inaccurate, defamatory information being spread about teachers, then Labour should deal with that by putting all the facts on the table."

More statistical information available to parents meant they could make informed choices about their children's education, Mr English said.

Secondary Principals' Association president Graham Young was reported in the Sunday Star Times as saying principals have not yet formed a view on whether parents should be able to access SchoolSmart information. The issue was due to be discussed this month.

High ratings for Rate my Teachers website

His teachers do a good job, but Wellington third former Otis Boyle says he can see a useful purpose in the Rate my Teachers website for others not so lucky.

"If teachers read some of the comments it might help them think about how they do their job."

Otis found comments on the site about teachers from his old intermediate school and he said they were fair and were pretty much the type of things he would have said. He said the site had a section on it that gave strict guidelines about how the site was to be used, and this would be helpful to ensure people were responsible about what they wrote.
	Otis Boyle views the Rate my Teachers website

He planned to let other students at his school, Rongotai College, know about the site because it was the sort of thing they would want to look at.

The site contains an area for parents, as well as students, to write comments.

Resources

The Rate my Teachers website.

A story in The Press on principals', teachers' and students' reactions to the website is at this web page.

A TVNZ story on the site is at this web page.

A Sunday Star Times story on the SchoolSmart website is at this web page.