Subtext

October's Subtext discusses the benefits of a free market in education, private school performance in Australia and the 'Great Schools Revolution' under way in the United States.

In this edition of Subtext, we look at changes underway in the UK's secondary school system with the introduction of independent Academies and Free Schools. We also check out India's recent shambolic school reforms, an investigation from The New York Times on the role of failure in education, and an interview with Steve Brill on teacher unions.

In Subtext this month, we look at a report that investigates a new form of education provision appearing overseas -- the contracting of education delivery; we cover debate over giving parents more information on schools and the Rate my Teachers website; we find out how the government may soften its loans abolition plan, but not for everyone; we look at how donations could be key to university funding in the UK; we reveal how a Canadian public university is to put a private school on its campus; we look at how private tertiary education is growing globally, UK schools are becoming 'too feminised for boys to do well' and graduates are 'better mothers'; plus, as usual, there is much more.

In this month's Subtext, we look at a proposed Budget funding cut that sees student loan access for thousands under threat; we highlight an OECD report that praises NZ PTEs; we hear from a leading headmaster who says boys learn better in boys' only classes; and from another we find out how good school education is 'more than vocational training'; we find out how PTEs have 'tougher' funding requirements than public institutions; we look at how Budget funding will give more to better-off ECE centres; we do an update of global private tertiary education news; we look at how a cap on ECE fees is 'a cap on quality'; and we look at a new website aiming to boost knowledge of economics in the education sector.

In Subtext this month we look at a report showing private training establishments to be more responsive to the needs of industry than public institutions; we find out that low-income NZ families have less school choice; we look at the Australian education minister's support for vouchers; we find out how to make schools competitive; and look at a scheme giving more funding to high-performing schools; we cover Australia's Labor Party plans for fewer private and state school funding differences, and take a look at the new ITI website; we also look at research showing that the UK loan scheme 'pleases' students; and another that argues that industry training needs more focus on high employment areas; we also find out how Qatar is serious about education reform.

In Subtext this month, find out how: the collapse of a school in Australia is 'damaging' to New Zealand education; a loans scheme for vocational students in Australia is gaining support; NZ families are missing out on choice over integrated schools; govt investment in ECE can boost economy; a mass of research on charter schools finds them a mixed bag; the OECD is again calling for Ireland to introduce tuition fees; two new books argue for new ways to structure teaching; Australian employers are giving the thumbs up to private trainers. Plus much more.

In the first Subtext for 2006: we look at schools built in Sydney in a public-private partnership; we find out how nearly all NZ parents want school choice; you can also read about how '20 free hours' won't help 'the most disadvantaged' preschoolers; how immigrants should get loans to train for work, an Australian govt dept argues; how school zoning may seem fair but in reality it fails, says Auckland Grammar's headmaster; how universities plan to sponsor controversial academies in England; and much much more.

In the final Subtext for 2005, we find out why: several NZ tertiary institutions want to raise fees above the 5 percent legal annual limit; private students are well-placed to get holiday jobs; rankings of university performance are becoming more common; UK parents support 'school choice'; a business skills holiday programme for primary students is popular; performance standards will get best results from ECE; performance pay is making headlines; the no-interest loan policy will mean 'more debt and lower quality education'; more freedom for private education helps the economy; parents should be key decision-makers in ECE; growth in charter schools sees public schools improve; and we show you how you could win an iPod Nano.

In Subtext this month, we find out that the British government plans more freedom for English schools; an Australian business PTE is to set up in NZ; the first national survey of British student satisfaction could cause changes; a PTE is stitching up success for fashion students; Edison schools match or exceed gains of comparable public schools; 'Contract schools' are on the rise around the world; the OECD is praising the UK's tertiary education reforms; there was keen media reaction to Macquarie bank's plans to buy up ECE centres; and we have an opinion piece from Norman LaRocque arguing that now is the time to undo government bias against private education.

In this Spring edition of Subtext, read about: Australia's Macquarie Bank recently investing in NZ early childhood education; skills shortages being industry's biggest problem but solutions complex; spending being 'no guarantee of higher quality education'; Australian govt's Labor opposition dropping support for student unions; private schooling being a significant educator of the world's poor; private after-school tutoring taking off in New Zealand; Hurricane Katrina - a silver lining for New Orleans schools?; taking on debt an increasing practice for world's universities; new studies looking at the effectiveness of charter schools; plus lots more.

In Subtext this month you can read about a nationwide Australian trial of vouchers for reading; we link to a range of summaries and analysis of the education policies on offer this election; we find out that top educationists say the NCEA system is a 'colossal waste of resources'; we look at how Labour's student loan policy is creating debate, as is its '20 free hours' ECE policy extension; we hear from a school leader who says bulk funding liberated his school; we look at a small private school in South Auckland taking in pupils no-one else will take; and we find out how switching to community-based status helped an ECE operation grow.

In Subtext this month, we look at the OECD's calls for reforms throughout the NZ education sector; we find out how education has become one of the hot issues of the election; we highlight some of the discussions from Harvard University economics professor Caroline Hoxby's visit to New Zealand; we hear from a student leader who says a universal student allowance would be a regressive policy; we look at the latest school leaver data showing that private schools continue to perform better than other schools; and we look at New South Wales getting set to issue reports of schools to the public.

In this winter Subtext, we let you know about the latest report from the Education Forum that looks at how to make school choice work; we talk to two busy women who were able to use the flexibility of private training establishment courses to gain valuable qualifications; we find out how a UK professor says student loan schemes are a good option for widening access; we see how school choice is making headlines in the US; and we highlight the visit to New Zealand of eminent Harvard professor and school choice researcher Caroline Hoxby.

In May's Subtext you can: find out about a report saying that performance pay is needed to get the best out of teachers; read about the ongoing debates over bulk-funding; learn about the visit of school choice researcher Caroline Hoxby to NZ; find out about Air NZ's inhouse training; discover that school choice policies are growing throughout the US, as are US for-profit school managers; read our MPs' visions for the future of ECE; plus there's much more from New Zealand and around the world.

In the April edition of Subtext, we look at a hard-hitting study arguing that unless the UK government increases spending on pre-school education and care, efforts to widen participation at university will have little impact; we see how school choice takes centre stage in National's education policy; look at performance pay appearing on the radar in UK and US; find out how education and employment opportunities will raise Maori economic well-being; and look at a voucher scheme finding success for low-income families in Washington DC. Plus, there is lots more good reading.

In this month's Subtext, we highlight an online discussion about the contracting of education services; the strong Maori success in industry training; the three things required for schools to do well with boys; the success of specialist schools in England; a book distilling 17 years of thinking and work from two pioneers of education reform; the soaring number of fee-paying students in both private and public Australian tertiary institutions; the lifted ban on university fees in Germany; and, we have a give-away of two more copies (autographed) of Allan Peachey's controversial new book on New Zealand secondary education. Plus, as usual, there is lots more great reading.

In the first Subtext for 2005, read about three surveys in England indicating that student concern over student loans is not as high as often made out; find out about the new book from outspoken Rangitoto College principal Allan Peachey and see how to win a copy. We have an opinion piece on whether the government's campaign to get parents more involved in their children's education misses the point. We look at the education side of a project working to accelerate Maori economic development. We also profile a successful England-based, not-for-profit organisation providing a wide range of education services around the world. Plus there is much, much more.

In the last Subtext for 2004, we look at how hundreds of private boutique universities and colleges could feature in Australia within a decade; we highlight the latest PISA figures showing New Zealand children dropping to the second tier for numeracy; we celebrate the 'monumental leap forward' of broader ECE subsidies and argue that student loans are a boon for Maori. We also look at research highlighting what makes a good teacher, and at an innovative loan scheme for poor Indian schools; and we hear from an academic who says 'process over content' has weakened secondary education. That's just a taster, there's lots more inside.

In Subtext this month, we look at a big increase in the number of zoned schools over the past five years; we find out that the number of Maori with qualifications is increasing and their qualification levels are getting higher; we discover how British students will soon be able to spend their loans and grants on fees at private universities; and how a voucher scheme for NZ early childhood education is suggested by the OECD. We also profile a company bringing Australian university education to New Zealand and look at how the Philippines government is investing heavily in private education initiatives. But that's not all -- there’s lots more news from New Zealand and around the world.

In October's Subtext, we look at plans by an Australian university to start up in Upper Hutt; we look at three government scholarship schemes that schemes that appear to be vouchers by any other name; we survey highlights from the OECD's 2004 Education at a Glance and report on revelations that officials rejected the government's early childhood funding plans. We also profile the author of a great new collection of journalism on university life; find out why under-funding will mean the end of quality UK universities; and look at the positive impact outsourced tertiary education is having for NZ polytechnics. Plus, as usual, there's much much more.

Subtext in September looks at a new disputes service for private tertiary students; talks to a visiting academic who says rankings are needed in a credible education system and will the NCEA be enough; profiles two developers building private schools in the upper North Island; looks at schemes from Labour governments in the UK and New South Wales promoting selective and specialist schools; previews the launch of education journalist David Cohen's new book; and much more -- from New Zealand and around the globe.

In Subtext this month, we look at a detailed analysis that finds the University Students' Association loan discrimination claim 'contradictory and unsubstantiated'; we find out about an innovative scheme bringing a private school to Taupo and about the UK government's plans to let schools have more say in running their affairs and teaching; we highlight the success of a private organisation training electrical workers; we speak to a specialist who says 'nimble' private providers provide good education systems; and we suggest that with vouchers in the NZ health sector they should be introduced into education; plus there's much much more from New Zealand and around the world.

This month in Subtext we learn about a project to build an online school-comparison tool involving 92,000 public schools across the US. We speak to the maker of a video about choice in early childhood education and we have five copies of the video to give away. We learn about an organisation promoting school choice for low income Hispanic families. We highlight news on tertiary education funding and fees. We hear about a survey that shows parents would choose private schools if they had the money. Plus, there's plenty more news from New Zealand and around the world.

This month in Subtext: we look at why boys and girls are different "from the neck up" and how an innovative, on-line learning programme will assist teenage students back into education; we look at the budget's early childhood education funding plans and a voucher-like scheme for reading tuition in Australia; we hear from early childhood educator representatives who say the Budget gains for early childhood were knocked by 'anti-private-sector bias'; and we find out about a new report that says zoning is a major frustration to NZ parents and another that says that public schools improve under competition from private schools. And there's plenty more in addition to this, online now in Subtext's June edition.

This month we show why a new website profiling the nation's secondary schools should be developed into a school ranking; we hear from a US educator who says we have much to be thankful for in New Zealand education; we speak to Susan Hassall, New Zealand's only female head of a boys' secondary school; find out how PTEs did in the Performance Based Research Fund results released last month; look at increased autonomy for Singapore universities; see how fads may be damaging Australian education; and look at why tax credits are easier to sell as a concept than vouchers are ... and much more.

In this month's Subtext, we look at moves towards public/private partnerships in Australian education; we profile an early childhood conference in Auckland and a school choice conference in Washington to be attended by many of the world's leading education policy scholars; we also profile an astronomy course that is reaching for the stars; we tell the tale of a group of private hairdressing schools and its hair-raising battles with bureaucracy and we look at Denver teachers voting in favour of performance pay; plus much more...

Fee maxima kills the radio stars? Book asks - who should regulate schools. Website shows strong vision for schools. Leading lights debate the school choice issues. Alternative education could be the answer for at-risk students. Canadian Aboriginal school report card - a carrot and a stick. Aristotle's Books book selection.

Government proposals to cancel current student fee protection policies will lead to business failure and destroy thousands of jobs, according to the country's largest English language school industry group.

A British think tank's commission on public service reform says real choice for parents and removal of central control are the only ways to improve education. We look at the arguments put forward by the three-member commission.

School choice: a Subtext special edition. Going Dutch — private education, public finance. Competition won't hurt you! — Swedish report. Brazil pays poor parents to send their children to school. Perspectives on government funding of non-government schools. United States: three more states move towards choice. New Zealand's homegrown voucher scheme a political casualty. Making sense of school choice. Taking a punt on vouchers Colombia-style. Great Danish voucher scheme has all-round support. Want to read more? — Links to school choice information.

High school drop-outs – what do they cost us? Business groups are concerned with new figures from New Zealand and Australia showing the damaging effects of students leaving school early. We look at their concerns.

The Ministry of Education is partnering with iwi around the country to boost Maori academic performance in a scheme that could be a leader for some much-needed accountability from schools. We look at the Ngai Tahu partnership to see how the scheme is working in the South Island.

‘Tax’ a burden on export education - The Government is pushing through a ‘tax’ on export education without industry consultation, some private education providers say. We look at their concerns.

Better pay for better teaching advocated - A key challenge facing teaching around the world is how to attract and retain talented people. We highlight a paper that offers a road-map to achieving this through pay rises and changes to pay structures.