Newsletter
New Zealand’s classroom behaviour problem
9 October
New Zealand’s classroom behaviour problem: how bad is it and what’s needed to fix it?
The data
- Worst in the OECD. In the latest PISA results, New Zealand had the worst behavioural climate in maths classes of any OECD country.
- Every lesson. Half of teachers deal with students calling out in every lesson (ERO).
- Driving teachers out. Half say behaviour has a large impact on whether they stay in teaching.
- Rules not enforced. One in four say their school’s behaviour policies aren’t applied consistently.
- Not trained for it. 35% of new teachers say they weren’t capable of managing challenging behaviour in their first term (ERO). In the OECD’s latest teacher survey, classroom management was where New Zealand teachers felt least successful.
The politics
ACT’s Disrupt the Class, Leave the Class policy would give teachers a legal power to send seriously or persistently disruptive students to a staffed, supervised space. We understand the appeal, and we know a few husbands who love it. It could be a useful extra tool for teachers. But we think on its own it's too simplistic, and it risks unfairly penalising some children. More on that below.
Labour’s $583 million student loan policy would wipe 10 per cent off graduates’ loans for NZ-based borrowers. We understand the appeal too, and we know a few graduates who love it. But we think it's the wrong part of the system to invest in. It does nothing for children in today's classrooms, or for the teachers trying to teach them. Education money should go where learning is won or lost: early learning centres and classrooms.
Our solution
Something has to change. Discipline matters – and so does understanding the child.
- Rules are rules. Clear, understood and enforced – every time. Every child in the class has the right to learn without constant disruption. One disruptive child doesn't have the right to ruin it for the other twenty-nine.
- Train every teacher in classroom management – and apply it across the whole school. Same expectations, same consequences, in every classroom. The good news: this can be taught. The OECD’s new Teacher Knowledge Survey found teachers with stronger knowledge of how to teach spend more class time teaching, less on discipline, and are less stressed by student behaviour.
- Ask why. Some children are choosing to misbehave – hold them to account. However, others have an unidentified learning difficulty, a communication need or something going on at home. Sending them out won’t fix that.
- Get specialist help in earlier. Tailored to whatever is driving the behaviour, before small problems become entrenched. Right now, four in 10 teachers and half of principals struggle to get timely expert advice.
High expectations. Clear rules. Consistent consequences. Better-trained teachers. Earlier help. That’s what putting kids first looks like.
More policies will land before the election – watch this space. The Parents’ Alliance will back good ideas from any party, and challenge any that don’t put children’s learning first.
Things you can do today
Tell ten people to check out parentsalliance.nz. Share parentsalliance.nz on social media and WhatsApp groups.
Join the Parents’ Alliance facebook, instagram and linkedin pages.
Membership is free, and numbers matter. The more parents standing behind us, the harder it will be to exclude us.
Help fund the work
Joining is free. Running an effective national organisation is not. If you think our advocacy is worth it, please donate today.
Donate to the Parents’ Alliance
Thank you
Thank you for joining us at the beginning. Now, please help us grow. Ask your friends to sign up at www.parentsalliance.nz
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For those of you with school-aged children, congratulations on almost making it through until the end of the holidays!
Until next time,
Cameron Bagrie (Chair) and Anya Zohrab (Executive Director)
The Parents' Alliance Te Kotahitanga o ngā Mātua, Le Lotogatasi o Mātua, 家长联盟, पारिवारिक मंच