Some reflections on the Christchurch school renewal project Gregory Lee and Howard Lee
Readers of The Press who reside in Christchurch City, the commentators as possible, especially if it is to be employed in Selwyn district, and the Waimakariri district will have received other communities throughout New Zealand subsequently– in their mailboxes (if they can be accessed, because of the albeit, with a tailor made rationale. earthquakes) three brochures from the Ministry of Education, To be fair to the Key Government and to the Minister of in November 2012, February 2013, and in May 2013, each titled Education, the agendas underpinning restructuring or renewal Greater Christchurch Education Renewal. These professionally have not been hidden in the documentation released publicly. produced publications, taken together, are intended to inform They have made it abundantly clear that the earthquakes residents and readers about developments associated with have given rise to a situation where schooling in the greater the National Government’s renewal strategy. People who Christchurch region needed to be looked at closely in order to have studied this literature identify those schools where already may have concluded enrolments have decreased, that the main aim behind There is no doubt that what is to determine where schools the renewal of the education happening presently constitutes one are located presently and system is to enhance schooling to decide whether or not provision and the quality of of the larger scale changes to they should remain in those education delivered in the communities, as well as region’s schools, primarily on schools and schooling in the greater proposing sites where new account of the physical effects Christchurch area for several schools could be established. of the earthquakes on school Not surprisingly any decision buildings and sites, and taking generations at least. to close a school, or to merge into consideration the number it with another institution, of pupils attending schools that have been affected adversely will undergo extensive community scrutiny, as demonstrated in by the succession of earthquakes. Readers could be forgiven the pages of The Press over the last several months. Cantabrians for arriving at such a conclusion, although we wish to suggest should expect nothing less. In this regard it is possible that that there are other–arguably, even more important–factors the Government has underestimated–especially in the earlier to examine under the rubric of ‘school renewal’. There is no stages of the renewal initiative, last year–the extent to which doubt that what is happening presently constitutes one of the many if not all communities have embraced for more than two larger scale changes to schools and schooling in the greater decades the Picot Taskforce’s firm recommendation (which Christchurch area for several generations at least. As a result the remains unchallenged by any government since 1989) that strategy, and its rationale, need close inspection from as many closer school-community relationships ought to be secured
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and maintained nationwide. The fact that communities have was relayed to affected parties merely under the guise of public indeed treated this recommendation seriously post 1989 is consultation, yet some commentators have suggested that shown in the voluminous newspaper correspondence relating while the Minister of Education has (re)considered and is (re) to both interim and final decisions for retaining, closing, or considering documentation provided by the boards of trustees merging individual schools, given that parents and other parties and principals of affected schools, the renewal project–as a broad take great interest in schooling matters in their respective strategy–is set to proceed. Moreover, when certain mantras localities. We believe that this should come as no surprise to the behind the renewal strategy are understood and examined Government, the Minister of clos ely, t he public may Education, and to Ministry of conclude with a greater sense One can imagine the reaction Education officials associated of confidence that the National with the current renewal to these articles of faith from Government is wedded firmly strategy. to a particular orientation T he re is b ou nd to b e teachers who have been worked toward what schools and considerable speculation schooling in Canterbury post assiduously in the region’s many about the degree to which 2013 should look like. government ‘consultation’ with older schools, built in the 1950s, What, t hen, do es t his communities over the school orientation entail? It is one in renewal project was (and is) who are now being told that they are which a succession of mantras real or imagined. While it is are advanced with supreme much more likely to be better true that consultation should, confidence, in the belief that and does, not proceed on the teachers by the mere act of working most if not all Cantabrians assumption that a consensus will absorb and echo them must be achieved, we would in either a modern or a new uncritically and that they will like questions to be posed about embrace their underpinning institution. the perceptions that underpin philosophy enthusiastically. change proposals and regarding For example, in November the extent to which a particular policy is deemed so attractive 2012 the Ministry of Education boldly declared that “renewing to officials that it is highly improbable it will be abandoned, the education sector” offers “a unique opportunity to make either fully or in large part. It is probably too soon to conclude it better by addressing inequality of learning”. Leaving aside that consultation has or has not occurred, or that information the clumsy written expression, the Ministry’s message is unambiguous: only in a modern schooling environment can “new ways of delivering education” be promoted, and only in this environment can “an innovative approach, to do things in new and better ways” be adopted. In addition, a direct connection is made between “[having] access to a good quality education”, placing schools “in the right locations”, the application of “new thinking” about education–schooling, predominantly–and the Your 2014 teacher erection of new schools. One can imagine the reaction to these articles of faith from guide contains teachers who have been worked assiduously in the region’s many information about: older schools, built in the 1950s, who are now being told that 42 exciting new mini they are much more likely to be better teachers–and to be better newspaper topics positioned to address “inequality of learning”–by the mere act of working in either a modern or a new institution. The naivety How you can receive NiE is disturbing in one respect but not in another, depending on topics for free! how one views a schooling mantra(s). There is a predictable but How you can access our unexamined emphasis on establishing “21st century schools” free Activinspire interactive and on “[creating] a 21st century education system for greater whiteboard activities 2014NiEIDE Christchurch”, as if to suggest that anything done in the name TEACHER GU of ‘education’ prior to the year 2000 ought to be jettisoned If you haven’t already AVAILABLE received your free copy of forthwith because it is dated, irrelevant, ‘unimodal’, ‘inflexible’, NOW! our 2014 teacher guide call and–by inference–lacking in quality. It appears that the Ministry, us and we’ll send one out to Minister, and the National Government are more willing to plan you. Alternatively, visit the for the future than to give thought to what is worth preserving teacherzone section of our in and from the present, and perhaps the past. website and download a While thinking about what the future of schools and schooling digital copy: bit.ly/VFRwPi might entail is desirable and, perhaps, necessary, it would be regrettable if it is pursued without consideration of that which To learn more call us on 0800 849 971 is, and has been, worthwhile educationally. That their chosen orientation is unapologetically ‘future focused’ should not come Or e-mail nie@fairfaxmedia.co.nz as a surprise to readers, because ‘the present’–and, certainly, ‘the Order online: www.fairfaxnie.co.nz
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past’–receive minimal attention for the reason that they are seen as being static, lacking in innovation, and antithetical to the now familiar and much overworked ‘moving forward’ discourse. To put the point another way, it has been taken for granted by the Ministry and by the Minister of Education that having “great new facilities” in the “brighter, more modern schools” that are to be built will, by definition, ensure that all children will have “access to good, quality education within a close distance of where they live.” Such thinking deserves careful analysis, because the inference is that without such schools and facilities high quality schooling will be the exception rather than commonplace. In this regard, and in several others, the work of Dr Clarence Beeby, a former Director of New Zealand Education (1940–1960) and an internationally renowned educationist and educational administrator, is especially pertinent. Beeby reminded us that myths in education (e.g., equality of educational opportunity) can have enormous public appeal, when embraced, because they have the power to drive educational change (if not reform) and to secure public acceptance of that change. For this to happen a proposed educational policy must be aspirational, but it need not be attainable. Rather, it can have “approachable goals”, to use Beeby’s wording, a sense of direction and purpose but not prescription, and it can indicate outcomes that are neither always achievable nor predicted with certainty. As a prominent New Zealand educational historian, Professor David McKenzie, has observed a myth must be plausible in order for it to succeed. It has to engage with sufficient numbers of sector interest groups–to appeal to the hearts and minds of teachers, parents, pupils, and other parties–otherwise it will lapse.
We maintain that the present Government and its representatives are using a variety of schooling mantras in the publicity material relating to the educational renewal programme, in the hope that those of us residing in the greater Christchurch area will embrace the sentiments contained in them uncritically. If Cantabrians embrace these mantras, or catchphrases, without interrogation then it is more likely that a succession of new schooling myths will be perpetuated, some of which may have dubious or minimal educational worth. Given the far-reaching nature of the renewal project and its possible adoption nationwide, it is especially important that a large number of citizens take the time to study the Ministry’s brochures diligently, to ask searching questions about the assumptions that underpin them, and to demand comprehensive and intelligent responses from the National Government and from the Ministry of Education. Dr Gregory Lee Professor of Education History and Policy The College of Education The University of Canterbury Private Bag 4800 Christchurch 8140 Dr Howard Lee Professor of Education Policy and History The Institute of Education Massey University Private Bag 11-222 Palmerston North 4442
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