This is a selection of some of the tweets about John Key’s ‘state of the nation’ speech today – especially about his announced reforms of the education system. The tweets below are in (rough) reverse chronically order – the most recent tweets are first. More will be added. [Read more below]
Labour says yes to offshore drilling, Nats say yes to extra money for education - the race for the middle ground has begun.
I wonder if we need Executive/Change Prime Ministers? To sweep in and 'fix' stuff.
The next step in our plan to raise achievement is to recognise excellent teachers and principals. pic.twitter.com/XqIHl2Eiho
Right Wing Fat Cat @rightwingfatcat
All the pissing & moaning from the left about the education reforms means @johnkeypm probably got it juuuuust right. #newzealand #nzpol
3rd-party endorsements flowing for National's new teacher policy - School Trustees' says it might make 'excellence contagious'
So who did National consult with to write its education policy? The remnants of the Business Roundtable? #nzpol
People have been asking me, "Hekia, what's an expert teacher?" and I've been replying, "I think John Key is Minister for Education now."
Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
Have to admire @JohnKeyPM in taking wind out of @NZLabour 's sails. @HelenClarkUNDP never went so left on education http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/john-keys-bold-step-left-p-150985 …
Patrick Gower @patrickgowernz
#livestream #leakgate I 'm sorry if any offence was caused. #apology Now please stop taking the you-know-what out of me!
Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
Told you @johnkeypm it was #communismbystealth. Not enough that @PPTA supports it. Even @jordantcarter likes it!
After John Key's fishing expedition for the votes of teacher's wallets today, @DavidCunliffeMP better have a bloody good rabbit to pull out!
Cunliffe says Labour plan goes beyond the Nat one. Will also recognise excellent teachers.
Laura McQuillan @mcquillanatorz
Cunliffe confirms there will be an element of financial incentives for teachers in Labour's education policy
awkward orchid @awkward_orchid
every time I see the words 'John Key' with the words 'schools', 'education' &/or 'teachers' I die a little
Jordan McCluskey @JordanMcCluskey
PPTA and Cunliffe cautiously endorse the Schools cash injection. Greens opposed. Top lolz.
Doesn't, like, every study ever show that parent's socioeconomic status is the biggest influence on academic achievement? #rpt
Left is scrambling for reasons to call Nats education policy a Trojan horse. Once they catch up, will Unions fall into line? Interesting.
David Cunliffe calls John Key's state of the nation a 6 page apology for Hekia Parata
If my gut feel is wrong and teachers unions like this new policy, as early reports suggest, then @johnkeypm has pulled off quite a coup.
But seriously, this new education policy is a tacit admission that they've gotten it fucking wrong until now right?
Interviewing various teachers' unions: "I feel quite weird this is so good", says one. "Gamechanger" says another.
The New Zealand Initiative has welcomed new education changes thus ensuring teachers will hate them, just in case they weren't sure...
I'm guessing that the new super-teachers won't be allowed to stay on collective contracts
National 101 How to lift education outcomes - Create more bureaucracy
Lifting school performance, esp. in science, maths, technology, literacy, crucial to give young ppl skills for modern world #betterschools
Key just doesn't get it. Teachers aren't motivated by money, if they were they'd be currency traders or real estate agents. #vocation
let me guess: "Executive Principal" is just a nicer way of saying "Steven Joyce is going to run your kid's school"
Oh! You just increase class sizes, because Expert Teachers can teach 90+ students at once, no probs. Efficiency win! #nationalgovt
What happens when parents want their kids to be taught by 'Expert Teachers' cos that sounds fancy but you've capped the no. that can exist?
Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler
Remember when the right used to talk about firing bad teachers? And the Unions said: no, we need to help them get better? The unions won.
Key's education announcement a formidable foray into Labour-women voters-education union-inequality heartland. #firstreading
Just sold the script for my education policy speech to Hollywood. Working title, "The Wolf of Sesame Street".
Excellent work Mr @johnkeypm - love the teacher reforms, very positive.
What with "executive principals" and "expert teachers" shall we just re-brand pupils as "fee paying interns" and be done with it?
@MacFinlay 'Grade ambassadors'.
> Finlay Macdonald @MacFinlay
@DavidSlack Learning Outcome Resources...
@MacFinlay Learning Outcome System Engagement Resource.
> Finlay Macdonald @MacFinlay
@DavidSlack Human Learning Outcome Skill Set Application and Implementation Resource.
National Party strategy meeting. Problem: Education Solution: Throw money at the top 1% of the sector Next item: Any golfing stories?
Teacher Unions can respond to this policy today by banning members from taking the promotions and pay increases. Hv they got the balls?
Stephen Lethbridge @stephen_tpk
These ed positions are nothing but performance pay in a different hat! A plan so cunning you could stick a tail on it & call it a weasel!
Looks like Key is trying to turn teaching into a business model...
Watchong @johnkeypm state of the nation address at The Auckland Business Club. Well he wouldn't do it at a volunteers or sport club meeting!
No mention of early childhood education by @johnkeypm - guess our littlest learners don't count.
Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
The Ministry of Education will be renamed the Boston Consulting Group, Wellington Office #StateOfTheNachun
New Zealand Snapper @SnapperFishNZ
Elite teachers? Like elite soldiers? Guess Hekia Parata wasn't enough to kill off the NZ education system.
Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
Management consultants for all schools #StateOfTheNachun
Someone plz to be showing Key and Parata The Wire season 4 stat.
No Principal Left Behind
New elite teachers scheme announced today by John Key to be formally called "I played golf with Barack Obama".
Novapay. #RejectedNamesForNewEliteTeacherRoles
In Key's speech I hear: picking out individuals, isolating them from communities, addressing issues narrow-mindedly. Story of this govt.
Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
A step left from free-market philosophy of Tomorrow's Schools. Will @PPTAWeb and @nzei attack anyway? http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-west-auckland-business-club …
#StateoftheNation: isn't taking the best teacher out of your school for 2 days a week pretty disruptive if you're a student that needs help?
And here's another press release, with more on the new teaching roles, co-credited to Hekia Parata - remember her? http://www.beehive.govt.nz/feature/raising-achievement-schools …
CEO/principles to be air-dropped into low decile schools for charter conversions.
Key talked a lot of crap, TV3's Senior Political Reporter was heard to piss live on air, it's been a very bodily function kind of day.
This justifies Eating Media Lunch coming out of retirement RT @reedfleming: TV3 left the mic on as @patrickgowernz went to the bathroom
Next: John Key to improve voter turnout by paying his favourite MPs more!
Jordan McCluskey @JordanMcCluskey
If the PM did nothing on Education "PM leaves kids to rot" When the PM does something "Pointless meddling, wont work" #cantwin
TV3 taking “livestream” to a new level after they left the mic on as @patrickgowernz went to the bathroom. Oops.
Luke Christensen @lukechristensen
The big question is will National Standard results be used to define high quality teachers?
Jordan McCluskey @JordanMcCluskey
Because schools should be left alone even when international testing shows maths, literacy declining. Nothing to see here, just leave it be.
so bunking physics to smoke pot behind the caretaker's shed was a desperate cry for more corporate governance; how did we not see the signs?
Corporatisation of the education system.
Using student learning/achievement to measure teacher effectiveness is like using electorate median incomes to measure MP’s performance.
Somewhere, a Novopay rules engine coder is crying.
Want to lift performance in education? Address inequality. Don't just turn our schools into businesses & expect that will solve the problem.
National sees poor education perfomance as just an issue of education. Until it recognises linkages w other disadvantage we won't see change
I call my education policy "Wall Street not Sesame Street".
Look ah. Az an edukashun ikspurt, it's offvious thet kids are an asset. Thets why I'm selling them off.
Pretty cunning though. Woe betide the Labour government that tries to take away all these new allowances from senior teachers & principals.
Martyn Bradbury @CitizenBomber
Instead of new roles in schools, how about paying the old roles better so these ones aren't needed? This is a solution looking for a problem
Joshua Hitchcock @jcphitchcock
Ok @nzlabour let's see you education policy so we can have a proper debate before Waitangi Day.
Teachers are like executives. Doctors can be stock brokers. Part time probation officer, part time senior policy analyst.
I've got a radical idea: to raise the achievement of poor students, try raising their living standard. That works
I’ve just given my first speech of the year - it sets the scene for 2014 & details a big new investment in education http://www.national.org.nz/Article.aspx?articleId=42956 …
The new executive principal role will be modelled on the function Stephen Joyce performs in cabinet, amirite? #keyspeech
1000 expert teachers? Because until now THE REST OF YOU HAVE BEEN SHIT HOUSE
Expert teachers for schools with one hand, but National cutting requirements for registered teachers for EEC with the other. Urmmm.
Martyn Bradbury @CitizenBomber
This drive for 'educational achievement' is just a false competition model being injected into schools under the guise of better outcomes
Giving executive principals power to appoint expert teachers seems problematic. Also picking out individuals-good for collaboration? Unclear
Jordan McCluskey @JordanMcCluskey
Paramount Leader Key Xiaoping seeks to achieve Four Modernizations in education policy.
Martyn Bradbury @CitizenBomber
A new layer of bureaucracy in education isn't what students need to lift their achievement
Key says will be 1 executive principal for every 10 schools. Did he say would be taken out of schools for up to 2 days a week? Seems a lot.
BREAKING: Under John key's proposal, Executive Principals will have the authority to execute poorly-performing teachers.
Key warns that Labour-Greens want to return NZ to the 1970s welfare state he grew up in and attributes to his success #StateoftheNachun
When John Key talks about "competition" he really means amongst workers and not companies. #stateofthenation #nzpol
Jordan McCluskey @JordanMcCluskey
The Left "Fix Education!" Key "Now we are doing some things to fix education" The Left "Not those things, only the things we like!"
So Key's cunning plan for education is to introduce a new level of highly paid executives?
Martyn Bradbury @CitizenBomber
Key's tone far nicer and less one liner bullshit than he has been in 6 years - National are nervous
Interesting focus by Key on young people&education. Though same old story about how he made it from nothing, therefore others shd make it 2
Julie Anne Genter @JulieAnneGenter
Key: If you vote National, your child too could become a multimillionaire through currency trading. If they work hard & deserve it.
Roisin Bennett @RoisinMBennett
John Key's up bring story... vomit!!! Along with his narrow understanding of the reproductive nature of the education system.. double vomit!
PM talking about introducing Change Principals to schools ti turn around struggling schools. Would be paid $50K extra p/a
> Thomas Beagle @thomasbeagle
@felixmarwick I just don't understand this theory - will principals magically work harder/better if paid $50k/year more?
Key focusing a lot of attention on opposition's electricity market plans, emissions trading scheme, employment law, higher taxes ...
Not sure but I think the PM just asked me to instill an uncertain world.
Jordan McCluskey @JordanMcCluskey
"The Prime Minister is to give the 350 teachers who vote National, $1 Million each"
Impressions of Key's speech so far: focus on confidence&optimism, achievements, keeping NZ going in the same direction, "everyday NZers" ...
My education policy is much like all my other policies. Fuck anyone who doesn't turn up in an executive car.
So far, John Key has served the crowd generous portions of pork pie. #stateofthenation #nzpol
Martyn Bradbury @CitizenBomber
Which country is John Key talking about at the moment?
Speech stats: Approx 20 minutes, approx 2000 words, approx 11 intact vowels.
BREAKING: Prime Minister John Key announces major overhaul of teaching system, including a $350 million carrot to top teachers & principals
Govt will spend $359m over 4 years on 4 new roles for 6270 top principals and teachers who will work across groups of schools.
I know what the State of the Nation is: Sunny. Didn't even have to watch Key's address.
Patrick Gower @patrickgowernz
John Key starts election year lolly scramble by dishing out pay rises for 6275 selected teachers and principals.
John Key to make his state of the nation, or poorly read auto-cue in monotone while grinning.
Key sounds like he is just reading out a list of words.
John Key announces new roles in schools: 'executive principal', 'expert teacher', 'lead teacher', and 'change principal'
4.5 seconds - how far John Key got into speech before reference to golf with Obama.
Watching live streams of political speeches is normal, right? #politicstragic
I've long said that what schools are crying out for are CEO's and to be floated on the stock market.
Be patient; Key is working the room because he's there as an attraction at a fundraiser. Those people paid $90 to be worked by Key.
