Darcy Moore is Deputy Principal of a local high school, an English teacher and a very well-informed practitioner of technology in education. Today he is justifiably annoyed.
Many critics of the laptop rollout do not understand the the DER NSW scheme was the greatest equity policy in the last 20 years in education. Kids got opportunity and many flourished. This rollout also gave state schools a welcome boost in the eyes of parents. It certainly was not perfect but vastly improved opportunities for pedagogy and gave us a sense of forward motion. There were some teachers and schools that could have engaged more fully with the program but overall, the chalkboards disappeared.
I rarely feel angry or frustrated knowing that life is far too short for such emotions. One just needs to get on with it. However, last year, I became very angry after discovering that the ‘savage’ budget cuts in education made to balance the inevitable ‘black holes’ newly elected governments need not have occurred as there was an ‘accounting error’. Actually, 2011 had a moment of disbelief at the federal budget, then anger too which has not subsided. The results really make it difficult for school leaders and teachers to operate as effectively as we might.
In short:
1. Schools in NSW have had funding slashed at the moment a respected panel of educators advised government to provide significantly higher levels of support for those doing ‘the heavy lifting’.
2. The federal government agreed with Mr Gonski and panel but have not detailed funding arrangements for the states.
3. The federal government has ended funding for laptops and support that commenced in 2008.
4. State schools are unable to plan for their technology needs in 2014 due to lack of funding, political and leadership direction on this issue of fundamental importance.
5. A policy of Local Schools Local Decisions is increasingly being reported as in disarray by the media at the very moment when our schools need to plan in the face of change and implement sound ideas quickly.
It feels very bad to stand in front of hundreds of kids and their parents and say this is the last rollout of Year 9 laptops and there is no plan – at any level of our organisation, state or federal government – to sustain this or introduce improved technology in 2014 that I can share with you at this stage.
How can this be?
Read the rest:
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A student view.
Neil's Commonplace Book 