The release of National Standards data this week has been a meaningless exercise, writes Peter O'Connor. "The data tells us nothing of the true value and worth of what happens in classrooms on a daily basis."

A top Auckland secondary school has come down hard on a group of drug-taking students.

Low-grade mince is apparently still a staple of university life, with more than a third of students surveyed saying lack of money has affected their diets.

There is a real tragedy in the loss of language diversity as English takes over, placing other languages at risk of extinction, writes Stewart Riddle.

A Northland school principal who took no action against paedophile teacher James Parker, despite police raising serious concerns, has failed to get his job back.

Education Minister Hekia Parata says it is up to her top bureaucrat to decide whether more heads should roll over the Novopay debacle.

Editorial: If education experts are earning their salaries they ought to have devised good, sound techniques for measuring the overall performance of the education system at every level.

Australia has made a concession in its hardline policies denying expatriate New Zealanders access to government support and welfare programmes.

A change of government after the next election would see National Standards scrapped in their current form, says Labour's education spokesman Chris Hipkins.

The president of a principals' association said he was not surprised by new National Standards data that shows Maori, Pasifika and male pupils are performing worse than others.

Education Minister Hekia Parata says the latest National Standards data reveals some concerning trends, including a decline in the rate of achievement as the year level increases, especially in mathematics.

Education Minister Hekia Parata says the latest National Standards data reveals concerning trends, including a decline in the rate of achievement as the year level increases.

Norm Hewitt and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have started a conversation with school students around New Zealand.

The Education Ministry's $41 million proposed year 1-13 super school for Christchurch is set to be funded by the private sector, a document reveals.

The violent death of a Kelston Boys High School student will come as a huge disappointment for a community that has worked hard to raise its boys' achievement.

Children's marks in National Standards will be artificially lowered this year because last year's assessment was too easy.

The Ministry of Education has backed down from forcing a Paeroa school to re-enrol a 10-year-old student who the school says is a threat to staff and other children.

Burglar-proof DNA kits have been donated to every school in the South Island today in a bid to protect school property from thieves.

The Education Minister did not seek to placate the concerns of critics as legislation paving the way for the establishment of charter schools was passed in Parliament.

Overseas student loan holders have been rushing to get in touch with the Inland Revenue Department and restart their loan payments.

Rugby league is tackling violence in its playing community, expanding from small beginnings in a Manukau club.

The first charter school will be open and ready in time for term one next year after controversial legislation was passed in Parliament last night.

Opposition MPs have called on ministers to take responsibility and repeated calls for Education Minister Hekia Parata to resign. Do you have confidence in the Education Minister? Vote here and add your comment.

While the Ministry of Education has admitted it got it wrong on many aspects of the Novopay debacle and apologised for the hurt caused, many principals say the real impact may never be known.

In a perfect world, Hekia Parata would have offered her resignation from her Education portfolio yesterday, writes John Armstrong.

The OECD is urging New Zealand to adopt a deposit insurance scheme to limit depositors' losses in the event of a bank failure.

The kids in Room 19 at Takapuna Normal Intermediate School seem riveted to their chairs as the woman at the front of the class belts out a song that makes the steel rafters ring.