How did we achieve this stunning result?
Unfortunately I cannot give you a single, silver bullet answer. It is the cumulative result of ten years' worth of investment in these young people which has involved two fantastic staff, a high quality mentoring programme, a structured after school homework programme staffed by volunteer student tutors, and a commitment from a range of outsiders to achieving a successful outcome for these youngsters. A speech I gave at a TEDx event in Auckland in 2009 provides more detail on the programme and the issues it's addressing.
While we have achieved these results by working largely outside the school system, we knew we could have a bigger and faster impact if we were in the classroom, not just focused on the after school time. We have met many wonderful teachers and principals in our ten year journey to date, but we have also observed many sub-optimal teaching styles and personalities, as well as school processes that are designed to steer certain students away from academic courses.
I'd noticed that many of the I Have a Dream sponsors in the US had gone on to found charter schools after their projects ended, so I recently visited some of them in New York, as well as the state regulator of the NY charter school system. What most of the columnists, commentators, bloggers, etc. have missed is that the US is not one education system but 50. Every state regulates charter schools differently, and this is what accounts for the widely varying results that are quickly pounced on as evidence of their failure.
What I found in New York were charter schools that were over delivering on every metric. Students were engaged in their learning, teachers were highly motivated and passionate and the system was delivering results that were truly outstanding. Also, they do not cherry pick their students - in fact, the Democracy Prep charter school enrols more Special Ed kids than any NY school (20 per cent of their students!).
It would be preferable to work inside NZ's already highly ranked education system to bring further improvements, but there are structural impediments to doing so.
So I am a strong proponent of charter schools and other worthwhile innovations in the education sector, such as Teach First NZ. However, I do not want to see them implemented in a hurried, un-researched and unregulated way. What we have seen with the finance companies, and indeed with the entire GFC, is that uncontrolled market forces are a recipe for disaster. Nor do I see this as a Trojan horse for privatisation of education.
No business people that I know see education as a profit-rich opportunity. It's a common misconception that charter schools are established for profit. They're not. They are funded to break even at best. No one is talking about a profit motive here.
I do, however, know many business leaders who have committed serious time and money to improving public education in NZ. People like Tony Falkenstein who established the Onehunga Business High School; Peter Maire who sponsored the science building for Rosmini High School; Steven Carden who founded the First Foundation Project; and then there are the millions that Sir Stephen Tindall has spent on education initiatives through his Foundation. Also, companies such as Mainfreight have been active supporters of local education initiatives.
In conclusion, can we please have more civilised debate on the issues, not the ideology, especially when it comes to improving NZ's educational outcomes. After all, this is the only way that we're ever going to be able to build a Knowledge Society, to create and grow innovative companies which can offer good jobs to our kids, and to generate the kind of wealth that can fund our admirably progressive society. No system is perfect, but there is plenty that can be done to improve the current system.
* Scott Gilmour is an IT entrepreneur, a professional director and the Project Sponsor of the I Have a Dream programme in Mt Roskill.
