1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,320
Speaker 1: So we've got the NCA corequisite pass rates from last year.

2
00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,880
Speaker 1: They're still a bit better, or they're a little bit better,

3
00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:08,480
Speaker 1: but they're still not flash. These are the exams, by

4
00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:10,680
Speaker 1: the way, that students must pass in order to win

5
00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,720
Speaker 1: to pass their year level. Last year, fifty seven percent

6
00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,400
Speaker 1: of students past maths. That's up from forty five percent,

7
00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,080
Speaker 1: sixty one past reading that's up from fifty eight percent,

8
00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,880
Speaker 1: and fifty writing stade roughly the same fifty five percent.

9
00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,720
Speaker 1: Eric of Stanford is the Education Minister morning Erica coome

10
00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,000
Speaker 1: on a what do you reckon is causing this improvement?

11
00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,400
Speaker 2: Well, we've got a real focus on teaching the basics brilliantly.

12
00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:39,440
Speaker 2: These are the basics, and I've asked schools to make

13
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,200
Speaker 2: sure that they're focusing on those basics an hour a day,

14
00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,000
Speaker 2: getting rid of cell phones, making sure that we're teaching

15
00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,120
Speaker 2: a world leading curriculum. We did put a bit of

16
00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:49,640
Speaker 2: funding in last year to help schools those schools that

17
00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,120
Speaker 2: we identified with the greatest number of students who needed support,

18
00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,639
Speaker 2: but really this has been schools and principles and teachers

19
00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:00,560
Speaker 2: who have really done some huge heavy lift in the

20
00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,520
Speaker 2: last year to get these kids across the line, and

21
00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,360
Speaker 2: I know that the results are still I've got a

22
00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,559
Speaker 2: long way to go, but man, those maths results have skyrocket,

23
00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,560
Speaker 2: and I'm extraordinarily proud of our teachers for the work

24
00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:13,160
Speaker 2: they've done and the kids for the work they've put on.

25
00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,280
Speaker 1: The teaching the basics brilliantly. Thing is a fair point,

26
00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,640
Speaker 1: But that is really at primary school, isn't it. And

27
00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:19,479
Speaker 1: there hasn't been enough time for this to filter through

28
00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,600
Speaker 1: all the way to the upper levels of secondary school.

29
00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,280
Speaker 1: So is this more likely just an expectation thing and

30
00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:26,600
Speaker 1: are getting used to the corequisite?

31
00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,240
Speaker 2: Look, it's probably a little bit, but I think the

32
00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,280
Speaker 2: biggest the biggest contributor is the teachers who have put

33
00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:36,520
Speaker 2: in a huge amount of effort. I was chatting with

34
00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,800
Speaker 2: some of the members of the Spans Secondary School Principals

35
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,960
Speaker 2: Association last night and they said to me, it is

36
00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,880
Speaker 2: the teachers who have moved heaven and Earth in the

37
00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,920
Speaker 2: last year since this has become compulsory. Last year was

38
00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,120
Speaker 2: the first year and because of the government's mandate, you know,

39
00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,600
Speaker 2: we want everybody to be improving achievement. We are focused

40
00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,480
Speaker 2: on literacy and numerous in maths like no government has

41
00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,360
Speaker 2: ever been before to this level, and they've really up

42
00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:07,840
Speaker 2: their game and that has been made the difference.

43
00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:09,880
Speaker 1: Hey, but what we do, What do we do about

44
00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,920
Speaker 1: these lower DEAs our schools. Thirty four percent passing maths

45
00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:14,560
Speaker 1: is really quite worrying.

46
00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:17,720
Speaker 2: Well, there's a couple of things. As you've mentioned, our

47
00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,320
Speaker 2: focus hugely is on primary and intermediate with our brand

48
00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,760
Speaker 2: new year by year knowledge rich curriculum, with our professional

49
00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:26,880
Speaker 2: learning and development that's going into teachers, the eight hundred

50
00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:29,720
Speaker 2: and sixty thousand maths books and textbooks and workbooks and

51
00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,079
Speaker 2: teacher guides we sent out last year structured literacy being mandated,

52
00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,200
Speaker 2: that will start to filter throw. It's already having results.

53
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,359
Speaker 2: It will start to filter through. In the meantime, though,

54
00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,400
Speaker 2: I've got this cohort of children who are in upper

55
00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,360
Speaker 2: primary and intermediate, which is why we did the maths trial.

56
00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,000
Speaker 2: We did four times a week tutoring of our intermediate

57
00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,520
Speaker 2: kids with maths. Next year that goes out to thirty

58
00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,360
Speaker 2: four thousand kids, so we know we've got this group

59
00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,120
Speaker 2: in the middle. We've got to put a huge amount

60
00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,480
Speaker 2: of resource in. We put that in the budget so

61
00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,519
Speaker 2: we will wrap support around them. Now that that low

62
00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,399
Speaker 2: dear soul figure. That's what keeps me going every single day.

63
00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,800
Speaker 2: Those young people need an education to change their lives,

64
00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,240
Speaker 2: and when they walk into their local school, they need

65
00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,880
Speaker 2: to be getting the best education. That's why we're getting

66
00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,680
Speaker 2: this consistency across the board with the curriculum, the way

67
00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:20,400
Speaker 2: that we teach, the professional learning and development, the resources.

68
00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,560
Speaker 2: Doesn't matter which school you walk into these days, it

69
00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,320
Speaker 2: is the same level of education and that's what we're

70
00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,120
Speaker 2: focused on those kids to make sure we change their lives.

71
00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,480
Speaker 1: Hey, so about a month ago you hosted Sir Nick

72
00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,000
Speaker 1: Gibb in the country. Now, Surnick Gibb is obviously the

73
00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,120
Speaker 1: chap who turned education around much in the same way

74
00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:37,720
Speaker 1: as you're trying to do, but for the UK a

75
00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:39,800
Speaker 1: few you know, a couple of decades back. Did he

76
00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:41,520
Speaker 1: teach you anything you didn't know.

77
00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,880
Speaker 2: He did? He's been an excellent mentor. Funnily enough, we

78
00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,720
Speaker 2: read the same book on holiday that changed our perspective

79
00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,720
Speaker 2: on education. What's that years apart? It's called The Schools

80
00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:55,720
Speaker 2: We Need and Why we Don't Have Them? By Edie

81
00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,120
Speaker 2: Hirshe's American, he's ninety seven. We both just went to

82
00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,119
Speaker 2: Florida recently to meet him speak at one of his conferences.

83
00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:06,240
Speaker 2: Keynoting one of his conferences, the thing that I suppose

84
00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,320
Speaker 2: Nick taught me was that the changes that I'm putting

85
00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,040
Speaker 2: in place, I know will make a difference because I've

86
00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,680
Speaker 2: worked there, they've worked in other countries. But the thing

87
00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:16,760
Speaker 2: that Nick told me when I talked to him, he

88
00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:21,040
Speaker 2: said to me, never give up and never compromise. Keep going. Now.

89
00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:23,760
Speaker 2: I remember a year ago when people were putting a

90
00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:25,000
Speaker 2: lot of pressure on me to get rid of the

91
00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,839
Speaker 2: correquisites because it was meaning that young people may not

92
00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,080
Speaker 2: get there n CEA, and I held my ground and said, no,

93
00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,960
Speaker 2: we're not lowering the level. We're not getting rid of it.

94
00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,839
Speaker 2: These young people need to be literate and numerate and

95
00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:39,560
Speaker 2: we will do whatever it takes. And we are doing that.

96
00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,040
Speaker 1: Good stuff, Erica, Thanks for your time, Erica, Stanford Education Minister.

97
00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:44,120
Speaker 1: If you want to know the name of the book,

98
00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,960
Speaker 1: the book is the schools we need and why we

99
00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:48,760
Speaker 1: don't have them. I think we're all going to probably

100
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,280
Speaker 1: go and have a read of that if we have kids.

101
00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,680
Speaker 1: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to

102
00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,839
Speaker 1: news talks. They'd be from six am weekdays or follow

103
00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,400
Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio