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The Principals’ Federation is questioning the rationale behind a new review of the Education Act.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has released a discussion document she says focuses on raising student achievement.
In its submission, the federation says the document doesn't say what student achievement is, and education professionals already devote their teaching lives to raising children’s aspirations and lifting learning performance.
It says what counts as student achievement is broad based and includes children’s context and their academic, cultural, social and emotional wellbeing.
Ms Parata also says the Act has not been changed in twenty-six years since the launch of the Tomorrow's Schools policy of self-managed schools, but the federation says there have been 79 amendments since 1989, many of them in the last decade.
It says what the reform proposes is already possible under current legislation.
What's excluded is any discussion of national standards, charter schools, the Investing in Education Success policy and the Education Council, all of which the federation want to see reviewed.
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