Who do You believe Now?

Students are leaving school with higher qualifications and staying in school longer although 43,000 unexplained absences in the refence week would suggest this isn't quite as stated than a year ago, a new report reveals.
The 2006 School Leaver's Report, released today, reveals that just over a third of Maori students are leaving school with level 2 NCEA or above, while 65 per cent of European students leave with this same qualification. More than 80 per cent of Asian students leave school having attained this level
But the credibility of this qualification is still resulting in schools voting with their feet and increasingly new teachers are having difficulty managing children, which is of course a prerequisite to being able to teach, and not surprisingly ...

Pupils were suspended, stood down or kicked out of school nearly 30,000 times last year, mostly for disobedience, violence and abuse.
Post-Primary Teachers' Association president Robin Duff said the figures supported evidence from teachers that classrooms were becoming more violent. More assistance to manage difficult pupils, smaller classes to help defuse violent situations and effective counselling were needed.
Teachers reserved the right to "withdraw" from dangerous workplaces.
"No person should be expected to stay in a school situation where they were physically threatened. Zero tolerance to all forms of violence is the desirable goal."
Stand-downs - the removal of a pupil from school for up to five days for misbehaviour - accounted for 22,467 cases last year.
Dangerous behaviour jumped by 13 per cent, assaults on pupils by 1 per cent and assaults on teachers by 5 per cent.
Arsons rose by 23 per cent, alcohol offences 42 per cent and vandalism 21 per cent.
Suspensions - which trigger a more formal process that can lead to a pupil's permanent removal - fell slightly to 5008 cases.
Dangerous behaviour rose by 14 per cent, assaults on staff 11 per cent, arson 11 per cent, vandalism 50 per cent and alcohol offences 53 per cent.
Drug offences were down across both groups, as were sexual misconduct and weapons offences.
But disobedience - the single biggest offence - increased. Manawatu-Wanganui and the West Coast had the country's highest stand-down and suspension rates.

And of course parents (and children) are voting with their feet and endeavouring to choose what they consider the best educaion for their children.

How rosy really is rosy??