Globalisation and the New Zealand Numeracy standards: In Pursuit of excellence

Abstract

What do the Olympic movement and education systems internationally have in common? Standards, it seems. The impact of globalisation is manifest in demand-driven education systems that also impose accountability measures on schools, students and teachers in the form of standards. In New Zealand the politically driven imposition of standards for literacy and mathematics was met with widespread concern. From his own experience as writer of the mathematics standards, the author tells the inside story of ethical and practical tensions that surrounded their creation, especially in regard to assessment. Reasons for the strong opposition to standards are given and implications are drawn about the likely future implementation of the standards initiative.