Parents want end to 'chaos' in class

By STUART DYE education reporter


Classroom discipline - or lack of it - is parents' biggest worry, a study of their attitudes to education shows.

From poor to well-off schools, state schools, integrated and private schools, most parents said standards rather than qualifications were their biggest anxiety.

The study, released today by an independent think-tank, the Maxim Institute, found more than three-quarters of parents say discipline concerns them most.

Institute director Paul Henderson said parents recognised the importance of literacy and numeracy, but were more worried that their child should not leave school without moral and ethical values.

"When more than 75 per cent of a cross-section of parents say that they are concerned about discipline in schools then principals, teachers and the Ministry of Education need to listen," said Mr Henderson.

The Maxim Institute, a social research and public policy organisation, commissioned an independent researcher to undertake the study - "A snapshot of what parents think of schooling in New Zealand" - which took a year to compile.

The institute is privately funded and describes itself as independent, but Education Minister Trevor Mallard has labelled it "fundamentalist and right-wing".

Fifty-four parents with 137 children were interviewed in the qualitative study. It will be backed up by more in-depth "quantitative' research this year.

The Maxim study, from focus groups and interviews in Auckland and Christchurch, showed parents considered discipline essential to their children's education. Many felt children missed out because of classroom "chaos and disorder".

Mr Henderson said schools needed to have higher expectations of their students and the confidence and ability to take more effective action to ensure a disciplined environment.

"There needs to be discipline reform if we want to improve levels of literacy and numeracy."

Secondary Principals' Association president Paul Ferris said that while no one wanted to return to corporal punishment, "we have not found the appropriate replacement tools for teachers to instil discipline in a changing society".

Parents and schools needed to work together rather than in conflict to find ways of improving classroom behaviour.