P babies, housing and noisy classrooms cause stand-downs. Made with funding from NZ On Air

Hamilton teachers march for more pay. Made with funding from NZ On Air

As teachers prepare to strike next week, how do we decide what they are worth?

PPTA claims an immediate $242m 15 per cent pay rise plus a $9.5m housing allowance.

Primary teachers and principals will go on strike on August 15.

Nineteen teacher aides, cleaners and other staff will go up to the living wage in January.

Teacher unions say the Budget "reflected hardly any of the needs we identified".

A sixth of teachers say they don't work in a safe social and physical workplace.

More than half of New Zealanders support a pay rise for teachers of at least 10 per cent.

Auckland's primary teacher shortage has hit a new record with 287 vacancies.

Most teachers feel they have been shut out of developing goals for new groups of schools.

Part-time high-school teachers have lodged a pay equity claim for paid preparation time.

Public opinion seems to be narrowly supporting gender-neutral options for school uniforms.

Five state school principals have taken top jobs in private schools in the past two years.

People wanting to become teachers could need to get a post-graduate qualification.

A massive under-spend of more than $330 million for a flagship Government educational policy has been revealed.

Pupils with learning difficulties struggle to get the help they need, despite Government changes to tackle inequity.

A top Auckland school is losing three science teachers as houses become an "unrealistic" goal for many in the profession.

Teachers' unions always insist they are professional bodies serving the interests of education, not just their members.

Schools are struggling to find maths and science teachers, while middle management jobs are going begging as senior staff retire.

A proposed charge on criminal checks will hit poorer school communities hardest, a teacher union says.

A scheme in which millions of taxpayer dollars are spent on sending students to private schools needs to be assessed to see if it is delivering results, an education union says.

National has managed to win praise from many of its usual critics - even the teacher unions - for its latest policy to try to lift student achievement.

Editorial: The charter schools proposal has not been so contentious that the Government would fear its exposure to criticism. Since the critics are mostly busy teachers the legislative calendar might have done them a favour,

Top school tracks student performance with new software.

I have to go to a barbecue this week. This, in itself, isn't exactly newsworthy - even though it may very well be one of the last barbecues of the summer, which is always a poignant little mini-event worth noting.