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It was great, today, to see so many coalition MPs, including the Prime Minister, turn up in the Beehive's grounds today to hear and acknowledge why NZEI members were striking.
Chris Hipkins spoke eloquently about his understanding of the issues, agreeing that more must be done for students with special educational needs and that staff workload and retention issues must be addressed, and for that we were very thankful.
And we understand that not everything can be addressed at once. We get that this government inherited a cesspool of bad policies from National and ACT. We know the pot of money is not bottomless. But we also know we are in dire straits right now. That the issues are happening all around us, and there is no time to waste.
So, whilst we are very glad this government treats education staff with respect and genuinely seem to listen to us, we need more than just sympathy; We need action.
Before it's too late.
National's support for reinstating the American charter school model shows not only that the privatisation bias that Bill English pursued over recent years is alive and well, but also that they are struggling to develop sound Education policy.
As far back as the 2008 general election, National committed to "increasing educational choices". But everyone knows that the phrase "School Choice" was first coined by economist Milton Friedman and is the code used to drive the privatisation movement in the USA. The pure form of the privatised market model is vouchers, but in practice the charter school model has been adopted as the most practical privatisation route in most States.
The irony is that there is a wide variety of choice already available in the New Zealand public education system. One leading American commentator, writing in the Washington Post, made the remark that "…the most aggressive school choice system in the world is probably New Zealand".
Surveys over many years by the NZ Council for Educational Research confirm that around 90% or more of New Zealand parents feel they send their child to the school of their choice. This high degree of satisfaction with choices available is underpinned by the variety of schooling options available, both within the State system and across the State-Integrated model.
Every State and State-Integrated school is governed by a parent-elected Board of Trustees, under a charter, the defining document that sets out the school community's Vision and Values. It is this inconvenient fact that requires "charter schools" to be called something different in New Zealand!
The State system includes the set of schools operating as Kura Kaupapa, under s. 155, and the set of Designated Character schools under s. 156. These schools are complemented by over 330 State-Integrated schools, with religious character, such as Christian values or even Muslim values, as well as a variety of teaching philosophies, such as Montessori or Rudolf Steiner.
Indeed, anyone who tries to claim that New Zealand has a "one-size-fits-all" public education system is either very poorly informed of the variety of options available or is being deliberately misleading.
As a former Minister of Education, Nikki Kaye knows this only too well. So, we can conclude from this release that she has just nailed her colours to the mast of the privatisation movement.
National hid behind the ACT Party first time around and needed the support of the Maori Party to get the initial charter model legislation through the House. The convenient marriage of the ideology of privatisation and the ideology of self-determination was therefore born.
Given that the formal evaluation of the charter school model, carried out by Martin Jenkins, failed to draw any genuine conclusions as to the impact of the model to date, National is clutching at straws to claim that the model has already proven to be successful.
And we know from the financial statements of the Sponsors that this has been a lucrative business for them to enter. Bill English rushed to change the funding model after only one year but the first and second round school Sponsors have scored well out of the policy and away from the watchful eye of the Auditor-General.
No wonder they don't want to let it go!
Labour has launched several reviews across multiple fronts to try and get to grips with the challenges of reinvigorating the New Zealand public education system after 9 years of flawed policies, such as National Standards.
It is early days yet but National's knee-jerk reaction to bring back an American model that doesn't even work there reveals how shallow National's approach to developing Education policy is proving to be.
– Bill Courtney, Save Our Schools NZ
I'll be honest, when it comes to education policy, I'm not enthralled with everything the Labour coalition government's done so far.
In particular, I'm more than a bit annoyed about the piddling increase in schools' ops budgets, and don't get me started on not reinstating 100% trained teachers to Early Childhood Education (ECE). And the increase to Ongoing Resource Scheme (ORS) funding doesn't cover the full need out there, Teacher Aides are still being paid out of the operations budget (competing against the power bill and the money for loo rolls), and the teacher pay offer is galling. Very galling. But it would be madness to say this government isn't an improvement on what we had for the last nine years.
Already this government in the process of getting rid of two of the hugest bones of contention for so many in the education sector – National Standards and Charter Schools. As soon as the government was formed, the announcements were made, and it's moving as fast as the wheels of Government allow given that changes to the Education Act are needed.
The government's also reviewing Tomorrow's Schools to see if it's fit for purpose, and looking at NCEA for the same reason, including inviting feedback from the education sector and the wider community. And school funding is being reviewed, too, to see if there are better ways than the current decile system, which everyone agreed for years is a blunt instrument but nobody had yet replaced. So they've acknowledged that changes may well be needed and they're seeking feedback – this I like.
It also matters that the current Education Minister, Chris Hipkins, and the Associate Education Minister, Tracey Martin, both speak about teachers with respect. It seems like such a small thing, but after almost a decade of vitriol, it's needed and it's so very, very welcome.
So, yes, there's a lot more to do, and we are entitled to gnash and wail about the pace and the bits not yet addressed. And we absolutely should continue to watch every move and hold our Ministers to account. But to say nothing's changed would be wrong. It's not perfect, but it's better than what we had for almost a decade.
As Rita Pierson might have said, we ain't there yet, but we're on the road.
SOSNZ surveyed New Zealand teachers about the amount of their own money they spend on school supplies, and the results are astonishing.
In reply to the question "Have you ever spent your own money buying supplies for your own class?", 100% of respondents said yes.
A huge 86% of teachers said they have spent their own money on supplies every year they have worked, an additional 12% said they have spent their own money most years, and 2% said they had done it a few years. Nobody said they had never done so.
In short, NZ teachers are propping up the school system with their own money.
The survey asked "How much do you estimate you have spent on essential work supplies over your entire teaching career?", and a stunning 32% of teachers responded that they have spent over five thousand dollars of their own money so far. $5000! That's a significant sum, especially when we consider the large proportion of teachers that don't stay in the job for more than 5 years.
A total of 69% said in their teaching careers they have so far spent over $1000, 19% said it was $501-$1000, 10% said $101-$500, and one lucky respondent said they had spent 'only' $1-$100. All respondents had spent something.
When asked what they had spent on supplies this year alone (bearing in mind we have only had around 14 school weeks so far), 65% of teachers have spent between $100 and $500. A lucky 4% had spent nothing, and 24% up to $100. But a worrying 4% have spent $501-$1000 and an alarming 2% have spent over a thousand dollars.
Respondents were asked to "Tick all of the things you have spent your own money purchasing for any school while you were employed there". According to their responses:
93% bought small in-class storage (e.g. tubs, buckets, containers)
91% bought display materials (e.g. borders, background materials, pegs, clips, etc)
88% bought baking and cooking supplies for student use
87% bought pens and pencils for students, and 85% bought them for their own use
Over 80% bought highlighters/vivids/board pens for their own use, posters for display, and maths supplies such as games, dice, cubes, flashcards, clocks, measuring jugs etc.
74% had bought reading books for their classroom, and 74% had bought art supplies. Purchases for topic studies also came in at 74%.
Almost three quarters of teachers are buying modelling books for group and whole-class activities, and over half of teachers have bought students workbooks.
In addition to own-class supplies, 45% of teachers responded that they had spent their own money on supplies for the wider school – e.g. for the library, office, copier room or resource room.
This is a breakdown of all responses:
Pens/pencils for students' use
Pens/pencils for your own use
Rulers/glue sticks for students' use
Rulers/glue sticks for your own use
Highlighters/vivids for students' use
Highlighters/vivids/board pens for own use
Work books for students' use
Teacher modelling books
Display materials (e.g. borders, background materials, pegs, clips, etc)
Posters for display
Art supplies (e.g. felt tips, crayons, jovis, pastels, paints, paint pots, brushes, glue, craft materials etc )
Small in-class storage (e.g. tubs, buckets, containers)
Large in-class or office storage (e.g. filing systems, cupboards, shelves, drawers)
Soft furnishings (e.g. cushions, rugs, curtains etc)
Seating (e.g. seating pads, chairs, sofas, beanbags etc)
Maths supplies (e.g. games, dice, cubes, flashcards, clocks, measuring jugs etc)
Topic-specific supplies
Cookery/Baking supplies
Te Reo supplies
Reading books (fiction, non-fiction, reference)
The above figures show that teachers are even buying furniture for their classrooms.
Just over 50% said they had bought large in-class or work office storage such as filing systems, cupboards, shelves, and drawers. 66% had also bought soft furnishings such as cushions, rugs and curtains, and almost 50% said they had bought seating such as seating pads, chairs, sofas, beanbags for their classrooms.
It's alarming that so many teachers are having to buy their own essential work-space furniture. Does Ministry account for teachers' administrative needs when new classrooms are designed? Are insufficient operational budgets being propped up by teachers' own funds? What's going on?
The final question in this short survey asked teachers to rate on a sliding scale how they felt about paying for these supplies. The scale was:
(0) Don't mind at all ——————————————————— It infuriates me (100)
The mean average response was 61 points showing a large level of dissatisfaction with this situation overall, but there was quite a range in the responses: Ten percent said they don't mind at all (responding 0 or 1), whilst 18% were infuriated (responding 90-100). Of the 18% that were most infuriated, 8% responded 100, the maximum option.
The SOSNZ survey didn't ask how long the respondents had been in the profession, but it would be interesting to look into whether there is a link between yearly spend and length of service. My suspicion is that new teachers (that are paid the least) are spending most. If that's the case, it could be a contributing factor in overall job dissatisfaction. This is an important consideration given most teachers leave the profession within the first five years, and may be worth further and deeper investigation.
Teachers are clearly spending significant amounts of money propping up our education system in order to give students what they need in class and to have adequate supplies for themselves, and have been doing so for quite some time. Some overseas teachers responded to this phenomena by removing from their classrooms everything they had paid for, with startling results. I wonder, New Zealand, what would our classrooms look like if we did the same?
The ACT Party's ideological bent for privatisation is clear when David Seymour talks about the government's decision to "take school choice away" from kids if his charter school model is abolished.
But the New Zealand system already has a remarkable variety of options available without the need to privatise the provision of public education.
US commentator, Marc Tucker, had this to say on "school choice" in an article that appeared in the Washington Post, in October 2012:
"The country with the most aggressive school choice system in the world is probably New Zealand"
And that was before we introduced the charter school ideology!
Mr Seymour might also want to check the views of parents a bit more widely than asking the National Party pollster, David Farrar, to run a poll for him.
Regular surveys of New Zealand parents carried out by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER), have consistently found that around 90% of both primary school and secondary school parents state that their child is attending the school of their choice.
And these numbers have hardly changed over the 25 years or so that NZCER has run these surveys.
Most New Zealanders understand that the phrase "School Choice" was used by Milton Friedman to advocate for the privatised, market model of education provision that he believed should replace the institution of public education.
Fortunately, the vast majority of New Zealand families do not support either the ACT Party or its ideology.
~ Bill Courtney, SOSNZ
Further reading:
Parent and whānau perspectives on their child's schooling: Findings from the NZCER national survey of primary and intermediate schools 2016, by Linda Bonne and Eliza Stevens
David Seymour needs a reality check if he thinks that charter schools are not in trouble overseas.
Here is how Save Our Schools sees some of the key evidence:
1. Professor John Hattie, in his quantitative studies, ranks charter schools at number 183 out of the 195 policy interventions that he examined in his paper "The Politics of Distraction".
Hattie based his analysis on no less than 246 studies and concluded that within a year or so, the "different" school becomes just another school, with all the usual issues that confront all schools.
2. Popular support for charter schools is falling in the United States. A nationwide poll conducted by the "Education Next" magazine, published by Stanford University, found that public support for charter schools has fallen by 12 percentage points, with similar drops evident among both self-described Republicans and self-described Democrats.
3. The experience in New Orleans is that the locals do not believe that the charter school miracle has worked for them. This editorial by the African American newspaper, the New Orleans Tribune, in November 2017 doesn't pull any punches:
"It's been 12 years since our schools were hijacked. And 12 years later, many of them are performing just as poorly as they were before they were stolen. To learn that charter operators set up goals they knew were unattainable just to get their charters approved and their hands on public money and facilities is indefensible. Unless and until these pilfering reformers are ready to admit what they did and that it was wrong and then actually return public schools to real local control without charter organizations and unelected boards that come with them under the current model of return anything else they have to say sounds pretty much like sounding brass and tinkling cymbals—a whole bunch of noise."
4. David Seymour mentions the CREDO studies but fails to mention their main finding.
In the CREDO 2013 nationwide study, less than one hundredth of one percent of the variation in test performance is explainable by charter school enrolment. Specifically, students in charter schools were estimated to score approximately 0.01 standard deviations higher on reading tests and 0.005 standard deviations lower on math tests than their peers in traditional public schools. "With a very large sample size, nearly any effect will be statistically significant," the reviewers, Maul and McClelland, conclude, "but in practical terms these effects are so small as to be regarded, without hyperbole, as trivial."
The reality is simple: there is no genuine educational merit in the charter school model. As John Hattie observes, "these new forms of schools usually start with fanfare, with self-selected staff (and sometime selected students) and are sought by parents who want "something better". But the long-term effects lead to no differences when compared with public schools."
~ Bill Courtney, SOSNZ
Nikki Kaye has taken the early lead in the "You must be joking" stakes with her ridiculous press release calling for transparency on charter schools.
Nikki Kaye and her government played an active role in holding back information during her time in office. She is in danger of becoming the hypocrite of the year as she now calls for transparency. And, just for good measure, she is supposedly now worried about the cost to the taxpayer of dealing with the mess that she has left behind!
A few fact checkers may be in order here:
• The charter school model does not have a proven track record as Ms Kaye claims. See our release on the poor School Leavers stats across the model as a whole, which shows charter schools underperforming the system-wide benchmarks used by the government.
• In particular, the charter school sector results are below those of both Decile 3 schools and those for Māori students across the NZ school system.
• Ms Kaye delayed the release of the second Martin Jenkins evaluation report from late 2016 until June 2017. Furthermore, the report could not discuss the true level of student achievement given the problems the Ministry of Education had uncovered in how the schools had incorrectly reported their School Leavers results.
• Ms Kaye took until June 2017 to finally release her decisions on the performance-related funding for the 2015 school year. That's right – it took 18 months to evaluate only 9 schools and then she fudged the decisions on 3 of those schools.
• As for the new schools that were announced to open in 2018 and 2019, Nikki Kaye takes the cake with these. Not one single piece of official information on any of these 6 proposed schools has yet been released. When the Third Round schools were announced in August 2016, the supporting documentation, including the signed contracts, was released that afternoon.
• The biggest concern we have is how much taxpayer money has already been paid to the Sponsors of the 6 proposed schools and is this recoverable? In the early rounds, the Sponsors received the one-off Establishment Payments within 20 days of signing their contracts. So, Nikki, how much taxpayer money have you wasted?
~ Bill Courtney, SOSNZ
The 2016 School Leavers statistics paint a grim picture for charter school supporters. Figures just released by the Ministry of Education show that only 59.7% of charter school leavers left with NCEA L2 or above in 2016.
This compares to a system-wide figure of 80.3% across all schools within the system in 2016. Looking more closely at specific groups, the system-level result for Decile 3 schools was 74.3% and for Maori students, across all deciles, it was 66.5%.
The School Leavers metric is used as the performance standard in the charter school contracts. Former Minister of Education, Hekia Parata, made her intentions clear when she said:
"There is to be no compromise on the system level benchmarks". Source: Hand-written comment from the Minister on a Ministry of Education paper, dated 24 May 2013
The decile 3 system-level result for 2012 had been used as the baseline for the charter schools in their first year, i.e. 66.9% for the 2014 year. The contracts then set out a series of performance standards for subsequent years, culminating in the target of 85% of School Leavers attaining NCEA Level 2 or above by 2017.
[There were no contract performance standards set above NCEA Level 2. The contracts for primary and middle schools are based on performance standards using National Standards for years 1 to 8].
But worryingly, even this poor performance masks a weak set of results overall. There were 124 School Leavers from charter schools in 2016 and this is the breakdown of the highest qualification they left school with:
Below Level 1 – 25 students, 20.2%
Level 1 – 25 students, 20.2%
Level 2 – 45 students, 36.3%
Level 3 – 14 students, 11.3%
University Entrance (UE) – 15 students, 12.1%
Given the hype around charter schools, it is disappointing to see that 20.2% of students left school in 2016 without even attaining NCEA Level 1.
And at the top end, numbers above Level 2 fall away quite markedly.
The proportion of School Leavers attaining NCEA Level 3 or above, for example, was 23.4% compared to 53.9% for the system as a whole. UE attainment is low, with a mere 15 students, or only 12.1% of School Leavers, attaining UE, compared to a system-wide figure of 40.7%.
As we await this year's Ministry of Education evaluation of the charter schools, we are minded to note Hekia's comment from 2013. Clearly, the New Zealand model of charter school is currently not achieving at anywhere near the system-level benchmarks that have been set for it.
Further Resources:
SOSNZ's 2017 Charter School Secondary School Achievement 2014-2016 report can be viewed here.
SOSNZ's 2017 Charter School Rolls (2016) Report can be viewed here.
1. The introduction of charter schools is both a sop to the ACT Party, with their ideological desire to introduce a privatised, market based model of education, and a follow up to the Step Change Report produced in the term of the previous National Government. [Feb 2010]
2. However, there are significant differences between vouchers, the pure market model usually promoted by ACT, and charter schools, which is privatisation by way of contracting with private sector providers. Treasury calls this "Contracting for Outcomes".
3. Treasury, in its advice to the Minister of Finance, noted that: "The evidence suggests that schooling systems that use strongly competitive elements such as vouchers, avoiding school zoning and 'charter' schools do not produce systematically better outcomes." [July 2012]
4. "School Choice" is the phrase used in America to describe the market model. But New Zealand already has "arguably the most aggressive school choice system in the world" in the view of one overseas commentator. [Marc Tucker, Washington Post, October 2012]
5. NZCER surveys over the years consistently show that the vast majority of NZ parents already believe they send their children to the "school of their choice". [NZCER]
6. Overseas evidence on charter school performance is inconclusive, at best. A wide range of individual school performance is evident but with little system-wide effect across the model as a whole. [CREDO and Hattie]
7. This purely quantitative analysis is then subject to further criticisms of many aspects of US charter school practices, including: student selection, including the effect of "self-selection" amongst parents; the proportions of English language Learners and special needs students; student attrition; school discipline and behaviour management practices; the apparent lack of backfilling, i.e. the tendency to not replace students as they leave; and the drive for what is commonly called "test prep", in contrast to a genuine focus on the quality of education.
8. The promotional pack from the Authorisation Board boasts that the New Zealand charter school model represents "Freedom from constraints imposed on regular state schools in exchange for rigorous accountability for performance against agreed objectives."
9. It then identifies the following factors, but without any evidence that these are likely to lead to higher student achievement: Cashed-up per student funding; school day & year; school organisation; curriculum; teacher pay / teaching practice; privately provided / secular or faith based. [PSKH Authorisation Board, 2016]
10. The argument that "freedom" will encourage/facilitate "innovation" is weak. It is not supported by overseas evidence [Lubienski 2003] and one US charter school industry's overview even conceded that "… most charters do not employ particularly innovative instructional approaches". [Bellwether 2015]
11. The combined roll of the 10 schools now in operation was 1,257 as at 1 March 2017, an average of about 125 students per school. The combined Maximum Roll across the 10 schools is 2,112 students. [MoE Schools Directory, April 2017]
12. The original funding model has already been changed, as it soon became clear how much operational funding these schools were receiving compared to their local state schools. Small schools are expensive and the government was fully funding the First and Second Round schools with no Sponsor capital input required.
13. Even in their 4th year of operation, the two largest First Round charter secondary schools are receiving cash funding of over $14,000 per student, compared to a system-wide weighted average for all schools, including property, of $7,046.11. [2015 system data]
14. The Third Round funding model now uses an approach more oriented to funding the student than funding the school, as the roll grows. But the government still provides the property and insurance funding for what is essentially a private sector organisation.
15. Cabinet was told: "A strong evaluation programme will be put in place that thoroughly examines the impact and effectiveness of the first such schools. This will enable us to make informed decisions about whether or not to open further such schools in the future."
16. This promise has not been carried out. The roll-out of the model has proceeded well ahead of the release of any evaluation. At the time of writing, the Third Round schools have opened this year and applications are being processed for the Fourth and Fifth Rounds!
17. The first two reports from the Martin Jenkins Evaluation Programme are weak and do not rigorously examine school performance or the impact these schools have had. The Evaluation has also completely ignored the failure of the First Round school at Whangaruru.
18. Student achievement outcomes to date have been mixed but difficult to analyse thoroughly given the delays in the Ministry releasing accurate information.
19. By May 2017, the Minister has still not announced her decision on the release of the performance based funding for the 2015 school year! No operational reports for the entire 2016 year have yet been released, along with supporting documentation such as contract variations and Ministry advice to the Minister.
20. There was a major problem with the interpretation of the original secondary schools' contract performance standard, which is "School Leavers" and not NCEA pass rates. This resulted in incorrect reporting of the true state of the 2014 and 2015 secondary performance. [MoE advice to the Minister, July 2016, obtained under the OIA]
21. Superficially high NCEA pass rates are published by Vanguard Military School but NZQA data obtained under the Official Information Act (OIA) reveals issues around the quality of the credits gained, the high proportion of unit versus achievement standards entered and large differences between internal and external pass rates. [NZQA]
22. Primary and middle schools assessed against National Standards have not performed well. In the 2015 year, only one school out of five – the Rise Up Academy – met its NS student achievement standard targets. [MoE initial analysis, 30 May 2016]
23. Some schools, including Vanguard and the two Villa middle schools, have failed to meet their Student Engagement contract standards relating to stand-downs, suspensions, exclusions and expulsions. This is of concern, given the US charter school practices noted above.
24. Charter schools are not more accountable than public schools, simply because they operate under a contract. Whangaruru was not closed for failure to achieve contract standards; it was dysfunctional from the start.
25. Public school accountability includes parent-elected Boards of Trustees, which must hold open meetings, maintain open records and be subject to the Official Information Act. Board finances are subject to audit under the supervision of the Auditor-General.
26. No such requirements apply to charter schools, which are organised under a commercial contract between the government and the private sector Sponsor.
27. Public funding must go hand in hand with public accountability. State and State-Integrated schools both abide by this principle but charter schools do not.
The purpose of this report, prepared by Bill Courtney of Save Our Schools NZ, is to document several matters relating to the various quantitative measures that have been used to report student achievement in the charter secondary schools, across both 2014 and 2015.
The main observation is that, in respect of 2014 achievement, the performance standard originally set out in the charter school Agreement, the Ministry's interpretation of this, the achievement reported by the schools and the reported achievement in the Ministry's publicly available database, Education Counts, are all different! (See Reporting Summary table on p. 2 of full report)
One of the most significant implications of these differences in interpretation is that, on the recommendation of the Ministry, the Minister approved the release of the 1% operational funding retention amount, relating to the 2014 year, for both Vanguard and Paraoa. However, Vanguard did not meet its NCEA L2 Target and Paraoa did not meet either its Level 1 or Level 2 Target.
In July 2016, the Ministry finally acknowledged that there were "issues" related to the current NCEA performance standards as being applied to charter schools. This admission raises serious concerns about the mantra underpinning the charter school approach, which is described as: "Rigorous accountability against clearly agreed objectives."
In a paper to the Minister, it recommended a new set of performance standards be utilised in the Third Round contracts that were signed in August 2016. These will use two new roll-based NCEA pass rate measures along with a clearly stated "School Leaver" measure, calculated in the normal manner.
However, the same paper redacted the sections referring to "Next Steps" that might suggest how the Ministry is going to evaluate the performance of the existing First and Second Round schools on an on-going basis.
At time of writing, the Ministry has published its initial analysis of the schools relating to the 2015 year using what it has described as the "current" interpretation of the performance measures. But it had not yet made any recommendations regarding the 1% retention amounts for 2015.
In order to provide a more comprehensive overview of performance, I have included in the full report data from the Education Counts system-wide data spreadsheets, based on the "School Leavers" metric. These show charter school achievement compared to decile 3 schools and for Maori students.
I have also included an initial analysis of information relating to the "quality" of the NCEA credits being earned by students enrolled at charter schools, based on data provided by NZQA.
Finally, I conclude with some thoughts on the implications of this bizarre outcome in what is supposedly being sold to the country as a "Contracting for Outcomes" arrangement.
You can view the full report here.
~ Save Our Schools NZ
David Seymour has made a clearly incorrect statement to the media about his beloved charter schools and contradicted his Minister in the process.
The question at issue is the incorrect interpretation and measurement of the student achievement targets used in the original charter school contracts for the first and second round charter schools.
Save Our Schools NZ has been involved for over a year in the battle to get the Ministry of Education to acknowledge that both the reporting by the schools and the performance evaluation by the Ministry have been incorrect.
Radio NZ reported on Thursday that Seymour defended the incorrect interpretation by making the following statement:
"The reason that there is a difference, just remember, is that we have been pioneering holding schools to account through a contract, and it was necessary if you wanted to do that to have a different system of measurement."
This statement is rubbish!
The original contracts did not have a different system of measurement at all.
The performance standards used in the original contracts were stated as "School Leavers with NCEA Level 1" and "School Leavers with NCEA Level 2".
But both of these performance standards have been interpreted incorrectly and not calculated in the normal way that the Ministry does so for all other schools in the system.
These School Leaver statistics are published in the Ministry's Education Counts database for every school: state, state-integrated, private and now the charter schools.
The error was obvious once the Education Counts "School Leavers" figures for the first round charter schools were released and it was clear that these were different from both the schools' own reporting and the Ministry's evaluation.
But it was also clear that they were not what the Minister had intended when the contracts had been put together in 2013.
Under the Official Information Act, Save Our Schools NZ obtained Ministry reports to the Minister in 2013 that set out the basis for the contract performance standards and the metrics that would be used to measure performance.
These documents included one where the Minister, Hekia Parata, made a hand-written comment on one of the papers in May 2013, discussing the principles behind the contract standards:
"There is to be no compromise on the system-level benchmarks."
This makes a mockery of David Seymour's claim that it was necessary to have a different system of measurement.
The Minister then signed off the contract metrics in September 2013. These included the following:
"n. Agree that performance standards for 2014 NCEA Level 1 and 2 should be based on 2012 system-level results for decile 3 state schools."
So the Minister had clearly intended that the normal system-level benchmarks should be used and the charter school targets for 2014 should be the same as the results of decile 3 state schools in 2012.
It is the incorrect interpretation and measurement of those performance standards that has been revealed and is now being corrected.
Seymour is simply wrong to argue that a "different system of measurement" had always been intended.
~ Bill Courtney, SOSNZ
See also: https://saveourschoolsnz.com/2016/08/16/david-seymours-bizarre-claims-about-charter-school-performance/
Yes, it's that time again, when the OECD releases the PISA test results and Education Ministers everywhere frantically start to spin the information to justify whatever plans they already had. Statisticians in government departments everywhere lurch across desks in darkened rooms, poring over the data, eagerly cherry picking the bits that serve their Minister's purpose. Such fun!
Then there are those dedicated researchers who put out articles quick-smart explaining why PISA is flawed and unreliable. They explain in great detail the ins and outs of data collection and test setting and statistical analysis and, despite our best efforts, maybe one in a thousand of us can follow what they are saying. But we read anyway and nod sagely. Because there are graphs and there is data, so it must be good stuff.
The media, of course, enter into some kind of Nirvana, gleefully whipping up a hoohah about countries "slipping down" or "surging up" the tables. Heaven forbid a country has the temerity to stay in the same place – how's a journo meant to get a headline out of that kind of carry on?
Of course, in all of this madness, we could take the Yong Zhao route and denounce PISA altogether – say no to the sausage factory. But that doesn't sell papers or make for rousing Ministerial pronouncements, or even attract blog readers, so, yeah nah.
Instead, yet again, we will be treated to the PISA circus, like it or not, so please remember to engage your critical thinking skills.
~ Dianne
Hekia Parata made a somewhat surprising appearance today at Core Education's uLearn Conference in Rotorua, prompting again comparisons of her ability to make herself available for certain types of education gatherings and not others:
Still, this is not news, and her appearance this morning was not a total surprise, despite not being on the programme.
At least one person left the room in silent protest.
Some asked questions…
And one, SOSNZ's very own Melanie Dorrian, made a one-person, silent and very powerful protest.
This prompted a flurry of photos on social media
The protest invoked a lot of positive support from within and without the room.
Melanie, I have never been prouder to call you a colleague. You embody exactly what we want of our teachers and our students – deep critical thinking, a commitment to facts, a determination to hold people to account for their actions, and a social advocacy that puts others' needs sometimes before one's own.
To those who praised Melanie, took pics, shared your thoughts, sent her your support – thank you. I hope Melanie's stance has illustrated clearly that one person can make a difference and your voice – every voice – matters.
Next time maybe you'll bring your banner, too?
After all, you voted overwhelmingly to stand up to this nonsense.
You can follow Melanie's own blog here.
Thousands of people have read my post about Hekia Parata fabricating support from a mystical "Special Education Association", and most were just plain dismayed that a Minister would openly make up information to justify her plans for special education. However, a few hardy
trolls souls dredged up whatever support they could for the Minister, saying that there is indeed an New Zealand Special Education Association (NZSEA) in Canterbury and they probably did support the plans. (This despite Hekia writing on her Facebook page that when she said she had the support of the Special Education Association what she mean was some people generally support her plans). Most people know and accept that Hekia lied – but, you know, some poor devils just wont face those kinds of facts.
So I did what seemed best, I emailed the apparently defunct NZSEA to double check that they are indeed no longer a group and check whether they did or did not support Ms Parata's plans.
In plain English and to be very clear, I asked the NZSEA whether they are the Special Education Association to which Hekia Parata referred when she said to Chris Hipkins during Question Time in Parliament on 23rd August 2016:
"I can tell the member that the Special Education Association tells me they want to be able to measure progress…"
The answer is no, they are not.
The NZSEA's reply, received at 9.45am today, said:
Kia ora Dianne,
Thank you for your email. It is timely as I am about to write a letter to the editor disclaiming any association between NZSEA and the Minister's statement she gave last week. She has never consulted with NZSEA on any matter associated with special education, in the past or now.
Unfortunately, the NZSEA is currently on the process of winding up so it will be interesting to see if the Minister refers to the group again. All the best in your quest.
Ngā mihi
New Zealand Special Educaiton Association (NZSEA)
Over to you, trolls.
~ Dianne
This is what Hekia Parata said in the House on 23rd August 2016:
We've already seen how Hekia justified her statement to Melanie Simons.
This is what she said when Glenis Bearsley questioned her:
Anyone else see a pattern forming here?
~ Dianne


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Need Long Distance Relationship Gifts? Great Ideas Await!
Are you dating someone long distance and need a great gift? You are not alone! From bracelets to pillows, small tech and more – there are loads of great gift ideas for long distance relationships. The trick is getting something that works and has meaning for your guy or girl!
We know how difficult dating long distance can be. Bruce sent Lisa a stuffed animal and a card early on for her birthday. In fact, the animal – a penguin – is something we still have and cherish today years later!
So, whether you are buying for a boyfriend, girlfriend, married partner or otherwise, here is our list of long-distance gift ideas. Remember: DIY gifts usually pack the most meaning!
If you are looking for more gift inspiration, check out these additional gift guides:
- Gifts For Tea Drinkers
- Gifts For Bakers
- Cool Christmas Gifts
- Coworkers Need Gifts Too!
- Gifts For Foodies
- Boyfriend Gifts He Will Love
- Gifts for people with anxiety
Things to Consider When Looking For Long Distance Relationship Gifts
When purchasing gifts for your long distance love, there are a few things you should think about. First and foremost, you need to think about your person – more specifically whether the gift fits their interests and personality. If they like practical gifts, buy something useful. If they like sentimental items, buy accordingly!
Another thing to consider when buying gifts is your budget. Not knowing how much you want to spend can actually make the decision process so much harder. So, set a budget and stick to it – this way you will not even look at gifts that fall outside of it!
One of the most important factors if you are sending gifts long distance is whether or not the gift will survive the mail/postal service! If you send a breakable mug, make sure that it is wrapped well so it can take a few bounces, for example.
DIY Long Distance Relationship Gifts
A DIY or Do It Yourself gift is always a great idea because often these kinds of gifts have the most meaning for your person. There are lots of great ideas for DIY gifts that you send long distance so check these out below!
Love Messages
Love messages are a simple way to send a meaningful gift to someone that you can't be with physically. This gift can take many forms.
You might choose to send a bunch of little messages with certain dates that they need to be opened on, or you can send mini-messages that are more "situational" and to be opened when your person is feeling sad, happy, it's raining out, etc. Be creative and speak from the heart – and you won't go wrong!
Photo Album With Your Pictures
If visuals are more your thing, then why not send along a photo album that you filled yourself? These days, physical photos are hard to come by so the act of printing them out and having them to actually hold and look at (compared to on a phone) is extra special.
Of course, the size of the album will dictate the price to send it in the mail but that's for you to figure out and determine if it's a good gift for you and your person.
DIY Care Package
Care packages are also a good idea because you can fill them with whatever your person likes and send it along! From their favorite foods or snacks to little memories and messages, the things to put in a care package are endless.
Collection Of Songs
Music is another great way to express your love and feelings for someone – so why not send along some song ideas? You can be creative – like mail a list of songs with dates to listen to them on.
You can even write down the significance of the song and a little extra messaging so that your person feels the connection when they listen to it!
Memory Jar
Lastly, a memory jar is a good way to send along a bunch of fun and meaningful memories for your person to have/look at whenever they feel sad or lonely without you.
The best part is that you can fill it with whatever is meaningful to you – a receipt from your first date, a ticket stub, a stone from the beach you both love, etc. Be creative!
For this, you might need a mason jar – and be sure to wrap it safely if you mail it!
Cheap Long Distance Relationship Gifts
On the cheaper side of long distance relationship gifts, there is no shortage of great ideas. From meaningful stuffed items to practical gear like a passport holder (to be used when you visit one another!), check out these ideas. Feel free to combine one or more into a complete gift package!
Countdown Calendar
I D Day Calendar with AHZOA Mini Ruler, Countdown Standing Desk Calendar, Reversible Tent Type, Score Board Style (Black)
- Package: Desk Calendar x 1ea, AHZOA Mini Ruler x 1ea, Sticker sheet x 1ea
- Desk Calendar Size : 4.72 x 9.84 Inch (12 x 25 cm)
- Desk Calendar Usage: D-day Count +, D-day Count -, Daily Calendar
- Desk Calendar Is A Reversible Type, One Side Is For D Day counting, Another Side Is For Daily Calendar.
Cute Keychain
LParkin One Day We Will Never Have to Say Goodbye Long Distance Relationship Gifts Keychain/Necklace Love Quote Valentines Gift (Keychain)
- Made of stainless steel. Engraved with worlds " One day we will never have to say goodbye only goodnight."
- High Quality polished finish, both sides are smooth surface.
- Long distance relationship gift. You can choose Keychain/necklace you like to give your boyfriend/girlfriend as a Valentines Gift.
Stuffed Animal
Aurora World Sweet and Softer Perky Penguin 9.5" Plush
- 9.5" overall height, standing position
- Silky soft two-tone plush that is sweet to the touch
- Made with high quality materials and lock washer eyes for safety
- country of origin:China and Indonesia
Our Moments Game
OUR MOMENTS Couples: 100 Thought Provoking Conversation Starters for Great Relationships - Fun Conversation Cards Game for Couples
- 💗 QUALITY TIME - for you and your partner - Enjoy date night in a completely new way. This toy for couples is a sure fire way to get the sparks flying between you two! It will get you out of your comfort zone and remind you why you are together in the first place.
Oh, Susannah Hug This Pillow Until You Can Hug Me - LDR Pillow Case 20x30 Standard/Queen Size Pillowcase Long Distance...
- Hug this pillow until you can hug me. If you're in a long distance relationship you understand the pain to not be with your loved one every night, but at least this pillow case can send the right message while you're apart! One (1) 20x30" Standard/Queen Size Pillow Case.
Self-Care Book
52 Lists for Happiness: Weekly Journaling Inspiration for Positivity, Balance, and Joy
- 52 Lists for Happiness Weekly Journaling Inspiration for Positivity Balance and Joy
Free shipping
Passport Holder
Leminimo Leather Marble Passport Cover Passport Holder With RFID Blocking - Marble Print Passport Case Travel Wallet
- LIFETIME WARRANTY - Leminimo provide lifetime warranty for Leminimo passport holder. If you have any problem with your purchase, pls send us a message. We will solve it as soon as possible by all means.
Couples' Bracelets
Believe London Distance Bracelets with Jewelry Bag & Meaning Card | Strong Elastic | Friendship Relationship Couples His Hers |...
- BELIEVE: Believe London® created the "Distance Bracelets" to allow those apart to believe in love, to feel connected and to one day see each other again. Distance and time apart from someone can be hard, but no matter who and where they are, let them know you have a piece of them with you at all times
Mid-Range Long Distance Relationship Gifts
Mid-range gifts for your special person can take many forms. The ideas below are ones that could act as standalone gifts – or you can combine two smaller ones together to form a larger gift! We like the idea of a joint journal – playing pen pal would be super fun!
Joint Journal
LEATHER JOURNAL Writing Notebook - Antique Handmade Leather Bound Daily Notepad For Men & Women Unlined Paper 7 x 5...
- ✔ BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED & UNIQUE: Soft & Supple Dark Brown Genuine Water Buffalo Leather with a real leather scent. Naturally tanned with special oil, if you scratch or fold this crazy horse leather, you create your own distressed vintage style! Rub your markings and they will fade away. Being hand-made from 100% natural leather, our journals can vary in look & shade, producing a unique item, no two are quite the same - a special keepsake for your thoughts, plans & ideas
Free shipping
Couples' Mugs
BOLDLOFT Say I Love You His and Hers Coffee Mugs-Couple Mugs Set, Girlfriend Gifts, Wife Gifts, Romantic Gifts for Her,...
- ♥ COUPLES MUGS SET- Mugs are in simple but modern forms and in matte finish. Clean, contemporary lines paired with an off-white color palette. Complete image on each mug. Set of 2 coffee mugs. Made of stoneware ceramic. 12 oz (355 ml). Microwave and dishwasher safe
Homesick Candle
Homesick Scented Candle, Southern California
- Scents of lemon and zesty oranges along with fresh sea breeze and aloe, completed by a floral bouquet of rose, carnation, and jasmine.
- 60-80 hour burn time
- All natural soy wax
- Made in the USA
- Hand poured in small batches
Free shipping
New Travel Luggage
S-ZONE Oversized Canvas Genuine Leather Trim Travel Tote Duffel Shoulder Weekend Bag Weekender Overnight Carryon Hand Bag
- Durable, Light and soft canvas, top quality genuine crazy horse leather Trim stitching handcraft, bottom Rivets
- Quality Solid Zine-alloy Hardware, won't gather rust easily
- Dimensions 21.7(L)14.8(H)10.2(W)inch, Large capacity, can be used as a carry-on flight bag
Calligraphy Starter Kit
Calligraphy Starter Kit - Beginner Calligraphy Lettering Set - Beginning Modern Calligraphy DIY Kit - Oblique Pen Hand Lettering with...
- Calligraphy made simple. Perfect for Beginners!
- Kit includes everything you need to get started learning Modern Calligraphy.
- Oblique Calligraphy Pen with Beginner-friendly Nib.
- Black Calligraphy Ink in glass bottle with dropper.
Free shipping
High-End Long Distance Relationship Gifts
Finally, we come to the high-end gifts – and there are some great ones on this list. These are the kinds of gifts that usually cost a bit more – but they pack a punch (in a good way). Definitely check out the lamps – we think they are super cute and very meaningful!
Digital Photo Frame
NIX Advance - 8 inch Hi-Res Digital Photo Frame with Motion Sensor (X08E)
- Photo & 720p HD Video Playback: Mix photos (JPEG) and video (MPEG-4) in the same Slideshow.
- 1024x768 High Resolution IPS (4:3) LED Backlit Display
- Hu-Motion Sensor: Turns the frame on when you enter the room and off when you leave the room!
Dual Time Zone Watch
Charles-Hubert, Paris Men's 3549 "Premium Collection" Stainless Steel Dual-Time Watch with Black Leather Band
- Round dress watch with black croco-leather band featuring gray-and-black dial with dual time display
- Japanese-quartz movement with analog display
- Protective mineral crystal dial window
- Features buckle closure
Long Distance Lamps
And there you have it – some of the best long distance gifts that we can think of. There are loads of great ideas on here that we're confident you'll find a great idea that works for your person! Let us know how it goes!
As always, Stay Curious,
Pin It For Later!

subset: commoncrawl


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Growth and expansions coming to UCC
SAN ANTONIO—United Central Control, a wholesale monitoring center based here, is planning to build an out-of-state back-up central station, possibly in Nashville, Tenn., Mark Matlock, company SVP, told Security Systems News. That news comes alongside other growth developments at the company.
UCC currently has a staffed back-up facility here, but Matlock said that an out-of-state back-up station is a company goal. Once the new facility is up and running, the current back-up station would be dismantled.
"When you start talking to bigger prospects, they really want you to have an out-of-state back-up central station," Matlock said. "That's a challenge when you live in Texas, because that means—especially when you're in the middle of the state like we are—that means you have to go a long way."
Tennessee is being considered for its "geographic stability. They don't get a lot of hurricanes, tornadoes [or] inclement weather."
Matlock predicted that the facility would be about 6,000 square feet, smaller than the company's 14,000 square-foot headquarters. Construction is expected to be completed early spring in 2016, he said.
This year "is just turning out to be a dynamite year for us," Matlock said. The company reached $1 million in RMR at the beginning of the year and has added $100,000 in RMR since.
The company expanded its portfolio of UL-2050 accounts—doubling the company's government level portfolio. "We've always been active in it, but this year we've added several new UL-2050 dealers," Matlock said. "I think it raises our stature in the industry. … We expect to see that portfolio grow."
UCC incorporated I-View Now's video monitoring platform into its central station in April. Matlock said UCC liked the fact that I-View Now is integrated with UCC's current automation platform, Stages, and that the platform is cloud-based.
Matlock is also a fan of I-View Now's Videofied app. "Videofied's our No. 1 video technology, so that definitely had an impact on our decision in choosing them," Matlock said.
Matlock said the company is looking at six different CRMs and will choose two or three to integrate with the central's automation platform. "Those integrations would probably be finished by mid-July," he said.
Also new in UCC's dealer offerings is the company's recent agreement to be an Icontrol reseller. "We are excited to be able to offer this to our dealer base," Ron Bowden, UCC's director of dealer development, told SSN.
Much of UCC's growth has been organic, with the company only completing two acquisitions in its 33 years. Now approaching the one-year anniversary of UCC acquiring Red Hawk Monitoring's wholesale accounts, Matlock said that the acquisition and transition of accounts and dealers went very well.
The Red Hawk deal brought UCC 20,000 accounts and 150 dealers. UCC has a total of 230,000 accounts and 800 dealers.


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Facilities and Campus Planning
With a quiet presence on Allens Creek Road and an expansive 30+ acre campus that stretches to Oak Hill Country Club, AC is fortunate to have an incredible asset in our campus. Located minutes from leading colleges, universities, and country clubs, AC is situated in one of the most desirable communities in our region. We recognize the importance of investing in a Campus Master Plan so we can continue to steward this important asset and maximize potential advantages.
Goal: To sustain, steward, and update the Allendale Columbia School campus facility, to support the ongoing evolution of our program and the new AC model.
AC must:
- Establish a Center for STEM, Design, Innovation and Research and appoint a leader to develop curricula, build partnerships, and expand experiences.
- Develop Design, Innovation, and Research courses with partners on and off campus.
- Engage students in the process of presenting and reflecting on their work with external partners.
- Seek grant funding sources and business partners to provide unique opportunities and authentic experiences for all K-12 students in the area of STEM, design, innovation, and research.
Strategic Plan Overview | AC Center for Entrepreneurship | AC Center for Global Engagement
Design & Innovation | Strategic Plan Leadership | Strategic Planning Research and Resources


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Ealing Music Service has joined forces with Ealing Library Services to bring you Library Choirs for Children and Adults at West Ealing Library! Sign up now – it's FREE to join and there are no membership fees! For more information and to join contact firstname.lastname@example.com
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When questioned on the matter he said that we would leave the EU on or before 31st of October and it was a long standing rule of his not to talk about his private life. The only cummings I can talk about is Dominic.
When told that the Jack Russell cross would not be able to travel to or from europe after a no deal Brexit without spending time in quarantine he said he didn't think it would come to that, she will be bored of it by then.


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In my clinic I can offer you:
- Bowen Therapy
- NST (Neurostructural Integration Technique) another form of Bowen Therapy
- Emmett Technique
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Call Sonia: 0431 911 329
In my clinic I can offer you:
Please call Sonia on: 0431 911329
Nimbin, NSW Northern Rivers area
My name is Sonia Barton and my passion and love is working as a Bowen Therapist. I am one of the 4% of the population who love their job! Read More…
Saturday: 9.00am to 6.00pm
Nimbin, Kyogle, Lismore, Uki, Wadeville, Cawongla, Murwillumbah
Member of the Bowen Therapists Federation of Australia


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How to play...
Everyone sits in a big circle, and marks out their seat with a t-shirt or cushion.
One person is the caller and starts by jogging around the circle tapping on the shoulders of the others saying 'Sloth', 'Sloth', until on one they decide to call 'Judy'.
Judy gets up and chases after the caller who runs around the circle to take Judy's seat without getting caught.
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Cooking is a way of connecting with our friends and family. It's often the centerpiece of our holiday celebrations. It's one of our keys to survival. This makes the kitchen one of the most important rooms in our house and when it isn't working for us, it can become a major obstacle. With years of experience and a variety of jobs under our belts, Maryland's Best Remodeling is your best bet for a brand new kitchen renovation.Work with a Maryland Kitchen Remodeling Company that gets to know you whether you live in Catonsville, Eldersburg, Elicott City, or somewhere else in Maryland.
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(The). A newspaper, founded by John Walter. In 1785 he established The Daily Universal Register, but in 1788 changed the name into The Times, or Daily Universal Register. (See Thunderer.)
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If you need asbestos removal services in the Northeast region, Rock Emergency today! Rock Emergency is fully trained and licensed to help you with your project.
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Chandigarh, July 27 – Haryana Governor Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki has awarded 96 police officers and officials from across the state for rendering distinguished and meritorious service at an impressive investiture ceremony organized at Raj Bhawan here today.
On the occasion, the Governor bestowed Police Medal for Gallantry on two officers, President's Police Medal for distinguished service on eight officers and Police Medal for meritorious service on 86 officers.
Speaking on this occasion, the Governor exhorted the police personnel to perform their duty in a friendly manner with utmost responsibility so as to win the hearts of public. Seeing the Police, a common man should think that I am safe. Haryana Police is quite capabale to work in such a manner, he added.
Describing Haryana Police a force of indomitable courage, the Governor said that it was matter of satisfaction that police had been performing its duties with responsibility in all sectors. He said that such programs not only encourage receipients of medals, but also motivate other policemen to take inspiration from them.
Finance Minister, Capt. Abhimanyu, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Mr S.S. Parsad, Director General of Police, Mr B.S. Sandhu, DGP Headquarters, Mr K.K. Mishra, ADGP (Law and Order) Mohd. Akil, ADGP Operations, Mr A.S. Chawla, Secretary to Governor, Mr Amit Kumar Aggarwal, senior officers of Police Department and family members of awardees were also present on this occasion.
Police Medal for Gallantry were awarded to IG CID, Mr Anil Kumar Rao and DIG Mr Satender Kumar Gupta.
Among those who received President's Police Medal for their distinguished service are DGP (Retd) Sheel Madhur, ADGPs namely P.K. Agrawal, Sudhir Chowdhary, Dr R.C. Mishra, Shatrujit Singh Kapoor, O.P. Singh, Ajay Singhal and ADGP (Retd.) Rajbir Singh Deswal.
Those who were decorated with Police Medal for Meritorious Services include DGPs Dr. K.P. Singh and Dr B.K. Sinha, ADGP Alok Kumar Mittal, IGPs Charu Bali, Subhash Yadav, Dr. M. Ravi Kiran, Sanjay Kumar and Rajender Kumar, DIGs Sibash Kabiraj, Y. Puran Kumar, SPs Ashok Kumar, Om Parkash, Kirtpal Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Rajesh Kumar Duggal, Surinder Pal Singh, Additional SPs Balbir Singh (Retd) and Ramesh Pal (Retd), Deputy SPs, Mohinder Pal (Retd.), Anoop Singh, Dalbir Singh (Retd.), Virender Singh, Surinder Mohini (Retd.), Dalip Kumar (Retd.), Udai Raj Singh Tanwar, Dharamvir, Suresh Chand, Shakuntala Devi, Hissam Singh and Ajay Kumar.
Among the Inspectors who awarded with Police Medal for Meritorious Services include Rambir Singh (Retd.), Lal Singh (Retd.), Kamal Singh (Retd.), Jyoti Sheel (Retd.), Anoop Singh (Retd.), Rajroop Singh (Retd.), Amar Singh (Retd.), Watan Singh, Rajpal Singh, Vijay Pal, Azad Singh, Ashwani Kumar, Malkiat Singh, Satyabir Singh, Satpal, Umed Singh, Balraj Singh, Surinder Singh, Viredner Singh (ORP/Inspector) and Inder Pal (ORP/Inspector). The Sub Inspectors included Devender Singh, Ram Karan, Sushil Kumar, Rajiv Mohan, Sultan Singh, Harbilas Singh, Sikandar Lal, Baldev Krishan, Ramesh Chand, Vinod Kumar, Hari Ram, Gurvinder Singh, Ranjit Singh, Kirpal Singh, Jagbir Singh (ORP/SI), Jitender Singh (ORP/SI) and Satpal (ORP/SI). The Assistant Sub Inspectors (ASIs) who received Police Medal for Meritorious Services on this occasion included Manoj Kumar, Ram Kumar, Devi Lal, Jasbir Singh, Shamsher Singh, Mohan Singh, Inderdeep Singh, L/ASI Seema Gupta, Janak Kumari and Sukhjinder Pal Kaur. Similarly, E/ASI who would be awarded with with Police Medal for Meritorious Services included Suresh Chand, Gurmeet Singh, Kulbir Singh, Pardeep Kumar, Surinder Singh, Bhagirath, Ravinder Kumar, Bhagwan Dass, Rajbir Singh and Naresh Kumar.


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Gain Enhanced Network Reliability.
Network reliability is the crucial driver of customer satisfaction. It doesn't matter how low your prices are. If your network services are not reliable, then you will drive customers away. While this concept may be the cornerstone of your business, how can you ensure that your network is in fact running at 100% capacity at all times? Its your network and, most importantly, its your business. Get the most that you can out of your resources. Anything you can do to increase your network reliability will help you gain the competitive edge you need to survive in today's environment.
Remote Alarm Monitoring and Control systems will enable you to accomplish both goals. The goals of having enhanced network reliability and a competitive edge. You cannot accomplish either goal with an insufficient legacy monitoring system. You need to upgrade, but perhaps you are hesitant to change your system. Not because you are blind to its faults, but because you consider upgrades to be more trouble than they are worth.
You might not want to change your system, but your competitors are upgrading theirs. Don't be the company that ends up with unsatisfied customers and high exit levels. Don't fall behind as other companies continue to grow and prosper. Besides, any old equipment and gear that you have can still be re-purposed after an upgrade. The cost of lost customers and tarnished reputation usually makes a monitoring system upgrade an excellent investment.
If your competitors are delaying Remote Alarm Monitoring and Control upgrades, then you have a chance to gain a competitive advantage. Let your investment in Remote Alarm Monitoring and Control improvements give you a marketing edge. Let your competitors be the ones with lower customer satisfaction and higher customer churn.
The most effective method of protecting your network reliability is to take the time and effort to understand the needs of your alarm monitoring system. Afterwards, use that knowledge that you have gain to choose the best upgrade path.
Here are 3 burning questions to ask when you are selecting a remote alarm monitoring vendor:
- Will you fly someone to my site; do a site survey to review my alarms, transport and general needs; help me design a perfect fit solution; conduct field trials; and support me after installation?
- If I have a problem at 4:00 a.m., can I get emergency tech support?
- Does your remote support dual interfaces/protocols for both my new sites as well as my legacy sites?
Upgrade and Protect Your Network.
An upgrade does not mean tearing your network out by the roots. You can instantly achieve a better level of visibility and reliability just by replacing your alarm master. An alarm master is the central alarm collection and processing point. Replacing your alarm master means that you can keep your existing remotes online. If you do not have an alarm master, then you should reevaluate your network's need. More likely than not, you will need or want an alarm master station.
The master station is the weakest point of an older system. If it dies, the entire system is dead. This is obviously the component that most urgently needs to be replaced. However, the master is also the most important component of your network reliability management system.
A better master gets more out of your existing remotes. It should be able to support the protocols used by your existing remotes so that visibility of those remotes are not lost. By extracting the most valuable information from your remotes - the information your staff needs to know in order to determine the root cause of network faults - you can achieve better network reliability management without a monitoring overload.
As a result, a new master can instantly take your existing monitoring and remote telemetry units to a whole new level of effectiveness.
Not every vendor can help you overcome an inadequate or aging monitoring system. If you are armed with the right information, though, then you can separate the vendors who do from the ones who don't.
Those who are best equipped to assist you are the ones that provide the following services:
- 24/7 service.
- Custom engineering.
- Technical support.
- Products built to order.
- Expansion for existing hardware.
Fundamentals of Alarm Network Reliability.
You must make sure that your monitoring system supports these essential remote network reliability tools:
Alarm presentation and notification: Send detailed alarm descriptions and correction instructions to NOC and field techs via pager notifications and web interfaces. Information regarding the alarm should be clearly detailed so that an alarm can be easily understood. A wide range of notification methods should be available so that a notification will not go unnoticed. An unnoticed alarm is a probable cause for some really bad situations if it does not get caught right away.
Alarm collection and device monitoring: Do not settle for limited remote network monitoring equipment. Get multi-protocol support for every monitoring device in your network, plus discrete alarms, analog alarms, ping alarms, and redundant path reporting. You might have some legacy hardware or hardware that cannot not communicate together. A multi-protocol device can bring different devices together into a centralized platform. This will ensure that all of your devices can visible on your network.
Network Reliability Checklist.
Here's a handy checklist of items essential for network reliability, which can be used to rate the systems you are evaluating.
Alarm Collection and Device Monitoring.
Control relays:
Many common site problems, from power outages to high temperature alarms, can be solved by quickly turning on a power generator or an air conditioner. Remote operation of site devices is the best way to eliminate unnecessary site visits and is a lot faster than going in the truck. Don't waste windshield time on simple tasks that can be automated.
Live analog monitoring:
You cannot adequately monitor battery levels, temperature, and humidity with one-threshold contact closures. Look for support for analog inputs, including live management of actual analog values.
Multi-protocol support for your existing devices:
Make sure your next master system collects alarms from all your existing devices, including your older legacy gear. You can get rid of all your specialized consoles and monitor your network from one screen.
Back-up dial-up reporting:
Do not rely on your primary network to bring back alarms. If anything goes wrong with your transport, you will lose your telemetry data just when you need it the most. Look for a system that supports dial-up alternate path reporting.
SNMP support and ping alarms:
If you are responsible for both telecom and IP equipment, consolidate all your management on one system. Check if an IP equipment is still available or if it is unreachable through the network with ping alarms. SNMP means that widely used and full-featured SNMP manager software are available for alarm management.
Alarm Presentation and Notification.
Web interface:
Almost everybody knows how to use a Web browser. Modern browsers are fast, intuitive. and easy to use. A web-based alarm management interface will make sure all your field techs can access your alarm system from any computer at practically any location.
Pager and e-mail notifications:
Pager and e-mail notifications let your field techs respond to alarms while they are still in the field. This speeds up repair time and reduces windshield time. Look for a system with SMS support, which can send detailed alarm notifications to alpha pagers, cell phones, and PDAs. Almost everyone has an internet connect phone now a day, this means that notifications sent through SMS is sure to be received by someone.
Alarm correction instructions:
Detailed instructions included in alarm notifications ensure that system operators, without extra training, will know precisely what to do and who to call if an alarm happens. No more guesswork or assumptions are needed when there is detailed instructions for resolution of the alarm.
Detailed alarm notifications:
Summary "major/minor" alarms do not give enough information to make dispatch decisions. Alarm notifications should provide detailed information. Detailed information should contain all the information required for successfully clearing the alarm without any guesswork. Look for a network alarm management system that includes detailed diagnostic information in each alarm.
Alarm Sorting and Analysis.
History and trend analysis:
An alarm history will help you keep track of when alarms happen. It will also provide crucial information for trend analysis. Identify problem areas and eliminate recurring problems with a system that keeps a complete alarm history that's exportable for trend analysis.
Custom combination alarms:
A low battery is not a serious problem and neither is a failed generator, but they are pretty serious when they occur at the same time. Look for a system that can spot critical alarm combinations.
Nuisance alarm filtering:
Even the best NOC staff will stop taking alarms seriously if they are bombarded with status alerts, oscillating conditions, and unimportant alarms. Look for a system that can filter these nuisance alarms out from critical and more pressing alarms.
Root cause analysis:
Finding the underlying cause between alarm cascades can take hours of patient detective work. Look for a system that can automatically correlate repeated combinations of alarms. This will save the frustration and hassle of searching endlessly for the root cause of a problem.
Alarm sorting:
A large, complex network can create a huge cascade of alarms. Some are not immediately important but others are critical and crucial. Look for a system that can automatically sort and prioritize this flood of information for you.
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text: Place Category: Bulk Syrup, Dealers, retail, and Wholesale Map Offers the following products Other Retail Products No Records FoundSorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again. Google Map Not LoadedSorry, unable to load Google Maps API. Driving Walking Bicycling Public Transport Miles Kilometers Offers the following productsMaple Syrup: YesMaple Granulated Sugar: YesMaple Sugar Shapes: YesMaple Cream: YesDealer for CDL, LaPierre Equipment Previous Next Address: 1247 Dale Road Dale NY 14039-9614 USAPhone: (585) 786-3893Business Email: WebsiteDouglas WolcottHours: call ahead - make sure we're inAdditional Business Hours: open 7 days a week


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'Pathetic' laments Rory McIlroy after missing cut at US PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy lamented his appalling putting as he failed to make the weekend at the US PGA Championship.
Phil Mickelson just about avoided that fate. He made a "horrific" start to the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday but recovered to make the cut with nothing to spare, while McIlroy's bogey at the last saw him miss out by one stroke.
McIlroy, who played with Mickelson, messed up the final hole to miss the cut for the first time in eight starts at the PGA Championship.
"I've hit the ball really well this week and I'm walking away not playing the weekend. It's really disheartening," said the world number four.
"Tee to green was good but it was just pathetic when I got on to the green.
"Putting let me down at [the US Open at] Oakmont and then putting let me down here again. My tee to green game, there's not much wrong with that. It's pretty solid."
It took McIlroy until the 4th hole of his second round to make a birdie in the tournament, and though he added three more in his second round they were offset by bogeys.
McIlroy also missed the cut at the U.S. Open and tied for 10th at the Masters and for fifth at the Open. The Northern Irishman's last major win came at the 2014 PGA Championship in Kentucky.
"I just need to figure out what to do on the greens. I need to have a long hard think about that," he added.
"I think if you had to give anyone else in this field my tee shots this week, they would have been up near the top of the leaderboard. It just shows you how bad I was around the greens."
Mickelson agreed.
"You watch him with a driver and it's the sweetest thing you can imagine," he said. "He's just so tentative through impact (with his putter). He's just not confident. You can just tell."
Mickelson himself sliced his tee shot out-of-bounds at the par-four first, his ball landing on the adjacent Shunpike Road and bouncing onto another street.
"Just a total mental block on that first hole. It was just horrific," said Mickelson, who teed up again and in the end was fortunate to salvage a triple-bogey seven after almost hitting his approach shot out-of-bounds too.
"I think in the history of the PGA Championship, that's the worst start of any player's round. I'd have to look that up."
Mickelson looked stunned as he trudged to the second tee but settled down and had only one further blemish, a bogey at the 16th, before closing with a birdie at the par-five 18th to make the cut with nothing to spare.
"I was able to fight back and be patient, start to make a birdie here or there," the Open runner-up said after shooting a 70 for one-over 141, 10 strokes behind leaders Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb.
"I actually hit a lot of good shots and missed on a lot good opportunities in the middle of the round."


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Subscribe to the PLAID Crafts Newsletter, and we'll throw in $10 towards your next purchase.
Stencils are a great way to customize your favorite objects and make them look unique and interesting. We had a lot of fun personalizing our guitar case and giving it more of a punk-rock look. The possibilities are endless when customizing! Show us how much fun you have customizing by sending us your pictures @stencil1.
This is what you'll need:
Step 1: We chose a British theme for our punk-rock look so we are using the London stencil set, available in select JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores later this month. First, we gave the case some texture by roughly painting the area we wanted to stencil white with paint and a brush.
Step 2: Once the paint is dry—use a hair dryer to speed this up—you can begin stenciling! We started with the crown stencil. Remember to use a dry- brush technique. This means using very little paint and applying many layers. We weren't going for a clean look, so we stenciled the crown roughly in a few areas. Use different colors and overlap your images for a more interesting design. You can use tape to secure the stencil or simply hold it in place with your hands.
Step 3: Next we painted the silhouettes of the two-layer stencils. Once the paint dried, we stenciled the detail layers. Remember to use very little paint.
Step 4: Lastly, we stenciled the British flag with the same rough look as the other stencils.
Join Plaid on Facebook or sign up for the email newsletter for updates on all my new stencil designs!
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These cushy floor pillows not only make an adorable accent in your home but they're great for entert


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Radical, Elegant, Brilliant!
Watch this video:
In a nutshell, here's how it works…… Under normal circumstances, banks and mortgagees bundle together and sell their bad debts – those loans in default or with frequent delinquencies — on secondary markets. Speculative investors and debt collectors then buy the debt for pennies on the dollar. The purchaser of the bad debt (debt collectors) stands to gain on these dirt cheap but risky loans by simply harassing the debtor for the remaining balance plus interest. For example, if they could buy a $1 loan for 5 cents, they can double the money on their investment if in the end they can collect 10 cents on every dollar. As you would expect, this shady underworld market of secondary investments is supposedly hard to crack into. In other words, the average joe has no access to it. Yet another good-ole-boy network that's exclusive to the haves. Shady albeit.
Rolling Jubilee – What is it and how does it work? [1]
An Occupy Wall Street-inspired organization, Strike Debt, acts as a speculative investor mentioned above. They buy the bad debts being sold on secondary markets for pennies on the dollar, but instead of turning into a debt collector that makes calls daily in an effort to collect on the remaining balance, they act as a modern day Robin Hood. They purchase the dirt cheap debt, from money raised via donations, and then completely forgive the borrower – affectively canceling their debt. How did they manage to crack the good-ole-boy network? From what I can gathering having read a good number of articles about it, they won't divulge much info about it, but they've made it clear that they captured the hearts of insiders (bad debt buyers) who work on the inside and are sympathetic to the cause.
A recent Gala event in NYC is what really drew attention to the volunteer run project. A host of celebrities helped to bring attention to the event. According to those familiar with the organization [1]:
"……the actual goal is to jumpstart the conversation about debt that originated from predatory lending practices. "I want to make it really clear that what we're doing here is not charity," Smith said. "It's not debt forgiveness. It's a political statement about what we view to be odious debts."
The biblical year of Jubilee [2]:
What makes all of this interesting to me is how closely, in some respects, this movement matches the biblical year of Jubilee. What is the Jubilee? Well it's basically a land Sabbath (Levicticus 25). The Mosaic Law mandated that upon every seven year cycle no crops were to be sown or harvested. If grain or plants did manage to grow by themselves it could be harvested by the poor or for daily food by the farmer. In addition, debts accumulated by the poor during the previous seven years were to be completely forgiven to enable a fresh start (Deuteronomy 15: 1-11). It was time of redemption when the poor were able to get free from the stranglehold of debt that may have been incurred at the hands of someone more wealthy.
After 49 years – 7 cycles of 7 year land Sabbaths were complete then another land Sabbath was to be observed, giving the land further rest from cultivation. Also, any poor person whom had mortgaged their land during that 49 year period could then return to their possessions.
In many ways, it was God's way of controlling unchecked greed by his chosen people, and minimizing the potential of systemic oppression.
On the surface, I thought this idea was amazing and beautifully subversive. However, the more I thought about it, I did have some pretty serious reservations about it. What piqued my interest most were the other thoughts that ran through my mind. Would it be possible to build a similar organization that was Christian? How could someone (me?) create a ministry (non-for-profit) out of this idea? Anyway, my mind went crazy, so I'll break this blog into two parts. Stay tuned………
[1] http://www.christianpost.com/news/rolling-jubilee-cites-bible-in-project-to-forgive-anonymous-debts-85115/
[2] http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BQA/k/158/How-Do-Land-Sabbath-Jubilee-Years-Work-Leviticus-25.htm


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YPG: Syrian Coalition acts as collaborator of ISIS
The YPG General Command has reacted strongly against the statement of the Syrian Coalition yesterday, which alleged that the YPG attacks Kurdish and Arab villages, throwing them out of their villages.
The YPG General Command has reacted strongly against the statement of the Syrian Coalition yesterday, which alleged that the YPG attacks Kurdish and Arab villages, throwing them out of their villages. YPG said the Syrian Coalition, known as the Istanbul Opposition, has turned into a collaborator and partner-in-crime of the ISIS gangs with their attitudes and statements.
Issuing a statement on the official website of the YPG, the General Command said "After all the gains of the YPG forces in Syria against the ISIS gangs, achieved also with the support of the aerial forces of the International Coalition, the Syrian Coalition issues a statement far away from the real facts. The statement of the Syrian Coalition issued on 30 May 2015 talks about untrue things in an attempt to stigmatize the YPG in the opinion of the public. This however only serves the ISIS gangs, which perpetrates massacres against the peoples of Syria".
YPG said the Syrian Coalition was attempting to trigger conflict amongst the peoples through these false allegations, which prove that the coalition does not want peace among the peoples of Syria and their well-being.
"The statements and the attitude of the Syrian Coalition reveals another face of the ISIS gangs", said the YPG, adding that the Syrian Coalition, differing from the ISIS gangs only in the uniforms that their members wear, is a collaborator and partner-in-crime of the ISIS gangs perpetrating savage attacks on the people.
YPG stressed that the YPG is the only force that does not discriminate between the peoples of Syria, adding that the participation of many people in the ranks of the YPG from different communities in Syria proves this fact. YPG said that the ISIS gangs use people as human shields in the war, recalling the incidents in Nestel and Ebu Şaxat villages, 45 km southwest of Serêkaniyê on 27 May. YPG added that the ISIS gangs have turned all the villages and areas they occupied into killing fields through the mines and bombs and traps they have laid, as well as setting villages and vehicles on fire to hide their withdrawal from the region.
The YPG said that while the YPG forces were fighting against the ISIS gangs to throw them out of these lands, the Coalition seemed to ask the YPG "why are you fighting against them and obtaining victory in the war?" "This amounts to wishing for the continuation of ISIS terror", added the YPG.
The statement of the YPG General Command further called on the Syrian Coalition to return to a patriotic line to serve the Syrian people and to distance itself from the attitudes aiming at triggering conflict amongst the peoples of Syria.
YPG also called on the Syrian Coalition to determine and announce clearly its attitude towards the Syrian Kurdijs National Assembly (ENKS).
The YPG statement concluded by reiterating its determination to defend and to protect the Kurdish, Syriac and Arab peoples and all the communities in the region against ISIS terrorism: "We declare hereby once again that we will undertake all our responsibilities until the end to defend and protect the Kurdish, Syriac and Arab peoples and all the communities in the region by fighting against ISIS terrorism, and continue our struggle to build a Democratic Syria and to defend the values of humanity".


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Buffalo Environmental Law Journal
Article Title
Between Huntley and Salem: The Current State of Municipal Authority in Pennsylvania to Affect Gas Drilling through Zoning
First Page
Document Type
This article examines the scope of Pennsylvania is preemption of municipal authority to zone natural gas drilling activities in light of two relatively recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decisions interpreting the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act and its local ordinance preemption provision. Although these cases define outer boundaries of permissible municipal regulation along the spectrum uf/possible zoning controls - i.e. what types ofordinance provisions would be either definitively permitted or preempted - substantial questions remain as to what extent a municipality may use traditional zoning power to zone gas drilling activities. This paper explores those grey areas, and attempts to assess the preemption risk of various types ofzoning controls.
Recommended Citation
Dan Raichel,
Between Huntley and Salem: The Current State of Municipal Authority in Pennsylvania to Affect Gas Drilling through Zoning,
Buff. Envtl. L.J.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/belj/vol19/iss1/5


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In 1543, a diagram drawn by a Polish priest revealed to the world a new idea, which forever changed our understanding of the cosmos and our place in it; the concept of a sun-centric universe. A plaque was put aboard the unmanned Pioneer space probe in 1972 to communicate fundamental facts about Earth and its inhabitants to life on other planets. How did a single diagram fit everything in?
Join Brian Cox on a journey into the furthest edge of our solar system to study the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune.
A behind-the-scenes look of the epic natural history series that celebrates our planet in all its glory.
In this ground-breaking film, animal biologist and meat-eater Liz Bonnin embarks on one of the toughest investigations of her career. Taking her from cattle farms in the decimated Amazon rainforests, to Dutch research labs growing in-vitro meat, Liz discovers the stark and sometimes stomach-churning reality of the meat industry.
Go behind the scenes with the crew as they use forward-thinking intelligence on primates to film chimpanzees using tools in the forests of Guinea, West Africa.
Actors and married couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard go head-to-head in a series of games designed to show how the brains of men and women differ.
A behind-the-scenes look of the epic natural history series that celebrates our planet in all its glory.
A behind-the-scenes look of the epic natural history series that celebrates our planet in all its glory.
Hugh realises that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of plastic is exported from the UK to Malaysian every year. With the help of Greenpeace and a local environmental action group, he visits some illegal plastic processing plants and is shocked by what he finds. Mountains of plastic bags and packaging that are clearly from the UK and Europe contaminate the environment and waterways of Malaysia. Consumers are under the impression their local council is recycling their waste but it appears that this
Go behind the scenes with the crew as they film the unique strategy of a pod of orca hunting elephant seal pups on their first journey into water.
Go behind the scenes with the crew of Life to see how they rigged cameras 50 metres high in the Mexican forest to capture a mass butterfly hibernation.
A relentless predator causes Sarah to put her shooting skills to the test. Meanwhile, the rest of the family are busy completing the barn insulation.
Go behind the scenes with the crew as they capture the never-before-filmed courtship behaviour of the Vogelkop bowerbird in West Papua.
A behind-the-scenes look of the epic natural history series that celebrates our planet in all its glory.
Drastic seasonal changes force the Hines' to focus on heating the barn. Nathan builds a wind turbine, but it's a challenge to erect the machine.
The arrival of the great migration increases conflict between the families.
Astronomers think there are billions of black holes swallowing up planets and stars in violent feeding frenzies, and they are trying to see them in action.
This episode follows nomadic people from the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia as they hunt one of the few animals that can survive in this frozen environment: reindeer.
Earth's natural wonders are among the most extreme places to live on the planet. From soaring mountains to deep jungles, people need bravery and ingenuity to survive within them.
Cameras explore some of the most breathtaking places on Earth, following the lives of some of the people who call these extraordinary places home.
This feature is only available for subscribers. Please contact your EnhanceTV administrator or email firstname.lastname@example.com


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D.C. United have reportedly joined the race to sign former Liverpool and England forward Daniel Sturridge.
The 29-year-old has held talks with the MLS club over a potential move to the United States' capital despite the team's concerns about his injury history, according to ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle.
It's understood that Sturridge has been contemplating offers from up to 13 teams since his contract at Liverpool expired in June.
The Philadelphia Union were also linked with a move for Sturridge, but the club has since moved on, Carlisle added.
Sturridge's potential arrival in D.C. would offset the impending departure of Wayne Rooney, who announced last week that he will leave the club at the end of the season to join Championship outfit Derby County as a player-coach.
D.C. United, however, have reservations given that Sturridge has struggled with a series of hip and hamstring ailments throughout his career.
Sturridge, who spent six years at Liverpool and was part of the squad that won the Champions League in June, is expected to make a decision regarding his future this week, according to Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph.
Along with the United States, he is also reportedly considering offers from Europe and the Middle East. Sturridge has been offered a £9-million contract to join Turkish giants Fenerbahce, Bascombe added.