Kelvin Davis

Tena koutou katoa

Many in Labour will be sitting wondering who this bloke from the north (Kelvin Davis) is. I've sort of appeared out of the blue and walked into parliament.

I guess many deserve an explanation.

I spent twenty years in education. All of those twenty years in low decile schools in South Auckland and Te Tai Tokerau.

The last seven years of my educational career were at Kaitaia Intermediate School. When I started there in 2001 the place was a mess. Through the work of an excellent Board of Trustees, hiring the right teachers and focusing on what makes a difference to achievement we made some huge gains and instead of massive underachievement we saw some fantastic results.

But still more needed to be done. Some 20% of kids were still not achieving as well as they could. That said this was a huge gain on the 96% who were failing seven years earlier.

But I had burned myself out and decided to resign at the end of 2007, and allow someone else the opportunity to continue the work.

Soon after my resignation was made public I was approached to consider standing for Te Tai Tokarau as Dover was moving on. I took about 6 weeks to think about it, talk with family etc and finally decided to go for it, but with no real expectation of being successful. I decided I would have three cracks at getting into parliament. I got lucky I guess, and certainly don't take my position for granted. I know I'm on what amounts to a 3 year contract and have to make an impression.

One commentator has described me as a one issue politician. I guess he's right. I'm there because I'm sick to death of Maori underachieving - not just in school, but in life - and want to change that. I believe getting education right for Maori is the key. By Maori achieving beyond our potential we will empty out prisons and hospital wards, we'll be living longer healthier, wealthier and happier lives. My one issue - improving Maori educational achievement will impact on Maori health, wealth and education. So I make no apologies if my focus is a bit narrow, but it's my family and friends who are getting locked up, bashed up, knocked up and buried way too early.

The secrets to educational success are no longer a secret. The strategies proven to raise achievement are out there in the educational domain.

I am disappointed but not surprised that during the 10 minutes I've been in parliament there doesn't appear to be any rhyme nor reason to the educational direction we're heading down, rather a disjointed and disparate selection of ideas that take us in circles.

I've been saying:

"Every child in every class in every school across the country deserves an excellent teacher. The government's duty is to provide the conditions where those excellent teachers can weave their magic.

Excellent teachers make kids learn, not programmes, or school zones, or setting National Standards, or fining parents of truants, or reducing class sizes, or lengthening the school day - these are peripherial issues that get in the way of what really matters. An excellent teacher with 35 kids will achieve better results than an idiot teacher with a class of 15. (What we need are EXCELLENT teachers with class sizes of 15

The government needs to sit down with the sector and ask them what those conditions are that will allow them to weave their magic.

Initially the obvious ideas will come up - improved pay, more non-contact time, smaller class numbers - but as the conversation develops, they'd start to get down to the deep and meaningful issues, that really make a difference.

My contribution to such a discussion would include the following variation on the 'three R's' theme:
1. Research based best practice - excellent teachers use strategies that are proven to raise achievement.
2. Relationships - excellent teachers have excellent relationships with pupils and their whanau.
3. Relevant curriculum - excellent teachers turn school into the best adventure in town. Kids want to be there.

If we had an excellent teacher in every class in every school across the country then:
* we wouldn't need the school zone debate because parents would have confidence to send their child to the nearest school, not the school across the town perceived to be excellent by virtue of its high decile rating.
* We wouldn't need to raise the fines for parents of truant kids because the kids would all want to be at school, because they love the place.
* We wouldn't need to 'plain english report' argument because parents and teachers would be in regular contact sharing information, having discussions about the kids and working together.
*We wouldn't need to lengthen the school day because kids would be achieving beyond expectation in the time currently allocated.
*Maori kids would be achieving as well as every other child because excellent teachers would be able to adjust their own behaviour to meet the needsand background of those Maori (and Samoan, and Tongan, and Niuean, and Indian and Somalian etc, kids.

Eventually ;
*we wouldn't need the 'where shall we build the new prison?' arguement because with more successful kids emerging from schools, we'll be having to divert those funds into building universities.
*We won't have the 'Boot Camp' debate either for the same reason.
*We won't have the 'our health system is failing' debate because more people will be lifting themselves out of the poverty trap by falling into high paying jobs because of their exceptional education. And we all know that a persons wealth has a major impact on a persons health.
*We won't need so many state houses because people will be better able to afford the $3m beach house at Omaha, because of the excellent job they got because of the excellent qualifications they got because of the excellent education they got because of the excellent teachers they had.
*The Treaty Settlement debate will be less of an issue because Maori folk would be creating their own wealth. Treaty settlements would just be well deserved cream on the cake.

So I hope you get my drift. That's who Kelvin Davis is, and what I stand for. I haven't re-read or edited this contribution, so hopefully it reads okay and I just ask forgiveness with the poor grammar, spelling, and if I went down a path and lost the thread etc.

Excellent teachers will make a difference, but teachers will only be excellent if they teach in a certain way. (Good teachers won't do it, great teachers won't do it, only EXCELLENT teachers will do it.) So the government needs to INVEST IN TEACHERS and create the conditions where they can weave their magic. Simple.

To conclude, when I became Principal of Kaitaia Intermediate School I stated publically that I was there to raise achievement and if I couldn't I would step aside and allow someone else the opportunity to do so.

The same applies in politics. If I can't improve Maori achievement in education, I won't hang around. Having said that there are limits to what can be achieved in Opposition.

Kelvin