This week, I am in Greenville, South Carolina, attending the United States branch of the International Play Association Conference. It is a gathering of over 300 passionate advocates for child development, holistic learning, the neuroscience of learning, and the undeniable benefits of outdoor education. As the only attendee from New Zealand and one of just four participants from the Southern Hemisphere, I feel as though I am peering into a crystal ball that reveals a potential future for education back home. But what I see is deeply troubling.
Being here has been both a professional and personal rejuvenation. It’s an incredible reminder of the power of collective action and the impact of passionate individuals who, sometimes at great personal cost, continue to advocate tirelessly for the rights of children. These educators, researchers, and advocates fight to ensure that every child has access to quality education, can learn with their whole body, and has equal opportunities to thrive—regardless of their ethnicity, ability, gender, or background. Attending conferences like these is my way of filling my bucket, especially as I work on the front lines of the battle for evidence-informed pedagogy in our education system. The conversations, connections, and shared commitment to child-centred education are a powerful antidote to the challenges we face every day.
A Troubling Path Forward
Here in the U.S., the narrative around education has increasingly been driven by high-stakes standardised testing, accountability measures, and a narrowing of the curriculum—all under the guise of raising standards and improving outcomes. Policies have been enacted that mandate standardised testing for children as young as four years old, as seen in Texas, which serves as an alarming benchmark for the future we could be heading towards. The fixation on data, test scores, and league tables has led to a system that values compliance over curiosity, rote memorisation over deep understanding, and quick wins over long-term well-being.
The fallout of these policies is starkly evident. Anxiety and poor mental health have surged among children and young people, with educators frequently reporting underdeveloped physical skills such as balance, coordination, and core strength. Behaviour management issues are on the rise as students become increasingly disengaged from a curriculum that no longer reflects their interests or needs. Teachers are burning out under the weight of relentless assessments, and many parents have been misled into believing that success in learning equates to high test scores. Social and emotional development has been devalued to the point where many children struggle with emotional regulation, forming connections, and navigating social complexities.
A Divided System: Public vs Private Education
A key feature of the U.S. education system is the stark divide between public and private schools—a divide that underscores the inequities entrenched within the system. Public schools, funded by state and federal contributions, are bound by policies that enforce standardised testing and compliance with prescribed curricula. The quality of education in public schools varies significantly, often determined by local funding, which is frequently tied to property taxes. This creates a deeply unequal landscape where schools in affluent areas benefit from better resources, while those in low-income communities struggle with underfunding, outdated materials, and larger class sizes.
This divide is further widened by the disparity in teaching quality between public and private schools. In public schools, teachers are often constrained by rigid state and federal mandates that leave little room for innovative, student-centred approaches. Progressive educators, trained to foster creativity, critical thinking, and holistic development, find themselves at odds with a system that prioritises test scores over authentic learning experiences. The result? Many of these educators do not remain in the public sector beyond five years. They are either leaving the profession entirely due to burnout and disillusionment or moving to private schools, where they are afforded the freedom to teach in ways they know are in the best interests of their students.
Private schools, less encumbered by government regulations, have become havens for those educators who wish to teach according to the latest research on child development and learning. Here, teachers can implement progressive teaching strategies, including project-based learning, play-based approaches, and curricula that prioritise social-emotional development and critical thinking. This exodus of skilled, forward-thinking educators from the public system is creating a two-tiered education landscape: one that offers innovative, high-quality learning opportunities to those who can afford private tuition and another that confines children to outdated, compliance-driven schooling in the public sector. Often many of these students are the ones who need access to quality education and progressive pedagogy the most.
The Creation of a Progressive vs Backwards Teaching Divide
The division between public and private education in the U.S. has fostered a growing divide between progressive and backwards teaching approaches. In progressive settings—often found in well-funded private schools—educators are embracing evidence-based practices, nurturing creativity, and placing a strong emphasis on the holistic development of each child. In contrast, many public schools, bound by standardised testing regimes and policy constraints, are forced into a backwards model that prioritises drilling for tests, rote learning, and a narrow curriculum that fails to meet the diverse needs of students.
This divide is not just about teaching methods; it represents a fundamental clash in educational values. Progressive educators see learning as a dynamic, relational process that requires flexibility, adaptation, and a focus on the whole child. In contrast, the backwards approach embedded in many public schools views education as a transactional process driven by metrics and accountability. This growing chasm threatens the very fabric of equitable education, as public school students are denied access to the rich, meaningful learning experiences that could prepare them for an increasingly complex world.
Is This the Future We Want for New Zealand?
The parallels between the current U.S. education landscape and New Zealand’s recent policy direction are impossible to ignore. Our government’s push towards standardised assessments and curriculum narrowing, coupled with increased scrutiny of teachers, is eerily reminiscent of the U.S. trajectory. But what are the long-term costs of these policies? Evidence from the U.S. suggests that rather than elevating learning outcomes, such measures can exacerbate educational inequities, diminish children’s love of learning, and compromise their overall development.
The question we must urgently ask ourselves is this: Do we really want to follow this path? Are we willing to sacrifice the well-being, creativity, and holistic growth of our children for the illusion of accountability and the pursuit of metrics that often tell us very little about a child’s true capabilities? If the answer is no, then it is imperative that we advocate for a different vision—one that values play, nurtures emotional intelligence, and recognises that learning is far richer than any test score.
What Can Be Done?
To change course, we must first recognise the warning signs and resist the push towards policy directions that have been shown to fail elsewhere. We need to amplify the voices of educators, parents, and children who know that learning is inherently complex, relational, and context-dependent. We must also look to evidence-informed approaches that honour the whole child, prioritise social-emotional development, and embrace play as a powerful pedagogical tool.
In New Zealand, we have a unique opportunity to chart our own path—one that does not blindly follow the U.S. but instead draws on our strengths, values, and the rich body of research that supports a more balanced and child-centred approach to education. The stakes are high, but the potential to create an education system that truly serves our tamariki is within our reach.
Let’s not wait until our classrooms are filled with disengaged, anxious children to realise that we took a wrong turn. The time to act is now, before we find ourselves grappling with the same failures that are currently unfolding in the U.S.
The lessons from this conference are clear: We have a choice to make—prioritise holistic, balanced, and joyful learning experiences for our children, or narrow our curriculum, raise the stakes, and risk a future where education is reduced to test scores and compliance. The path we choose will shape the future of our tamariki and our nation. Let’s choose wisely.
For Further Reading:
“The Tyranny of Standardised Testing” by Diane Ravitch: Ravitch’s work critiques the over-reliance on standardised testing in the U.S. education system and its negative impacts on children and teachers. Diane Ravitch’s BlogLink to Diane Ravitch’s book on Amazon
