Ian McLean Green Scene Spokesperson for the Green Party

People care about the education of their children more than almost any other issue. So we want good policy that builds an effective education system.

Schools are at the frontline, and offer options for responding to issues facing children. Building policy that properly addresses modern realities is the central challenge facing the next government.

Currently, national education policy is shifting us towards a model in which market forces and top-down control are seen as the best mechanisms for delivering quality education.

Charter schools, national standards, executive principals, the National Student Number and bulk funding are just some of the mechanisms proposed or already in place.

These mechanisms are promoting competition and inequality. The evidence from countries where they are in place is they don't deliver better education.

The evidence does show the best learners are students who are fed, healthy, and have a happy and stable home life. Many schools are attempting to pick up the gaps in these fundamentals, where they are not available at home, but are struggling to do so due to enormous pressures on funding.

'Parents may not have money, but they can still support their children's education through helping with school initiatives, such as free lunches,” said Jan Tinetti, principal of decile one Merivale School, at a policy discussion on May 12.

Unfortunately, market forces, measured learning outcomes or executive advice simply do not and will not overcome the daily challenges of grinding poverty, children being dragged between schools due to issues at home, or the epidemic of behavioural problems schools deal with every day.