shem banbury

In the world of running, the difference between a casual runner and an athlete reaching their full potential often lies in the strategic guidance of an experienced coach. This coach doesn’t merely increase the quantity of training but transforms the quality, introducing a sophisticated mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercises, periodization, and varied running techniques. This analogy perfectly encapsulates the essence of Russell Bishop’s Leading to the North-East. Bishop plays the role of the seasoned coach in the educational field, challenging principals and senior leaders to elevate their schools from good schools with dedicated staff to schools of excellence with high quality dedicated staff.

Bishop book serves as a call for leaders to assume true ownership of their roles and focus deeply on what truly matters in education. Through a detailed framework and compelling case studies, he provides the strategies necessary for leaders to foster environments that enhance both teacher performance and student outcomes.

Bishop starts his book by pinpointing critical barriers to educational equity found during his research. These include;

1. Teachers attributing poor academic results to students’ capabilities.
2. Predominantly monocultural learning environments.
3. The scarcity of culturally responsive educators.
4. Fluctuating and inadequate educational resources.

These barriers foster a disparity in New Zealand’s educational quality. Bishop calls our current system an “educational lottery” due to the differences in learning from class to class and school to school. Therefore, the need for consistent reform is urgent.

The book advocates for a shift towards “North-East learning,” a concept that embodies high-quality relational abilities and effective pedagogy among teachers. This was addressed in his book ‘Teaching to the North-East which came out in 2007. One of the interesting parts of this books was his observation that many educators in New Zealand sit in the South-East quadrant – high on relationships while being low on teaching skills.

In this book Bishop, while referring to his previous work, emphasizes the role of leadership in addressing the decline in literacy and numeracy. He advocates for school leaders to take ownership to foster and support high pedagogical standards among educators.
A significant focus is placed on “implementation fidelity,” which Bishop connects to the Māori concept of tikanga, or doing things the right way. He believes that this approach is essential for realizing intended outcomes and ensuring consistent educational practices.

As a way of insuring fidelity Bishop introduces an acronym, GPILSEO, which stands for Goals, Pedagogy, Infrastructure, Leadership, Spread, Evidence, and Ownership. This framework outlines a comprehensive approach to reform for all New Zealand schools:

• Goals: Establish clear, SMART objectives focused on equity.
• Pedagogy: Implement a common code of practice known as North-East Relational Based Pedagogy.
• Infrastructure: Develop supportive structures for sustained pedagogical effectiveness.
• Leadership: Distribute leadership skills to enhance school governance.
• Spread: Involve all stakeholders, including teachers, leaders, and the community.
• Evidence: Create systems to collect and utilize data for decision-making.
• Ownership: Promote collective responsibility through careful planning and self-review.

Bishop spends a large amount of space in the book breaking down each of these aspects and providing contexts for leaders to work from.
In particular he dedicates a large amount of time on challenging leaders to develop support systems and infrastructure within schools to enable staff to Teach to the North-East. Essentially this book is a reminder to Principals and Senior Leaders that this is their responsibility.
As part of the infrastructure section Bishop advocates for the adoption of the Hattie and Marzano’s teaching model. This model provides a structured approach to teaching and learning with eight key steps, broken into three phases.

• Induction Phase:
  1. Clear lesson focus
  2. Overt instruction
  3. Multiple learner familiarization opportunities.
• Trialing Phase:
  4. Diverse contextual learning exposures
  5. Actionable feedback and feedforward mechanisms.
• Application:
  6. Application of knowledge in subsequent learning phases
  7. Problem Solving with peer collaboration.
• Reflection:
  8. Fostering student self-efficacy to reinforce belief in their capabilities.

Bishop believes this model should be evident in all school in all learning contexts. This includes teacher-student interactions to system-level management, promoting a cohesive and inclusive educational environment.

The book’s practical application is illustrated through case studies highlighting Leading to the North-East with Sylvia Park, Te Kura Tuatahio Papaioea, and Kerikeri High, showcasing successful reforms.

Notably, Emeritus Professor John Hattie lauds Bishop’s method for its potential to quickly rectify the educational underachievement of Māori students, praising the fusion of urgency and hope in Bishop’s narrative.

“Russell Bishop shows that we already know how to truly improve the learning lives of Māori (and thence all other students), such that their culture is not left at the gate.  His anger, insights, and hope imbue this book, from the 3 case schools, the model of learning and instruction, and his lifetime evidence of the major impacts of his program.  He shows that it only takes 2 years for every school in NZ to truly make a difference IF we want to and commit to Bishop’s fundamental premises and ideas.  It can be done, it has been done, it should be done.“
Emeritus Professor John Hattie, University of Melbourne

Russell Bishop’s Leading to the North-East is an excellent text for educators, policymakers, and leaders seeking a detailed framework for educational equity and excellence.

By integrating respected pedagogical models and a comprehensive reform strategy, Bishop provides a clear recipe for transformative change in education, particularly benefiting Māori and marginalized students. This book is a call to reevaluate and reconstruct the educational paradigms that shape New Zealand’s schools.

Personal Notes