The Principals (Aotearoa | New Zealand)

In this episode, we speak with Melissa Bell, former principal of Maniototo Area School, secondary school winner of the New Zealand Education Excellence Award for Student Engagement and Attendance. We discuss how her rural kura lifted regular attendance from 51.5% to 82.5% in just two years, how family responsibilities in a farming community shape school attendance, and the flow-on effect the changes made have had on co-curricular participation and NCEA literacy and numeracy results.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

In this episode, we continue the conversation with Regan, Lysandra and Jess on the practical side of AI. We discuss policy, staff training, how to work with the risks rather than shut things down, what advice they would give a principal who is only just starting out, and what a principal's role might look like in 10 years.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Our guests are:

Regan Williams, tumuaki of Te Kura o Rotokawa in Rotorua

Lysandra Stuart, tumuaki of Glenbrook School in South Auckland

Jess Ward, tumuaki of Paraparaumu Beach School on the Kāpiti Coast

Additional information

ERO report: Ready or not: How are schools responding to Artificial Intelligence? Summary Report https://www.evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/ready-or-not-how-are-schools-responding-to-artificial-intelligence-summary-report

In this episode, we meet three tumuaki who are already deep into using AI in their kura. They share how their interest began, what they have built, and how AI is changing planning, assessment and reporting in their schools. We also discuss what it means to keep humans in the driver's seat.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Our guests are:

Regan Williams, tumuaki of Te Kura o Rotokawa in Rotorua

Lysandra Stuart, tumuaki of Glenbrook School in South Auckland

Jess Ward, tumuaki of Paraparaumu Beach School on the Kāpiti Coast

Additional information

ERO report: Ready or not: How are schools responding to Artificial Intelligence? Summary Report https://www.evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/ready-or-not-how-are-schools-responding-to-artificial-intelligence-summary-report

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Stuart McNaughton ONZM to discuss his book Building on our strengths: Improving education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rather than focusing solely on the challenges facing our education system, the book argues that understanding and building on what we already do well is key to improving outcomes for all learners. We explore what those strengths are, how they translate to the everyday work of school leaders, and what tumuaki can take from the research to strengthen their own practice and their communities.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Our guest is Professor Stuart McNaughton ONZM, Professor of Education at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and former Chief Education Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Education.

In this episode, we celebrate an NZEEA win in the Quality Teaching and Instruction, Junior category with the team from Sommerville School, New Zealand's largest specialist school. We discuss the four pillars behind their award winning workforce strategy and the systems that have helped lift staff retention significantly over the past two years.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Our guests are:

Belinda Johnston, principal at Sommerville School

Emma Cooper, associate principal at Sommerville School.