Education Commons^™

Nourishing Teachers’ Leadership For Learning: Insights From Practitioner Research, Simon Clarke

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This session contends that leadership and learning are mutually supporting and reinforcing. It is only recently that attempts have been made to describe in practice the complex connections existing between the two activities by drawing on empirical evidence. To this end, this session will depict ways in which leadership and learning are indispensable to each other in day-to-day teachers’ work, and the implications this symbiosis has for practice. Firstly, the session will consider the key foundations and principles of leadership for learning, especially as they relate to the Carpe Vitam international leadership for learning research project. Secondly, we will discuss …

Enhancing Instructional Leadership: Lessons From The Nsw Literacy And Numeracy Action Plan, Tim Wyatt

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Over the past decade, schools, school systems and governments at all levels have invested heavily in enhancing the quality of school leadership. The Australian Government-funded National Partnerships (2012–2014) identified principal leadership as one of its explicit goals. More recently, the emphasis of leadership development has been on enhancing instructional leadership. This paper describes an approach to enhancing instructional leadership adopted as part of the NSW Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan (2012–2016), which was the particular approach of the NSW government school sector. The three school sectors in NSW each adopted different models for their implementation of the Action Plan relevant …

Capabilities Required For Leading Improvement: Challenges For Researchers And Developers, Viviane Robinson

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The leadership of improvement is a challenging task, requiring capability in 1) using relevant knowledge to 2) solve complex educational problems, while 3) building relationships of trust with those involved. In this keynote address, Viviane describes what she has learned from her leadership research and development program about each of these three leadership capabilities. In addressing the first of these leadership capabilities, she describes key findings about how leaders’ relevant knowledge intersect with their ability to build trust and solve the problems that stand in the way of their improvement goals. Her discussion of the second capability draws on empirical …

Acer Research Conference Proceedings (2017), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Educational leaders play a crucial role in setting directions for improvement and innovation. Leaders – whether or not they are in formal leadership roles – create the tone of an institution, set priorities and directions for change, build coherence and shared commitment across the community and maintain a sharp focus on measurable improvements in student outcomes. Effective leaders take a deep interest in the quality of teaching and learning. They closely monitor indicators of student achievement and wellbeing and promote institution-wide conversations and professional learning focused on improving teaching and learning processes and student outcomes. They also form partnerships with …

Teachers Report Card: Teachers' Perceptions Of Education And Their Profession, Australian College Of Educators

Australian College of Educators - National

The inaugural ASG-ACE Teachers Report Card, a joint initiative between ASG and the Australian College of Educators (ACE) surveyed teachers on a range of issues including testing, curriculum, stress, wellbeing, support, engagement, satisfaction, technology and opportunity at schools. The report confirmed teachers are passionate about their job, with 96 per cent of respondents saying they find teaching rewarding, and 91 per cent of teachers either 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied' with their profession. Nine out of 10 teachers reported a sense of pride about their profession and speak positively about their jobs to their friends and family. This is not surprising …

Infographic: Out-Of-Field Teaching, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

A new ACER report looks at the extent to which secondary school teachers in Australia are teaching subjects they haven't specialised in during their studies. It includes data on the proportion of Years 7-10 teachers teaching out-of-field in 20 subject areas.

Using Data, Conversations And Observations For School Improvement, Kathryn Moyle

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

Conversations and observations about school-based data and individual improvements in classroom practices can form some of the more powerful parts of a school’s overall approach to professional learning deliberately aimed at gaining improvements. The success of such strategies depends on the development of a school culture of trust, and the use of effective communication strategies. In this paper Professor Kathryn Moyle outlines the steps school leadership can take in establishing a basis for conversations and observations, conducting coaching and mentoring conversations and building a culture of trust. The focus in this paper is on the professional learning purposes of using …

Supporting Leadership Preparation In Indonesia, Kathryn Moyle

International Developments

Kathryn Moyle reports on an evaluation of a professional learning program for aspiring school principals in Indonesia.

Five Challenges In Australian School Education, Geoff N. Masters Ao

Policy Insights

There is no shortage of challenges in school education. Some of the biggest challenges we face can appear frustratingly intractable. Despite reform efforts, regular government reviews and ongoing calls for change, progress in addressing our most significant challenges is often slow and solutions continue to elude us. In this paper Professor Geoff Masters discusses five significant challenges facing school education.

1. Equipping students for the 21st Century, including by increasing reading, mathematical and scientific literacy levels;
2. Reducing disparities between Australia's schools, particularly along socioeconomic lines, by ensuring that every student has access to an excellent school and excellent teaching;
3. Reducing the …

National School Improvement Tool, Geoff N. Masters

School and system improvement

Research is revealing the powerful impact that school leadership teams can have in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Effective leaders create cultures of high expectations, provide clarity about what teachers are to teach and students are to learn, establish strong professional learning communities and lead ongoing efforts to improve teaching practices. The National School Improvement Tool brings together findings from international research into the practices of highly effective schools and school leaders. The Tool assists schools to review and reflect on their efforts to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning. It supports school-wide conversations – including …

A Principal’S Working Day, Danielle Meloney

Teacher infographics

What is the task that takes up the most time in a principal's working day? Find out in this Teacher infographic.

Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013: Main Report On The Survey, Phillip Mckenzie, Paul R. Weldon, Glenn Rowley, Martin Murphy, Julie Mcmillan

School and system improvement

This report provides an overview of the results obtained from the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) 2013 survey commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The work was supported by an Advisory Committee of government and non-government school authorities and other stakeholder groups. The survey was intended to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, and to gather information to assist in future planning of the workforce. It was also designed to provide comparative and updated data following on from the previous SiAS surveys conducted in 2006-07 …

Professional Certification For Accomplished Principals: Directions For Australia, Lawrence Ingvarson

Educational leadership

This review was commissioned by Principals Australia Institute. Its purpose is twofold: to review approaches to assessing and evaluating principals internationally; and, to draw on this review in developing recommendations for building a rigorous and beneficial professional certification system for accomplished principals in Australia. There is widespread agreement that our society needs to place greater value on the important and complex work of teachers and principals (Productivity Commission 2012). Whether that happens will depend in large part on our capacity to develop standards for successful practice and rigorous methods for assessing those who meet them. Our ability to recognise and …

Lleap Dialogue Series (No.3) : Growing Ideas Through Evidence, Michelle Anderson, Emma Curtin

Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP)

Evaluation of outcomes is the key area of focus for LLEAP. How do you monitor and evaluate the impact of what you are doing? Evaluating can be a challenge and the reasons for this vary. Sometimes it is seen as costing too much. In other cases, it is knowing what or how to evaluate that are the hurdles to overcome; while some think that evaluation is what academics do, that there is only one ‘right’ way to evaluate or that evaluation is for ‘acquittal’ purposes only. This year’s Guide has been designed to address some of these concerns. We do …

A Review Of Victoria’S Developmental Learning Framework For School Leaders, Lawrence Ingvarson

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

The Department of Education and Training, Victoria launched the Developmental Learning Framework for School Leaders (DLF) in March 2007 as a central component of the 2003 Blueprint for Government Schools (DET, 2003). Six years later, a decision was made to review the DLF and seek advice on the extent to which it may need revision or redevelopment.In June 2013, the Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to conduct an independent review of Framework for School Leaders (DLF). The brief was to conduct a critical assessment of the content, design, and usability of the …

Queensland Teaching And Learning Audits 2010–2012, Gabrielle Matters, Yvana Jones

School and system improvement

This paper describes the teaching and learning audits introduced in Queensland government schools in the period 2010-2012. The teaching and learning audits were based on an audit tool developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for the Queensland Department of Education and Training (DET). The audit tool was a precursor to the National School Improvement Tool and, in 2010-2012, consisted of the first eight domains of the final tool. The Queensland experience provides a valuable case study of one education system’s use of the tool as a basis for external school reviews, school self-evaluations and school improvement planning.

Australian College Of Educators College Medal And Fellowship (Face) Awards 2012, Australian College Of Educators

Australian College of Educators - National

In 2012 the College Medal was presented to Ms Dorothy Hoddinott AO, FACE for outstanding service to school education and the teaching profession through her leadership and achievement, especially in relation to teaching English as a Second Language and students from disadvantaged and refugee backgrounds. Fellowship of the Australian College of Educators is one of the highest honours that the College can bestow, and should be seen by College Members and Fellows, and by the wider education community, to be a recognition of outstanding and distinctive contributions to the advancement of education. 2012 Fellowships were awarded to: Dr Kathryn Brennan …

The Hard Work Of Improvement, Geoff N. Masters

School and system improvement

A common strategy for promoting improved employee or organisational performance is to place a strong focus on organisational results. The perceived advantage of focusing on results is that it clarifies and concentrates effort on the main game: the key purpose of the organisation's work. It also provides a basis for evaluating employee performance. As part of their drive for improvement, organisations also sometimes attach incentives to results, either in the form of rewards or sanctions. There is growing evidence, however, that focusing on results alone is an ineffective improvement strategy in many contexts and often leads to unintended behaviours. There …

Australian College Of Educators College Medal And Fellowship (Face) Awards 2011, Australian College Of Educators

Australian College of Educators - National

The College Medal may be awarded to an Australian educator working in this or any other country who has made sustained, outstanding contributions to any field of educational practice, theory or discourse. In 2011 it was awarded to Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley AO. Fellowship of the Australian College of Educators is one of the highest honours that the College can bestow, and should be seen by College Members and Fellows, and by the wider education community, to be a recognition of outstanding and distinctive contributions to the advancement of education. 2011 Fellowships were awarded to: Dr Berenice Mary Kerr FACE …

Australian College Of Educators Fellowship (Face) Awards 2010, Australian College Of Educators

Australian College of Educators - National

Fellowship of the Australian College of Educators is one of the highest honours that the College can bestow, and should be seen by College Members and Fellows, and by the wider education community, to be a recognition of outstanding and distinctive contributions to the advancement of education. Fellows awarded in 2010 were: Associate Professor Steve Wilson FACE (NSW); Dr Anne Benjamin FACE (NSW); Dr Fay Haisley FACE (QLD); Dr Gordon Young FACE (VIC); Dr Helen Drennen FACE (VIC); Dr Steve Nisbet FACE (QLD); Dr Susan Stevens FACE (VIC); Mr Clifford Cowdroy FACE (NSW); Mr Frank Sal FACE (VIC); Mr Ian …

Production Of A Prototype Online Leadership Learning Tool And System For Australian Universities, Geoff Scott, Hamish Coates, Michelle Anderson

Higher education research

This ALTC project has involved more than 600 experienced leaders in higher education within and beyond Australia in the production of a comprehensive Online Leadership Learning System (OLLS) for our universities. The report outlines the project's outcomes, approach and methodology; indicates its contribution to the field; identifies key factors assisting and constraining success; summarises its achievements in terms of dissemination and linkages; and evaluates its quality and impact.

Teaching And Learning School Improvement Framework, Geoff N. Masters

Monitoring Learning

The Teaching and Learning School Improvement Framework brings together findings from research into the practices of highly effective school leaders. The focus of the Framework is not on everything that effective leaders do, but on those leadership practices that appear to be most directly related to school-wide improvements in teaching and learning. The Framework was developed initially in collaboration with the Queensland Department of Education and Training and was used as the basis for a teaching and learning ‘audit’ of every government school in that state during the 2010 school year. The Framework consists of eight interrelated ‘domains’. Each domain …

Leadership In Indigenous Education, Nola Purdie, Jenny Wilkinson

Indigenous Education Research

This brief scoping paper was developed around the theme of ‘What’s happening in Indigenous leadership in education in Australian schools?’ A dual focus for this theme was noted: leadership for Indigenous education; and leadership by Indigenous principals and teachers.

The authors provide an overview of current issues in educational leadership that were derived, in the main, from papers presented at the 2007 ACER conference on educational leadership. Current offerings and opportunities in the area of Indigenous leadership and leadership for Indigenous education include those operating through the Australian Principals Associations Professional Development Council (APAPDC), principally through the Dare to Lead …

The Leadership Challenge : Improving Learning In Schools, Bill Mulford

Australian Education Review

AER 53 elaborates on issues raised by the ACER Research Conference 2007: The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools. This conference was significant in that it identified leadership as an area of interest to school leaders requiring explicit policy development at both a school and system level.This review aims to demonstrate that a great deal of a school's success depends on which areas of school life the educational leader chooses to spend time and attention. Section 1 describes the three interrelated, or nested, elements of leadership. Beginning from the outside and moving inward to the core these are: school …