A day-long sequence of workshops introduced at National Education Summit in Melbourne will unpack research-informed practices and approaches to school improvement and what this implies about effective leadership.
Teachers interested in how to take the next step in their career – not necessarily in pursuit of principalship, but rather, leadership – are the focus of a new conference stream introduced this year to the National Education Summit.
‘Research to Reality for Aspiring Leaders’ will make its debut at the event in Melbourne in August that delivers up-to-date and innovative content for teachers and schools.
Facilitated by ACER Senior Research Fellows Dr Christine Payard and Julie Murkins, the new stream is designed to expose aspiring leaders to current research and practice in relation to school improvement and leadership.
Ms Margo Metcalf, Creative Director of the International Expo Group, organisers of the National Education Summit, confirms the new stream will be run by supporting partner Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
“The whole concept around this one-day stream is to help teachers answer the question, What’s my career pathway? How do I get from where I am to where I want to be?” Ms Metcalf says.
“Julie Murkins and Dr Chris Payard will talk about the research that ACER conducts around leadership for school improvement and conduct the day-long conference to help teachers position themselves for career progression. They expect it to be a very well-attended event.”
Ms Metcalf continues: “Julie and Chris work with education system leaders who work to support school principals and leadership teams. They also work with school principals across multiple Australian and international jurisdictions. They are looking forward to the opportunity of working with aspiring leaders, and to provide them with some of the capabilities they see as being critical to leadership development.”
Participants in the one-day stream will explore the implications of research in their own context and make connections with other teacher leaders, she says.
“There are a lot of classroom teachers that are happy to be classroom teachers for their whole career. There are others that aspire to be a leader. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean the principal, but it might be the head of department, or it might be on the executive team at their current school,” Ms Metcalf says.
“This stream is a support mechanism for them to map how to get there. For example, do they need to go back to university to complete further study? ACER also offers professional development for teachers and this event provides a snapshot of an aspiring leaders pathway.”
A series of modules
As a precursor to the Research to Reality program’s five modules, participants in the stream will be asked to identify (and subsequently ‘track’) a school-based challenge from their own setting, reflecting on current practices and approaches, applying new knowledge and skills to that challenge as the modules are unpacked.
The first module exposes participants to current evidence-based theories and constructs, which seek to describe the emergent challenges facing school leaders.
“Using a social constructivist approach, the module will orientate participants to evidence-based theories and allow for the drawing of connections to their own contexts,” the facilitators say.
“We will share perspectives and reflect, consolidate and plan for action in the light of new knowledge and understanding.”
The second module explores current research describing conditions conducive to ‘collective efficacy’. Participants will draw upon their own experiences of leaders and leadership and consider their own capabilities when fostering professional growth in others.
Using ACER’s School Improvement Tool (SIT) and the Principal Performance Improvement Tool (PPIT), in the third module participants will explore the practices of effective leadership and how leaders grow the effectiveness of their teachers.
“Exploring the domains of highly effective school leadership, this session will give consideration to how to create school-wide evidence-informed approaches to improved student learning and wellbeing outcomes,” the facilitators say.
The fourth module focuses on what constitutes effective implementation of improvement strategies.
“In assessing various approaches, and by reflecting on lived experiences of implementing strategies in schools, participants will be asked to consider dosage, fidelity, quality and acceptability as measures of effectiveness.”
In the fifth, and last, module, participants will return to the challenge they identified at the beginning of the stream and further unpack leadership for improvement.
Registration
‘Research to Reality for Aspiring Leaders’ will take place on Thursday 28 August at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Early bird rates end 31 May 2025. Register at www.nationaleducationsummit.com.au
