Blogs and Messages

Still buzzing from Scarborough — and looking ahead!

By Lisa Newland posted 19 hours ago
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Still buzzing from Scarborough—and looking ahead! What an incredible few days we shared at our National Conference in Scarborough. There was energy, generosity and a real sense of possibility as educational leaders from across Australia came together to learn, challenge their thinking and make new connections. To everyone who “made the trek”—thank you! Scarborough certainly rewarded us with a spectacular setting, but it was the people who made the experience so special. A particular thank you to our concurrent presenters. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with delegates highlighting the interactive sessions, practical ...
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QLD Branch News: October 2026

By Bruce Addison posted 6 days ago
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Organisational Kryptonite: Strategy and Culture as Bold Change Agents When talking about organisations, Peter Drucker’s purported maxim that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’ is oft quoted. At first glance or hearing, it sounds entirely appropriate. On reflection, I have often wondered about it. At various times throughout my career, it has jarred and jarred significantly. Organisational culture is highly significant. It forms the basis of our professional lives both positively and negatively. When it is positive, it can be sustaining on so many levels. When it is negative, it can be a marked psycho-social hazard. Dysfunctional or tolerated ...
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SA Branch News: October 2026

By Martyn Anderson posted 6 days ago
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ACEL National Conference 2026 The ACEL National Conference was held in Perth in early October under the theme Bold Leadership . While discussions explored artificial intelligence, innovation, future-focused learning, assessment, and educational transformation, they consistently returned to the deeply human qualities that underpin great leadership: trust, purpose, relationships, judgement, courage, belonging, and hope. Perhaps the most significant insight was that leadership in education remains, at its core, a profoundly human endeavour. Schools are places of relationships, students are individuals ...
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VIC Branch News: October 2026

By Cameron Paterson posted 6 days ago
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The Research Says So “Teachers need permission and the skills to disrupt, pushback, not be gagged.” ( AARE ) A recent ACEL Victoria webinar, facilitated by Steve Kolber, got me thinking about what happens when evidence-based becomes shorthand for the research says so. Should teachers just implement what research says, or interpret evidence and adapt it to their students and context? The problem isn't that education has become evidence-based. The problem is that we've become way too narrow about what we mean by evidence. Research can tell us what tends to work across contexts, but teaching isn’t about applying ...
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WA Branch News: October 2026

By Rachael Lehr posted 6 days ago
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Last week, Perth was lucky enough to host the 2026 ACEL National Conference (in partnership with the Australian Council for Educational Research ) here at Scarborough Beach, and what an extraordinary three days it was! The National Conference brought together educators, leaders and thinkers from across Australia to explore what it means to lead boldly in a rapidly changing educational landscape. With more than 75 pages of handwritten notes by the end of the conference, distilling the experience into a handful of reflections was no easy task. What follows is therefore very much through my own leadership lens: the ideas that stayed with me, challenged ...
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Message from the President, Term 3 2026

By Elizabeth Foster posted 10-09-2026
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As the Australian Council for Educational Leaders, we lead with courage, think differently and contribute to shaping the future of education. Leadership in complexity, the future of learning and the evolving role of educators are all discussed in this edition as we consider the concept of Bold Leadership: New Frontiers in Education. As leaders of education, we do not simply respond to the moment, we are architects of the future. Recently, in working alongside the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), we have contributed to their national foresight initiative, Future Teacher Future Leader. This initiative is designed to support ...
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Message from the CEO, Term 3 2026

By Lisa Newland posted 10-09-2026
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Bold Leadership: Seeing Opportunity Where Others See Obligation There is a question I find myself asking often as a leader: Is this simply a task to complete, or is it an opportunity to create something meaningful and connect to something bigger? The distinction matters. Every day, educational leaders make hundreds of decisions. Many appear operational on the surface—reviewing policies, managing budgets, responding to compliance requirements, restructuring teams, and updating governance documents. Necessary work. Important work. But bold leaders see something more. They understand that every operational task contains a strategic ...
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QLD Branch News: September 2026

By Bruce Addison posted 03-09-2026
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The ‘Meatballness’ of Schools Reflections on school leadership and our social compact Late last month we had our annual Awards celebration at St James College, Spring Hill. It was a truly memorable evening when we could all pause and celebrate our wonderful profession. Educators from near and far were recognised for their incredible skillsets, professional devotion, leadership acumen and all-round goodness. It truly was a celebration of what it means to lead, and to lead across a variety of systems, sectors and communities. Everyone present would have left with a sense of awe given the individual stories underlying each leadership citation. I ...
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VIC Branch News: September 2026

By Hayley Dureau posted 03-09-2026
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ACEL VIC Branch Awards 2026 The 2026 ACEL Victoria Awards provided a wonderful opportunity to come together as an educational community and celebrate some of the exceptional people who contribute so much to education across Victoria and beyond. One of the great things about the ACEL Victoria Awards each year is the breadth of leadership they recognise. Educational leadership takes many forms and happens in many different places, including in schools and classrooms, universities and research, professional associations, community organisations and through the networks and relationships that connect our profession. This was certainly reflected in our ...
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TAS Branch News: September 2026

By Jacqui Lawless posted 03-09-2026
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ACEL TAS Branch Awards 2026 A highlight of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders Tasmanian Branch is the annual celebration and presentation of awards. ACEL TAS honours those educational leaders who in the view of their peers have made a significant contribution to the understanding and practice of educational leadership Please join us in celebration as we honour our 2026 Awardees. ACEL TAS Early Career Teacher Leadership Ella Summers Gemma Broderick Jarrod Fawdry Nellie Paynter Zoe Gilligan-Dillon ACEL TAS Teacher Leadership Award Ronan Douglas Belinda Burley Carolyn Abraham Simon McNeir Olivia Stephen Georgie Harley Ben ...
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Something to ponder: Just yell ‘duck’- Why clarity in instruction matters

By Ray Boyd posted 03-09-2026
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SOMETHING TO PONDER: JUST YELL ‘DUCK’ - WHY CLARITY IN INSTRUCTION MATTERS I was wondering what to focus on for my staff newsletter, if anything at all, when I came across this little gem titled ‘ Just Yell Duck ’ . In the now well-known clip, we witness a moment of comic brilliance that, beneath the humour, delivers a surprisingly profound message about communication. As one of the warriors challenges the king’s elaborate pre-battle speech, he cuts straight to the point: “Just yell duck!” It is a striking illustration of what can happen when clarity is lost in a sea of well-intentioned (but ultimately unhelpful) words ...
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ACEL Constitution Review

By Elizabeth Foster posted 19-08-2026
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We are incredibly respectful of our past whilst also firmly looking to the future as we continue to be Australia's member-driven community for educational leadership. As the association that supports educators at every career stage through professional learning, partnerships and networks that shape the future of our profession, we will continue to position ourselves in leading for the future. It matters to us that structures of governance enable opportunities for leaders to connect, contribute and drive meaningful change within their schools, systems and communities. We will continue to position ourselves for this to occur through mentoring, coaching, conferences ...
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WA Branch News: August 2026

By Rachael Lehr posted 05-08-2026
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Leaders, What Are You Bestowing? I recently listened to the audiobook version of Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. This book is a work of fiction that is not focused on leadership, and also does not fit into my usual crime novel genre that I read to break up my doctoral studies. That said, as I listened, I reflected on the way the story lends a beautiful lens through which we can reflect on education and leadership. Theo of Golden is a captivating (for me anyhow) story that follows Theo, an elderly man who arrives in the fictional town of Golden and begins buying and “bestowing” the portraits on display in a local coffee shop to the people depicted ...
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ACEL National Inclusion and Disability Conference

By Charlotte Forwood posted 05-08-2026
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ACEL National Inclusion and Disability Conference “Do we talk to parents about diversity as a strength?” Professor Martin Westwell, Chief Executive of the Department of Education in South Australia invited attendees at the ACEL Inclusion and Diversity Conference held in Adelaide this year, to consider the culture shift that is needed to ensure we are truly inclusive and to understand what we really mean when we use the term diversity. It was a conference where educators and leaders were challenged to lead and provoke, to truly believe that all students are capable of high expectations (Kathleen Janecek), to reflect on how and if what ...
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QLD Branch News: August 2026

By Bruce Addison posted 05-08-2026
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ACEL Branch Awards 2026 It is with great pleasure to announce this year’s list of ACELQ Award recipients . It was exciting to receive so many nominations. One of the defining features of our ACEL Awards is that they are proudly peer nominated. The 2026 award recipients represent a broad cross-section of educational leadership across the State, Catholic and Independent sectors. This cross-sectoral representation highlights ACEL’s strength as a truly representative professional association. This year’s Miller-Grassie Award recipient is Mr Brendan Cahill. The Miller-Grassie Award is Queensland’s pinnacle ACEL award, recognising outstanding educational ...
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ACEL Shaping the Future Together Toolkit - Now Available

By Lisa Newland posted 22-07-2026
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Shaping the Future Together The future is not something that happens to us. It is something we create. Across Australia, educational leaders are navigating unprecedented complexity. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we think about learning. Communities are changing. Expectations of schools continue to evolve. New opportunities are emerging alongside new challenges. The future feels both exciting and uncertain. In this environment, leadership is no longer simply about responding well to change. It is about helping to shape what comes next. That question sits at the heart of this toolkit. It also sits at the heart of ACEL’s work. As an ...
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Meet Our 2026 National Awardees

By Lisa Newland posted 15-07-2026
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ACEL 2026 awardees – recognition of the profession by the profession We are delighted to announce this year’s 2026 National Award winners and New Voice Scholars and are looking forward to formally celebrating their achievements at our Awards Ceremony during the National Conference in Perth from 30 September - 2 October 2026. These awards are presented to those individuals or teams who have made a significant educational contribution and influenced education at a national level in Australia and beyond. ACEL Gold Medal Andy Mison, Australian Secondary Principals' Association (ASPA) ACEL National Fellowships Dr Adrian ...
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QLD Branch News: July 2026

By Bruce Addison posted 01-07-2026
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The Power of Ouch: Leadership with Clothes, with Apologies to the Emperor A few weeks ago, The Weekend Australian Magazine had a superb article by Charlotte Ree entitled “ The Power of Ouch: My New Friend Offers a Beautiful Lesson ”. The following quote is instructive. Recently, Miranda looked at her friend’s face, swollen lightly from chemotherapy, and asked if she was feeling alright. “You look a little puffy,” they commented. “Ouch,” she replied. It’s a tiny act of honesty. Immediate. Sharp. Decisive. A clear incision through the theatre of politeness, where our pain is often forced to sit in silence. Too often people release ...
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WA Branch News: July 2026

By Rachael Lehr posted 01-07-2026
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Leading in a Climate of Change: Courage, Clarity and Connection Earlier this month, we hosted a fabulous Hot Topic event, Leading in a Climate of Change , which brought together three generous and insightful leaders from across the Western Australian education sector, Peter Allen, Principal of Guildford Grammar School; Lisa Fogliani, Principal of Aranmore Catholic College; and Stephen Jeffrey from the Campaigns and Projects team at the Department of Education, for an evening of conversation. Hosted by Dr Ray Boyd, Principal of Dayton Primary School and one of our ACEL WA executive team, the evening explored what it means to lead, not only through change, ...
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ACT Branch News: June 2026

By Sandra Darley posted 03-06-2026
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Dear colleagues, Members and guests joined us at the National Portrait Gallery last Friday for our premier event, our annual Breakfast with the ACT Minister for Education Yvette Berry. We were also very privileged this year to be joined by our National President Liz Foster who flew in from Queensland to join us. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY Minister Yvette Berry spoke with great aspiration about the profession and the future of education in the ACT taking questions from patrons. This was once again one of our largest gathering of attendees at the Ministers Breakfast and on behalf of the ACT Branch Executive I thank our distinguished guests, System leaders, ...
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