Featured Blogs and Messages

The Power of Connection

By Maree Whiteley posted 22 days ago
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The Power of Connection "Foster communities, not competition… The Power of Us is only possible when agency is present. Build agency within learning communities and watch the learning flourish." David Price, The Power of Us (2022) In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, one principle remains steadfast: learning thrives in community. The concept of building Learning Communities (LCs) has gained momentum as a transformative approach to fostering collaboration, innovation, and growth among educators, students, and stakeholders. This article explores the immense value of LCs and their potential to significantly enhance professional learning ...
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Generosity and Gratitude

By Charlotte Forwood posted 23 days ago
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Generosity. A word with origins in the 15 th century, meaning magnanimous. A later meaning of unselfish or plentiful appeared in the 1600s. Gratitude. A word with origins in the mid 15 th century meaning good will. A later meaning of thankfulness appeared from the 1560s. These are two words to amplify in education. The world is a volatile place and much of our social media feeds, newspaper content and television news are intense. In the education space, there are continual cross sector arguments, disagreements about instructional practices and too many examples of young people being let down, however there is so much that is inspiring and impactful in ...
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Message from the President, Term 1 2025

By Elizabeth Foster posted 11-03-2025
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There is always a sense of hope and optimism in beginning a new year. Perhaps this is found in the inspiration we draw from each other, our colleagues, and our students in both reflection and recognition of progress as we look to the year ahead. We are fortunate for the leadership legacy of those in our profession who we have had the privilege of learning with and from. In particular, as the Australian Council for Educational Leaders, we thank Dr Briony Scott for her sustained, considered and truly inspirational leadership. A remarkable tenure as President for ACEL, we thank Dr Scott for her stories, humility, intellect and thoughts shared. For her encouragement ...
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Message from the CEO, Term 1 2025

By Barbara Watterston posted 11-03-2025
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Holidays give us time to pause, to delight in the presence and joy of the simple moments, and to embrace stillness. As the new year unfolds, it inspires us to plan with renewed energy and vision, setting the stage for new possibilities and aspirations. At ACEL as we embark on the development of our new strategic plan, we reflect on the footsteps that have gone before us, and visualise what we need to do to build on this legacy – to connect, share, belong and lead. I am in awe of the unique talents, gifts and leadership of our ACEL presidents. As we farewelled the equanimous Dr Briony Scott we warmly welcome Liz Foster, whose infectious energy and commitment ...
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A Coaching Approach for Leadership

By Jette Oksis posted 04-03-2025
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A Coaching Approach for Leadership A story resonates from my first coaching course I did in which a Deputy Principal had, for a few years, been meeting regularly with a student and his parent to create attendance plans to ensure the child attended school more frequently and on time. She shared with us the power in which changing the approach to one of coaching the parent had led to significant and immediate positive results. Rather than telling the parent what needed to happen, the parent was asked what the ideal would be and then was able to own the possible tactics and habits that could be employed to increase the attendance of the student. For me, ...
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The Destructive Power Of False Dichotomies In Education

By Melissa Riley posted 04-03-2025
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The Destructive Power Of False Dichotomies In Education Teachers make critical decisions every day. It is inherent in the role for them to be quick thinkers, agile in their responsiveness to the needs of their colleagues, the school, its students and their families, demonstrating nuanced consistency in their interactions with students across the school day (it isn’t as oxymoronic as it sounds), all while maintaining a level of professionalism. It is a complex matrix with which teachers and school leaders need to grapple, every day. Education as a sector, and educators as professionals, also must deal with the layers of intervention from outsiders ...
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ACEL National Awards and Branch Awards 2025 – nominations now open!

By Elizabeth Foster posted 21-02-2025
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Our Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) is a dynamic and collaborative learning community. We are one where educators come together to share ideas and work towards our commitment to improve the quality of learning for all. We are members of a profession that extends to us the opportunity and privilege to make a positive difference in the lives of young people. This week the Australian Council for Educational Leaders open our call for 2025 National and Branch award nominations, perhaps best considered as recognition of the profession by the profession. We look to recognising educational leaders who, in the view of ...
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Something to Ponder - Life

By Ray Boyd posted 05-02-2025
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Late last year, I took the Minister for Home Affairs to see Professor Alice Roberts at the Perth Convention Centre. Roberts’ presentation ‘ From Cell to Civilisation ’ took the audience on a breathtaking journey through the evolution of life, exploring how complexity arises from simplicity and how interconnected systems drive progress. A narrative that offered profound lessons for us as educators, and something that I found myself thinking about as I reflected on the parallels between the natural world and the classroom ecosystem. At the heart of Roberts’ presentation were two powerful questions: “How did we get here?” and “Where did we come from?” ...
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Leading with Grace, Navigating Professional set-backs

By Fiona Hutton posted 05-11-2024
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Leading with Grace, Navigating Professional set-backs In the competitive world of senior education roles, experiencing unsuccessful applications or facing job loss is a reality that unfortunately, many educational leaders must confront. As the Managing Director of an Australian educational consultancy, with many years of experience in placing principals and senior leaders across Australia, I've observed numerous ways candidates respond to feedback or as part of a performance management process. Facing rejection is a difficult process, however, unfortunately, not all responses are constructive. In this article, I'd like to share some insights on how ...
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The Unchanging Truth: Good Teaching Transcends Policy

By Kirsten Macaulay posted 04-10-2024
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The Unchanging Truth: Good Teaching Transcends Policy As we reflect on the ever-changing landscape of education in New South Wales, it’s crucial to remember that whilst policies may ebb and flow, the heart of our profession remains steadfast: good teaching positively impacts students. In recent years, we've witnessed a flurry of educational reforms and initiatives sweep across our state. From curriculum overhauls, assessment modifications to directives to teach explicitly, we could succumb to overwhelm by the constant flux. However, amidst this sea of change, we must not lose sight of what matters—the privilege we have of shaping young minds that ...
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Message from the President, Term 3 2024

By Briony Scott posted 06-09-2024
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Welcome to the third issue of AEL for 2024, where we look at a future beyond boundaries, for our students, families, and profession. “Boundaries” is a common word in our vernacular to describe the edge or end of one space or concept and the beginning of another. It is the main prop in science fiction tales, where the protagonist enters unknown worlds, and dangers loom from within every shadow! New frontiers are claimed, new ground is explored, and new lands discovered. For those who are brave enough to leap into the unknown, and clever enough to survive, boundaries are what stand between us and grand adventures! There is another perspective we can ...
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Message from the CEO, Term 3 2024

By Barbara Watterston posted 06-09-2024
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In reflecting on our theme of a future beyond boundaries, we know this is not an either/or proposition constrained by polarities. As we acknowledge and celebrate our 2024 peer nominated ACEL National Awardees and New Voice Scholars, we see in our incredible colleagues where boundaries are not barriers to influence and impact; they are safe places to support, flourish, and grow. We can see in our branch activities where opportunities are underscored by a manifesto to inspire and engage teachers and leaders taking pride in being members of our profession; where relationships extend well beyond the confines of the school grounds; where separation between work life ...
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VIC Branch News: September 2024

By Annette Rome posted 03-09-2024
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Do you want to be a Principal? When asked if people want to be a principal, the answer is often either a flat out ‘no’ or ‘not sure’ and rarely does the question receive a resoundingly positive response. Curiously, a fourth cohort exists, believing they should already be a principal (often stating they could do a better job than their current principal). The reality is that principal preparation is a body of knowledge and work that needs to be explored so that one can make an informed decision either way. Often perceptions of principal work can be focussed on the conferences, the lunches, the opportunities, the faithful and devoted EA at one’s beck and call ...
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Middle Leaders in Schools

By David Gurr posted 28-08-2024
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Middle Leaders in Schools I have been emersed in thinking about middle leaders in schools recently. In August, the Educational Leadership group at the Faculty of Education (University of Melbourne) hosted a two-day workshop that brought together many of the major Australasian researchers focussed on middle leaders. During this meeting we discussed the recently launched AITSL (2024) professional standards for middle leaders, and three important new survey instruments focussed on middle leaders. At the workshop we considered all of these as they provide clarity for educators and researchers about the work of middle leaders. Brief descriptions of these follow ...
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How professionals work and learn in digitalised work contexts

By Sue Bryen posted 31-07-2024
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How professionals work and learn in digitalised work contexts Technology is increasingly shaping the way educators carry out their day-to-day work, but the extent to which technology is shaping how educators work and learn is not yet fully understood. The Australian Research Council (ARC) began a research project in 2022 to investigate how Education and Health professionals in Australia learn as they work in increasingly digitalised work contexts. (Agostinho, S., et al., 2024) ACEL was one of the partner organisations that developed and distributed the survey to its members between August and November 2022. Phase 1 of this discovery project has now been ...
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ACEL Inclusion and Disability Conference

By Charlotte Forwood posted 02-07-2024
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A visit to specialist school, Henbury School, prior to the ACEL Inclusion and Disability Conference in Darwin in May, provided a glimpse of what inspirational leadership can achieve, especially for those with a disability. I met with two of the school’s Northern Territory Learning Commissioners, Aidan and Hannah who proudly explained the role and its impact on them and their school. Student leadership was seeded in the NT with the NT Learning Commission set up to provide students with a vehicle for student voice and agency. I later heard Hannah speak with confidence and conviction at the conference in her role as one of the 18 students in the NT Peak Voice ...
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Adam Voigt joins the ACEL Board

By Briony Scott posted 25-06-2024
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The ACEL Board has the option to appoint up to 4 Members as Independent Directors. Independent Directors have specific skills, capabilities and/or experience that the Board believes are appropriate for the Board in terms of diversity and representation, and which complement the Branch Appointed Directors. As a passionate advocate for teachers and school leaders who has become renowned education leader and expert, please join me in congratulating Adam Voigt who has been elected as an ACEL Independent Director. Adam’s career in schools spans more than three decades as a teacher, principal, system leader and organizational leader. His work as a ‘coalface’ ...
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Message from the President, Term 2 2024

By Briony Scott posted 06-06-2024
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Welcome to the second issue of AEL for 2024. We’ve embarked on a year that has been both inspiring and demanding, with education taking centre stage at both state and national levels. The landscape is rife with challenges, from issues of equity and equality, funding, global testing, to the integration of AI and rapid technological changes, managing societal expectations, and the task of adapting and implementing curriculum reforms. By any criteria, learning communities are complex ecosystems. In his book The Checklist Manifesto , Atul Gawande, an American surgeon and writer, states, “The volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our ability ...
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Message from the CEO, Term 2 2024

By Barbara Watterston posted 06-06-2024
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Together is better. Education is a team sport. Schools and learning organisations in any context, anywhere, know that creating the enabling conditions for teams to thrive impacts positively on performance and outcomes. No matter where you sit in an education ecosystem, highly effective teams nourish our intrinsic motivation to perform at our best, and go the extra mile as we work on something that is collectively important, valued, and meaningful to all of us. At ACEL we see this at national board level where diverse perspectives and incredible experience and expertise are brought to bear to lead an organisation with deep responsibility and thoughtful action; ...
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The Crucial Role of Educational Leadership in Navigating Curriculum Change

By Lauren Sayer posted 04-06-2024
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The Crucial Role of Educational Leadership in Navigating Curriculum Change Education is always evolving, and right now, we're experiencing significant evolution with the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 poised for full release and the Australian Curriculum Version 9 still being implemented across states and territories. These updates are crucial to keep our educational standards relevant and effective. Strong leadership, guided by a whole school vision and robust change management strategies, is essential for making these changes successful. Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0: What's New? The Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 aims ...
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