Featured Blogs and Messages

Message from the CEO, Term 4 2025

By Lisa Newland posted 11 days ago
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The following is a Message from the AEL Journal Volume 47 Issue 4 In this edition of the Australian Educational Leader , we are reminded that leadership in education is both a privilege and a responsibility—a responsibility to nurture purpose, connection, and hope in every learning community across Australia. As I begin my journey as CEO of ACEL, I am deeply conscious that our shared work takes place in a moment of profound transition: one where rapid technological change meets enduring human values, and where leadership requires the capacity to effectively support others through complexity and uncertainty. The President’s message ...
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Message from the President, Term 4 2025

By Elizabeth Foster posted 11 days ago
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The following is a Message from the AEL Journal Volume 47 Issue 4 Together, as leaders in our profession, we find ourselves at a remarkable inflection point in Australian education, a moment where the challenges we face are matched only by the unprecedented opportunities before us. In this edition of the Australian Educational Leader , we consider the purpose and meaning of schools. How will we lead our school communities with authentic, experiential and lifelong learning at the forefront? What will be our actions as leaders that place value on positive and productive relationships, learning alongside AI and ensuring ethical leadership in education? These ...
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School Capitals and School Success

By David Gurr posted 04-11-2025
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School Capitals and School Success This week I was at a presentation where Jenny Chesters, Stanley Koh, Annie Gowing, Alison Childs and Mindy MacLeod at the University of Melbourne reported on research about resource allocation in Victorian schools. They are doing this by accessing publicly available school financial data through MySchool. The research is not published yet, but they noted considerable ambiguity about, and variability in, the funding schools recieved when comparing schools of similar educational advantage; they reported variations of up to $1,000 per student in government funding for similar schools. To fully understand this variability, ...
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A Message from Our New CEO, Lisa Newland

By Lisa Newland posted 22-10-2025
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Hello everyone, It’s a genuine honour to introduce myself as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL). Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible educational leaders — across every state, every sector, and every corner of Australia. Their passion, grit, and commitment to shaping better futures have deeply influenced the way I lead and the way I see our collective purpose. As I step into this role, I do so with humility and an immense sense of responsibility. ACEL has a proud history of amplifying the voices of leaders and shaping the national conversation ...
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Message from the President, Term 3 2025

By Elizabeth Foster posted 21-10-2025
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“There are rare moments in time when you can feel a shift, when you know something extraordinary is unfolding.” These words were spoken by our Chief Executive Officer, Dr Barbara Watterston, at the conclusion of the inaugural ACEL Middle Leadership Summit held earlier this year. With the landscape of contemporary education standing at a pivotal juncture, traditional paradigms that have previously served our educational institutions are being challenged, reformed, and reimagined. At the recent Middle Leadership Summit, there was a positivity in energy around educational leadership and a feeling of momentum building around shared purpose. We witnessed a professional ...
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From Control to Curiosity

By Cameron Paterson posted 14-10-2025
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From Control to Curiosity When Dr Richard Owens accepted the Hedley Beare Educator of the Year Award at the ACEL Victorian Awards in August, he shared a definition of leadership from his friend and mentor, Dr Peter Senge: “Leadership is the ability of a community to move towards its preferred future.” This vision of leadership — collaborative, relational, place-based, systemic, and human — feels urgent in a world grappling with climate change, conflict, polarisation, threats to democracy, and widening inequity. At the same event, Victorian Branch President Dr Annette Rome reflected on how trust in the profession is often tested. Schools stand at ...
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CEO Farewell

By Barbara Watterston posted 09-10-2025
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It’s been an incredible privilege to serve as ACEL CEO over the past five years. I step down with deep gratitude and immense pride in our profession. During this time, we have navigated a landscape of profound change - through challenge, disruption, and transformation - and emerged stronger, more connected, and more purposeful. Educators across the nation have demonstrated extraordinary courage, innovation, and compassion, reminding Australia of the vital role our profession plays in shaping a just and hopeful future. What an honour it has been to walk alongside you on this journey. My heartfelt thanks go to the Board members and Presidents with whom I’ve ...
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Help shape the future of school leader wellbeing with headspace and ACEL

By Barbara Watterston posted 02-09-2025
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ACEL and Headspace Schools & Communities are partnering together to develop a nationally consistent mental health and wellbeing initiative for school leaders and their staff. Supported by our key association stakeholders, we’re inviting all school leaders across Australia to help shape a groundbreaking national pilot. What is Reflective Practice for school leaders and teams Reflective practice enables school leaders to critically examine personal experiences, decisions and professional practice within a highly supportive and focused framework. They are safe, structured conversations, led by experienced facilitators, and recognised as a highly ...
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Time for reflection

By Sarah Gunn-Glazebrook posted 20-08-2025
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Time for reflection Over the past few years, members of the ACEL Qld Branch Executive have volunteered to write a personal reflection piece for our State members. This term, we thank Ms Sarah Gunn-Glazebrook for sharing her thoughts with us. In an era where there is a chronic teacher shortage in an era of substantial societal change, how we care for our new colleagues is of vital importance. Sarah’s insights are both interesting and important. I was entrusted with my first substantive leadership position a decade ago. In a large and busy school, it was my role to support and develop early career teachers. It was a job I loved. I felt grateful ...
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Balancing the Load: The Promise of Reflective Supervision and Executive Coaching in School Leadership

By Phil Collins posted 05-08-2025
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Balancing the Load: The Promise of Reflective Supervision and Executive Coaching in School Leadership The 2024 Australian Catholic University (ACU) Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey underscores the demanding realities faced by school leaders across Australia. Increasing workload, complexity and the emotional labour involved shine a spotlight on the ongoing challenge of sustaining leaders’ wellbeing within these high-pressure roles (ACU, 2024). Reflective supervision is becoming recognised as a promising support approach for school leaders. It provides a safe, confidential space where leaders can consider the emotional ...
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Leading with a Service Mindset: The Power and Paradox of Servant Leadership in Schools

By Fiona Hutton posted 05-08-2025
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Leading with a Service Mindset: The Power and Paradox of Servant Leadership in Schools Introduction: Leading from a Foundation of Service I grew up in a large Baptist family, one of eight siblings — where service was not an abstract concept but a way of life. My parents modelled it daily. They were deeply involved in missionary work and opened our home to foster babies and young children with special needs. Service was woven into the fabric of our family’s values, shaping how we saw the world and our place in it. The message was clear: leadership is not about being in charge; it is about caring for the needs of others and working for the good of the ...
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Mapping the Path or Going with the Flow? Exploring Pathways to Teacher Leadership

By Corinna Robertson posted 05-08-2025
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Mapping the Path or Going with the Flow? Exploring Pathways to Teacher Leadership Do we want to have our career mapped out, or are we happy to ‘go with the flow’? This question resonates deeply with many educators as they navigate the dynamic and sometimes unpredictable path of their professional journey. There is a growing body of research that recognises that the quality of school leadership is a significant factor in improving student outcomes. According to the NSW Department of Education (2025), “Developing strong teachers into effective leaders not only elevates the profession but also ensures that students receive the high-quality education ...
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A mid-year reflection to consider

By Amanda Conray posted 02-07-2025
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A mid-year reflection to consider As we reach the halfway point of the academic year, educational leaders are often at a key reflective milestone about many aspects of their work including student progress, the impact of professional learning, performance and development reviews, and team strategic planning. These reflections often demand administrative and bureaucratic requirements that sometimes drive a mechanical task-oriented response from leaders. At this halfway point educational leaders describe pending deadlines. These sentiments ripple across the many staff rooms and offices of our many educational institutions. For educational ...
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Reimagining Schooling: Why We Need Activist Educational Leaders

By Fiona Longmuir posted 02-07-2025
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Reimagining Schooling: Why We Need Activist Educational Leaders In December 2024, I had the honour of delivering the ACEL Victorian Branch Patron’s Oration. I used this opportunity to reflect on the state of Australian schooling nearly two decades after our patron, Professor Brian Caldwell’s influential book Re-imagining Educational Leadership was published. His call for imagination in leadership remains as urgent as ever, but the challenges we face today demand not just imagination, but action. First of all, let me clarify, when I speak of “schooling,”I’m referring to the systemic structures, policies, and traditions that shape education in Australia, ...
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ACEL Chief Executive Officer: Thank you Dr Barbara Watterston

By Elizabeth Foster posted 25-06-2025
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ACEL Chief Executive Officer: Thank you Dr Barbara Watterston Dear ACEL Members, On behalf of the National Board, I write to inform you that Dr Barbara Watterston notified the Board of her intention to conclude her service as Chief Executive Officer of ACEL in the latter part of 2025. We will deeply miss her exceptional leadership as she transitions to the next chapter of her distinguished career. During her tenure as CEO, she has been instrumental in strengthening ACEL’s position as Australia’s premier organisation for educational leaders. Her unwavering commitment to a visionary approach for professional learning has seen our organisation thrive. ...
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Teacher Quality is more than Standards

By Kirsten Macaulay posted 04-06-2025
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Teacher Quality is more than Standards. As the debate around ‘teacher quality’ continues to dominate educational discourse in New South Wales and beyond, it is timely to reflect on what we truly value in our educators. Recent research has rightly challenged the narrow metrics often used to define excellence in teaching, urging us to look beyond professional standards and measurable outcomes to the many personal attributes that underpin great teaching (Simpson, White & Cotton, 2025). Much of the prevailing narrative, fuelled more by anecdote than by evidence, has focused on deficit, on what teachers allegedly lack, rather than the rich complexity of ...
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Leading for an Uncertain Future—Why Knowledge Still Matters

By Ashley Pratt posted 04-06-2025
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Leading for an Uncertain Future—Why Knowledge Still Matters In a world increasingly defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, the role of educational leaders is crucial for preparing the next generation to engage with this environment productively. As we grapple with AI proliferation, climate disruption, and geopolitical tension, the question becomes: how do we prepare our students, not just for what we know, but for what we cannot predict? The answer may lie not in the pursuit of more skills, but in the deliberate revival of knowledge. Deep, durable understanding stems from a knowledge-rich foundation. Far from being conservative ...
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The Rise of the 21st-Century Educational Leader

By Gary Racey posted 04-06-2025
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The Rise of the 21st-Century Educational Leader In an era marked by rapid technological advancement, global interconnectedness, and shifting societal needs, educational leadership is undergoing a profound transformation. Today’s educational leaders are no longer expected to simply manage operations or ensure compliance—they must be adaptive, forward-thinking innovators equipped with the skills to lead learning communities through complex, evolving landscapes. Central to this new leadership paradigm is the integration of 21st-century skills into the very fabric of leadership practice. According to Thompson (2016), effective educational leadership ...
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Message from the President, Term 2 2025

By Elizabeth Foster posted 27-05-2025
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The following is a Message from the AEL Journal Volume 47 Issue 2 As the Australian Council for Educational Leaders, we continue to be encouraged by the strength of our community. With unprecedented attendance at our National Conference last year, State and Territory Branch professional learning opportunities also continue to attract exceptional numbers of participants. We celebrate both our longstanding members and new educators joining the ACEL community. For those reading the Australian Educational Leader (AEL) for the first time, we warmly welcome you to this journal. The Australian Educational Leader (AEL) is a nationally and internationally ...
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Message from the CEO, Term 2 2025

By Barbara Watterston posted 27-05-2025
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The following is a Message from the AEL Journal Volume 47 Issue 2 As I reflect on the significant activities shared throughout this issue, I am reminded of the centrality of our learning ecosystem – a vibrant, inclusive community that unites and lifts us all. In a time where polarities threaten to fragment the educational landscape, the spirit of pluralistic leadership that defines ACEL stands as a beacon of hope and strength. If our collective experience within our community is any indication, then we are indeed a microcosm of the depth, breadth, and extraordinary diversity that makes our profession so vital and transformative. At the heart ...
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