ALMA HARRIS
Dr. Alma Harris (FRSA) is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the Department of Education, University of Bath. Previously, she held professorial posts at the University of Warwick, University College London and the University of Malaya. She is internationally known for her research and writing on educational leadership and school improvement.
In 2009-2012, she was appointed to the Welsh Government as a senior policy adviser to assist with the process of system-wide reform. She co-led the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) programme with Dr. Michelle Jones and also led on the development and implementation of a Master's qualification for all newly qualified teachers in Wales. Since 2009, she has worked for the World Bank contributing to development and research programmes aimed at supporting schools in challenging contexts in Russia. Professor Harris is a Visiting Professor at the Moscow Higher School of Economics and the University of Southampton. Dr. Harris is Past President of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and School Improvement (ICSEI), which is an organisation dedicated to enhancing quality and equity in education. In January 2016, she received the ICSEI honorary lifetime award. She is currently an international adviser to the First Minister of Scotland.
System Recall-Leading for Equity and Excellence in Education
This keynote will explore the importance of leadership for equity and excellence at the school and system level. It will propose that excellence is achieved through equity and that there are leadership practices in schools and communities, enacted everyday, that secure better outcomes for all learners. The keynote will argue that leadership for equity has to be centre-stage in education reform and change globally,if improved learner outcomes are to be secured and sustained. the keynote argues that many education systems need a 'recall' as they are pursuing goals that are actively contributing to widening the equity gap. A system re-calibration towards equity, it is argued, would bring a range of benefits for learners from all backgrounds and would signal an important move away from education policy making that is dependent upon international test scores that reflect overly narrow measures of student performance.