JOHN
HALSEY
Dr John Halsey commenced his career as a teacher, and was a principal of two schools in South Australia - Ceduna Area School and The Heights School (both reception to year 12, one rural, one metropolitan). He has been the Associate Director of the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia, an Executive Director in the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services and a Chief of Staff to a State Minister for Education and Children's Services. He has also worked as an Educational Facilities Project Officer and for the Australian School's Commission Choice and Diversity in Education initiative. He is the former Executive Officer of the Rural Education Forum Australia, and a current consultant with the Center for RelationaLearning, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
John’s research and teaching interests include rural schools and community sustainability; rural and remote leadership and management; framing rural and remote education in non-deficit ways and innovative/integrated policies and operations; determining the personal and institutional costs of pre-service rural and remote teacher placements; and formulating appropriate resourcing policy and models.
Re-framing, re-focussing and revitalising education in rural, regional and remote Australia
The key challenge for regional, rural and remote education is ensuring, regardless of location or circumstances, that every young person has access to high quality schooling and opportunities.
There is a diversity of factors, relationships and resources required for a student to learn, successfully complete school and commence a pathway beyond school which is personally rewarding and also makes a contribution to the wider society.
In practice, the contexts, factors, relationships and resources that impact on learning and opportunities don’t exist as discrete entities. Their interactions influence the learning, growth and nurturing of students from their early years through to school graduation and beyond.
Much is already being done by individual states and territories and in partnership with the Australian Government to ensure RRR students and families do have access to high quality education and do make a successful transition to further study, training and employment.
However, much remains to be done to bridge the gap between the achievements and opportunities of RRR students and those most commonly associated with their urban counterparts.