Einstein quipped that “we cannot solve a problem by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Genuine innovation, to use the rhetoric of modern educational reform, requires different kinds of thinking and new models of knowledge, which must involve research. The relationship between research and innovation is dynamic. Research should drive innovation, and innovation should drive research in a reciprocal, continuous process of change. And yet in navigating the promise of praxis (research and practice), and the possibility of research-informed practice, schools are often left behind as either passive or disengaged consumers, who have research done ‘to’ them rather than ‘with’ them. This means that in schools, ‘we are faced with the paradox of non-evidence-based implementation of evidence-based programs’ (Drake, Gorman and Torrey, 2002). I, and my colleagues at Scots, view the building of research and innovation cultures in schools as critical to bridging the divide between communities of knowledge (universities) and practice (schools) in substantial and significant ways. This recasts the school and its staff as active and generative contributors of knowledge.

As Research Fellow I have worked to establish and grow a culture of research and innovation through the design and implementation of new and existing Professional Learning opportunities. I am responsible for designing and running professional development days for a staff team of 350 people. These days are designed to promote internal expertise, while reflecting the strategic direction of the College, and engaging with broader movements within education, research and industry. In response to perceived needs within the College I also contributed to the design of The Scots College Leadership Program which seeks to build the leadership capacity of staff, a capacity often assumed but under-resourced within the education sector. I have also been responsible for the design and implementation of a Master Teacher Program. A tripartite program of mentoring, research and engagement, which seeks to both celebrate and develop teachers with pedagogical expertise, apart from traditional administrative tracks. Finally, I mentor cohorts of staff involved in different external research programs including: higher-degree research cohorts investigating issues at the forefront of boys’ education, such as increased rates of anxiety; and, the International Boys School Coalition (IBSC) Action Research Program, where staff investigate practice oriented research questions such as teaching in next generational learning spaces.

I am a Partner Investigator on an Australian Research Council funded project conducted by Scots in partnership with the Australian Catholic University investigating the impact of Indigenous Education Programs in schools. I serve as a member of the IBSC Research Committee which seeks to promote best practice in boys’ education. In this capacity I ran a conference in 2016 for teachers new to boy’s schools. I also presented at the 2017 IBSC Annual Conference on building research and innovation cultures in schools. Through regular exposure to a range of differing perspectives I have the privilege of both learning from and contributing to global conversations in education, thereby helping to reposition schools as places of knowledge creation.