ACEL National Educational Leadership Conference 2016 'Setting the Learning Agenda – Leadership with Insight and Innovation’

The Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) held their annual national conference last week from the 28th – 30th September at the MCEC, Melbourne.

Over 1200 delegates attended the three-day event including system leaders, principals, policy makers, teachers and researchers from independent, catholic and public sectors.

Keynotes at the ACEL conference included several global thought leaders in education like Sugata Mitra (UK), Daniel Goleman (US), Carol Tomlinson (US). Wendy Kopp (US), Jane West (US), John Hattie (AU) and Brian Caldwell (AU). The conference line up also featured other presenters like Ben Walden (UK), Rosie Batty (AU) and Geoff Gallop (AU) who shared their unique perspectives in bringing to life the conference theme of ‘Leadership with Insight and Innovation’.

50 Breakout sessions presented by over 80 education professionals augmented the keynotes to deliver a holistic learning experience over 3 days. The Hon.Simon Birmingham, the Federal Minister for Education and Training also addressed the delegates reiterating the Government’s commitment to open dialogue with school leaders and teachers.

The ACEL 2016 National Award Ceremony was held on the evening of 29th September, as part of the conference. Almost 160 guests attended the event to acknowledge and celebrate the leadership and commitment demonstrated by each awardee. Recipients of ACEL New Voice Scholarships from each state and territory in categories of school leadership, educational leadership research and Indigenous voice in school leadership were presented with certificates. ACEL’s outgoing President Dr. Jim Watterston received the highest honour, the ACEL Gold Medal.

The key sponsor and partner of the conference was the VIC Department of Education and Training. The conference was also supported by a number of key organisations and businesses, including Corwin.

CEO Aasha Murthy observes that, "ACEL's national Educational Leadership conference underlines the reality that, while there is much that is right with Australian education, there is also much that needs to be different. Learning and evidence from around the world can inform and shape both knowledge and practice for the better. Educational leadership needs to embrace new ways of thinking, feeling and doing and become the vanguard of the transformative change that they wish to see in the sector.”

The ACEL 2017 Conference ‘Respect the Past, Lead the Present, Secure the Future’ in Sydney from the 4th to the 6th of October promises to be another world-class international conference featuring global thought leaders and experts.

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