USQ LRI TEAM

The Leadership Research International (LRI) is a team of researchers and consultants from the University of Southern Queensland. For the past 20 years the group has worked mutualistically with over 400 Australian state, Catholic, Independent, and international schools, engaging them in processes of school revitalisation to help them build sustainable capacities for continuous improvement.

The team’s highly successful IDEAS project has enabled it to develop a deep understanding of the intricate connections between school improvement, pedagogical development, organisational alignment, teacher leadership and whole-school capacity building. They are passionate about developing teacher quality and enhancing leadership capacities of teachers and school leaders. Their experience encompasses all school sectors and locations.

To contact the LRI team, email the LRI project administrator at [email protected] or ACEL’s team at [email protected].

Professor Dorothy Andrews

Director Leadership Research International group (LRI)

Dorothy Andrews is a researcher, consultant and associate professor in the School of Linguistics, Adult and Specialist Education within the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts at the University of Southern Queensland. Dorothy teaches in the area of leadership and organisational theory. She is the Director of the LRI group and National Director of the school improvement program – IDEAS. In 2003, the LRI team was awarded the Australian Council for Educational Leaders Gold Medal for excellence in research. Dorothy’s current research is focussed on leadership (including teacher leadership), capacity building and organisational change.

Associate Professor Joan Conway

Associate Director Research

Joan Conway is an educator with over 30 years of experience in teaching and administration in primary, secondary and tertiary settings in Queensland and Papua New Guinea. Since joining USQ in 2003, she has developed a strong research interest in the collaborative nature and collective intelligence of professional learning communities, enabled especially through her consultative and facilitative role in supporting schools through the IDEAS process. In particular, Joan is passionate about the emergence of teachers-as-leaders as a dynamic of building capacity for sustainable school revitalisation.