2020 NEW VOICE PERSPECTIVES
"If you had a magic wand ..."

The Australian Council for Educational Leaders is proud to present the 2020 New Voice Perspectives, celebrating 15 leaders recognised in the fields of educational leadership, research, Indigenous leadership and early childhood and care.

Every year, recipients are welcomed into the ACEL network contributing to and supporting the dissemination of new learning and thought. New Voice Scholarships are awarded to educators recognised as forward-thinking, contextually relevant and responsive leaders by peers and the wider education community. Over 100 talented educators have been awarded these scholarships since the program was initiated in 2014.

The New Voice Perspectives provide an opportunity to explore and uncover new and diverse points of view as recipients respond to the question “if you had a magic wand, what would you do to improve student outcomes?”. This year’s reflections emphasise the importance of learning within and beyond the classroom, through encompassing culturally appropriate Indigenous practices into every day teaching, proactive involvement of students in the development of wellbeing programs, healthy and nurturing relationships with students, whilst also setting a provocation which challenges us to reconceptualise our models of learning, leading and teaching.

As the 2020 New Voice scholars share their voice and rich perspectives throughout these pages, we envisage it will stimulate further prompts for reflection, planning and action as we consider an educational environment in which anything is possible. Indeed, we have seen in the past 12 months that anything is possible. Those pivotal moments in time that gifted us with illuminating the opportunity and importance of thinking without constraint, inspired by a clarity of purpose in the pursuit of universal access and engagement for all students to achieve in all aspect of their lives.

Dr Barbara Watterston
Acting ACEL CEO