Faculty of Education - Research Publications

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To lead or not to lead? Gender disparity in the leadership of boys’ schools

Acquaro, D ; Stokes, H (Gender & Education Association, 2015)

This paper provides an analysis of gender disparity within Australian boys’ schools revealing a disproportionate number of men and the under-representation of women in senior school leadership roles. With women accounting for the vast majority of teachers worldwide and significant increases in women entering the teaching profession over the last two decades, they continue to be underrepresented in senior management roles in secondary schools (Yong-Lyun and Brunner, 2009). The pursuit of leadership in boys’ schools is more complex for women, with senior roles often beyond their reach. This marginalisation has left capable, enthusiastic female educators disenchanted, frustrated and resentful of a profession that sees them managing ‘soft’ roles, and making space for male counterparts who take up the top jobs. This paper draws on findings from semi-structured interviews with thirty-six female teachers across six boys’ schools. Drawing on feminist perspectives of leadership (Sinclair, 2014; Blackmore, 1999), this paper analyses teachers’ perceptions of factors that block them and lead to male domination within school leadership. Results show that career advancement in boys’ schools is not self-determined with sex discrimination and a lack of support or mentoring, diminishing female teacher’s aspirations for the top jobs. This research provides an important insight into the continuing yet under-researched operations of patriarchy within the feminized field of teaching. It challenges sex-role stereotyping and a deficit perspective of women in presenting boys with a fairer representation of gender within boys’ schools.
Reflection, Evaluation and Metacognition: One Teacher’s Personal Journey

Acquaro, D (Teacher Learning Network, 2006)
The problem with staffing rural schools: Attracting new teachers to country schools remains one of the biggest challenges in Australian education

Cuervo, H ; Acquaro, D (University of Melbourne, 2018)

Encouraging student teachers to complete placements in rural schools as a way to address the chronic shortage of teachers in the bush isn’t working. Our recent study found that, while pre-service teachers were keen to have a ‘rural’ experience, the reality of isolation and limited school resources makes teaching in these schools unattractive; particularly for students from metropolitan backgrounds.
A New Class of Teachers

McKew, M ; Acquaro, D (University of Melbourne, 2015-09-24)

The next generation of educators is being schooled in a different approach to the classroom.
School-University Partnerships: Moving Towards Transformation

Acquaro, D ; Bradbury, O ; Acquaro, D ; Bradbury, O (Springer Nature, 2023-06-18)

This book draws together international scholarship on school–university partnerships challenging thinking about purpose and sustainability as well as the power of collaboration in transcending organisational and contextual boundaries.
School-University Partnerships: Moving Beyond Transactional

Acquaro, D ; Bradbury, O ; Acquaro, D ; Bradbury, O (Springer, 2023-06-01)

The importance of partnerships within the tertiary sector is multifaceted, not only in responding to engagement strategic priorities and enhancing a value proposition, but also in advancing the impact of research. If we turn our attention to initial teacher education, the concept of partnerships is not new and, not unlike the corporate world, has traditionally been focused on results. However, the notion of partnership within teacher education has typically been at a smaller scale, and more often than not associated with the expansion of the university’s teacher placement network and little else. The objectives and approaches that are captured in this collection challenge us to think about the purpose and sustainability of school-university partnerships and the opportunities to shift from a transactional partnership to one with collaboration, reciprocity, the opportunity for co-design, and the ability to impact on multiple levels. Within this edited volume, we draw together international scholarship on school-university partnerships from across the globe, each chapter presenting an in-depth understanding of the policy context and the initial teacher education reform agenda that defines their partnership model. The chapters collectively outline a strong body of evidence with global significance. They detail varied approaches to school-university partnerships, government funding and partnership agreement models, together with performance and impact data that identifies the mutual benefits experienced by both school and university partners in diverse contexts.
Reflections on a Journey of School-University Partnership Research: Findings and Future Directions

Bradbury, O ; Acquaro, D ; Winslade, M ; Loughland, T ; Eady, MJ (Springer, 2023-01-02)

Researchers and policy-makers have long advocated the importance of school-university partnerships in improving initial teacher education and bridging research and theory. Federal policy-makers have made significant inroads in devel-oping Australian national program standards for the provision of initial teacher educa-tion and, within this reform agenda, have been able to establish clear benchmarks in practice. Amongst these program-level standards is a focus on school-university partnerships. Conventionally limited to a site for professional experience (PEx), schools have now become an extension of the university, with these relationships evolving as essential alliances. This chapter draws together some early observations emerging from a two-year project focussed on identifying and analysing examples of school-university partnerships from across the globe. Drawing on examples from six continents and three Australian states, we identify the differences in approaches, challenges, and untapped opportunities that became visible to us as we worked with scholars to bring to life two edited works. The connecting threads of these partner-ships and emergent collective themes of the partnerships explore the importance of autonomy, boundary-crossing roles, and open and fluid communication. The authors discuss the significance of these themes within a policy-reform agenda focussed on promoting, sustaining, and safeguarding school-university partnerships for the future.
International Perspectives on School-University Partnerships: Research, Policy and Practice

Acquaro, D ; Bradbury, OJ ; Acquaro, D ; Bradbury, OJ (Springer Nature Singapore, 2023-01-01)

This book draws together international scholarship on school–university partnerships challenging thinking about purpose and sustainability as well as the power of collaboration in transcending organisational and contextual boundaries.
School-University Partnerships: Innovation in Initial Teacher Education

Bradbury, OJ ; Acquaro, D ; Bradbury, O ; Acquaro, D (Springer, 2022)

This book showcases models of Australian school–university partnerships which, in their development, respond to, and aim to move beyond the principles and practices of current partnership mandates in initial teacher education. Supported by government policy, these partnerships reveal innovative ways of working across multiple stakeholder groups within a range of unique school-university partnership contexts. Each of the examples of school-university partnerships within this edited collection provide insights into the power and potential of cross-sectoral vision, collaboration and growth, drawing upon research evidence and impact data that points to the mutual benefits experienced by all stakeholders. Across its ten chapters, this book explores various examples of partnerships, and forms an important reference for all initial teacher education providers, schools, and educational stakeholders; as school–university partnerships necessitate the way these sectors connect, learn from one another, and inform future practice.
Challenging Leadership Norms: A New Way of Thinking About Leadership Preparation

Acquaro, D ; Gurr, D ; English, FW (Springer International Publishing, 2022)

Images of principals are often of a seasoned educator well into their teaching career, having risen through the ranks, gaining experience in middle- and senior-level leadership, ideally having completed some form of leadership preparation, and given license to lead a school. Their leadership development, most likely self-managed, perhaps including some formal studies, and most certainly including experience in leadership roles, occurs well into their careers as teachers. So, the idea of introducing pre-service teachers to notions of educational leadership in their initial teacher training is far from conventional thinking. This chapter explores new possibilities in leadership preparation arguing that because today’s teacher graduates are entering educational settings that are rapidly changing and increasing in complexity, they need to be prepared for leadership early in their careers. Distributed leadership structures are now commonplace with increasing opportunities and expectations for leadership across all levels. Graduates entering the profession can find themselves leading very early in their careers without any leadership knowledge, experience, or competencies. This chapter challenges leadership norms by rethinking how we prepare teachers for the profession recognizing the need to better equip teacher graduates for the reality in schools, the changing nature of a teachers’ role, and the need to create a pipeline of experienced leaders to lead the schools of the future. After sections describing the changing nature of schools and school leadership, teacher roles, and initial teacher education (ITE), the chapter considers how ITE courses are responding to these pressures through the provision of leadership learning.

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