'It offers more questions than anything else': experts weigh in on Gonski 2.0

By EducationHQ News Team
Published July 3, 2018

“I don’t have time to think myself because there are so many voices [to listen to] as a leader of a school.” That statement – from Executive Principal, Leadership and Succession, Sydney Catholic Schools, Iris Nastasi – will resonate with school principals across the country.

Former NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli says principals need to buy themselves more time.

She was one of the speakers at a public forum, How will we empower and support school leaders: Responses to ...

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This story was published by the EducationHQ editorial team.

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I tracked down the relationships between the researchers and social media, narrowed it down to people who are just the ‘Kardashians’ – famous for being famous. There’s a group of researchers who just tag and copy in each other all the time, go around giving keynotes, who may or may not be doing current research.

— Dr Scott Eacott, Director of Higher Degree Research at UNSW’s School of Education

“Principals want to be involved in everything, but [if] ... the most valuable person in the school, the most expensive person, is doing the least valued work such as checking the tuck shop menu ... this needs to be pushed off to other workers. We can give schools more money, but if principals don’t do things to buy themselves more time, it’s not going to happen.”

— Gonski Institute Director Adrian Piccoli

School autonomy has been put forward as an educational response to declining standards and educational performance. It’s where a lot of discussion is happening, but there’s very little research about more autonomy increasing performance.

— Dr Richard Niesche, Deputy Head of School (research) at UNSW’s School of Education

“Gonski 2.0 offers more questions than it does anything else. Teachers need time to think; principals need time to think. So, what is it that we will remove, which noises will we silence?

— Iris Nastasi, Executive Principal, Leadership and Succession, Sydney Catholic Schools

'It offers more questions than anything else': experts weigh in on Gonski 2.0

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