The 2021 cohort of Menzies School Leader Fellows have been announced.
Exploring the leadership question “How might we build a pipeline of school leaders equipped to lead collective efficacy in increasingly complex and challenging contexts?”, the Menzies School Leader Fellowship Program is out to tackle the wicked problem, requiring collective minds to understand what can be learnt about leadership at individual, school, and system level.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce the second cohort of the Menzies School Leader Fellows and the Collier School Leader Fellowship to support leadership in schools,” said Menzies Foundation CEO Liz Gillies.
The successful applicants include:
- Kate Fogarty – Principal, Assumption College
- Kate Dullard – Principal, Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School
- Aaron Petersen – Assistant Principal, Glen Eira College
- Michelle Carroll – Principal, St Catherine’s School
- Judith Weir – Principal, Our Lady of Mercy College
- Maria Karvouni – Principal, Auburn High School
In addition, and with thanks to the ongoing partnership with the Collier Charitable Fund, a sixth school leader has been awarded the Collier School Leader Fellowship to undertake the School Leadership Program.
Collier Charitable Fund, Wendy Lewis, said education is a specific area of interest for the Fund. “The focus of the Collier School Leader Fellowship is to recognise the work of a woman in a leadership role within a government school,” Ms Lewis said. “On that basis we are delighted to announce Maria Karvouni, Principal, Auburn High School to the program.”
Each two-year $150,000 Fellowship includes, creating and leading an in-school collective efficacy research project, participation in a leadership development program co-designed by education leadership expert, Laureate Professor John Hattie, individual leadership coaching, travel grants to undertake study trips and attend a number of professional development workshops and Menzies Alumni membership.
The 2021 intake is the second for the Fellowship program after a successful pilot. A research report into the year of the program was released last June. It found that school leaders require more support to lead in the complexity of the school system where principals face many challenges – including last year’s transition to remote learning within a matter of days.
Unlike typical leadership development programs, there is an explicit focus on increasing the skills and capability of leaders to build collective efficacy: focusing on building the Fellows’ core, adaptive, clarity and VUCA skills and observable leadership skills to generate behaviours and actions that produce collective efficacy at the school and network level.
The unique fellowship program is delivered by the Menzies Foundation together with a multi-sector collaboration group, including the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).