Danielle Meddemmen
21 July 2021: The University of Canberra has assembled a group of regional education stakeholders, promoting networking within the industry and providing a centralised voice for the sector.
Officially launched at an event last night, the Capital Region Schools Network (CRSN) has been in the making since August 2020, and brings together organisations across the private, public and Catholic education spaces within the ACT and beyond its borders.
Executive Dean of the University’s Faculty of Education Professor Barney Dalgarno said the network would help to further strengthen teaching in the region.
“The network will facilitate important cross-sectoral debates about policy and practice, as well as providing valuable professional learning opportunities for teachers, school leaders and teacher educators,” he said.
“From the faculty’s perspective, a network like this will really help us to disseminate findings from our school-based research, leading to important improvements in teaching practice and student learning outcomes.”
The CRSN unites the University with the ACT Education Directorate, Association of Independent Schools of the ACT, Australian Catholic University, Catholic Education – Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, NSW Department of Education and the Teacher Quality Institute.
Since its inception, the group has met six times, looking to align its values and goals in the education space.
A major unifying goal is that of enhancing the status of teachers, and of teaching as a profession.
The CRSN hopes to act as a centralised body for the education industry, supporting all employees with professional learning and collaborative opportunities in the research space.
“We look forward to working with all of our colleagues across sectors, in this significant enhancement to our Capital Region school education ecosystem,” Professor Dalgarno said.
The group hopes to meet on a regular basis into the future.
The launch also featured a keynote presentation from Australian Education Research Organisation CEO Dr Jenny Donovan, followed by a vibrant Q&A session.
The successful launch was attended by 120 participants representing a broad variety of educational stakeholders from the Capital Region.
