Our team

Jenny is the founder of the QT Academy and Director of the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre.

Jenny began her career in education as a secondary physical education teacher before commencing her highly successful academic career. Her educational and research interests have consistently centred on quality and equity, ranging across such topics as reform in teacher education, pedagogical change, and professional development.

Over the years, Jenny has held executive roles on councils and advisory committees. She is a visiting professor at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. Her work has been widely published individually and collaboratively, with many books, chapters and journal articles over the span of her career.

Jenny’s research on Quality Teaching and professional learning continues to have a significant impact in Australia and around the world.

Executive Director of the QT Academy

Steve has led the establishment of the QT Academy. He has worked in tertiary education for over 20 years, teaching at TAFE and working in research management roles in the university sector.  Steve has held several strategic research management positions with responsibility for promoting research, developing networks and establishing partnerships with industry and government and is a former board member of the Australasian Research Management Society.

Steve is committed to ensuring that all teachers, in all contexts have the opportunity to engage in high quality evidence-backed professional development and strongly believes in supporting a community of educators connected by a shared vision of quality teaching for every student every day.

Quality Teaching Rounds Adviser

Beth has been a primary school teacher with the NSW Department of Education for nearly 20 years and is a firm believer that building relationships is at the heart of teaching.

She first engaged with the QT Model at its inception 20 years ago and has maintained her interest and belief in the Model ever since. Beth has completed many sets of Quality Teaching Rounds in her school and is inspired to share her experiences as a QTR Adviser to help improve staff morale and ultimately, student outcomes.

Quality Teaching Rounds Adviser

Michelle has experience working in primary and secondary schools, as well as in curriculum leadership positions. She has a long standing history with Quality Teaching and Quality Teaching Rounds, having delivered professional learning to teachers across Australia.

Michelle is a passionate educator who is committed to education through the arts.

Quality Teaching Rounds Adviser

Kate first encountered the QT Model and QTR in 2012 as a teacher participating in the QTR design experiments conducted by the University of Newcastle in ACT government schools.

Kate has more than a decade of teaching experience in ACT high schools and is passionate about teacher and student wellbeing and pastoral care. She has also taught ESL to first year students at Kanagawa University in Yokohama, Japan and taught in schools in Newcastle, NSW before becoming a QTR Adviser.

Chief Investigator and Deputy Director of the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre

Drew’s research is focused on securing optimal development of children and young people in both physical and academic settings, and finding innovative and practical ways to improve these outcomes at-scale.

Drew provides significant depth of understanding and expertise in high quality evidence production and quantitative data analysis for the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre and the QT Academy. His goal is to make the complexities of rigorous research more comprehensible for teachers and school leaders, enabling schools to successfully implement high quality evidence-based strategies into ongoing practice.

Chief Investigator with the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre

Jess’ research spans a range of areas, highlighting her interest in the fields of school change, educational leadership and communication. She has substantial expertise in qualitative research methods, with a focus on analysing the everyday practices of teachers, students and school leaders to develop local solutions to issues in their school community.

Jess is passionate about the practices used by school leaders, teachers, students and community members to improve schooling for all students both in Australia and internationally.

Chief Investigator with the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre

With a doctorate in Computer Science and more than 15 years’ experience in educational research, Elena brings together the key foundations for successful STEM education research. Her research interest is equity of access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and in this field she has been successful in conducting multiple projects. Elena is passionate about teacher education and professional development.

Senior Research Fellow with the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre

A former teacher, Leanne has extensive experience in qualitative and mixed methods research and has previously worked on research projects across such disciplines as health, education, and social science. Recently Leanne has been involved in a number of major research projects including evaluating the impact of Quality Teaching Rounds on student outcomes, and a longitudinal study aimed at understanding student education and career aspirations. Her research interests include improving student access and participation in higher education.

Senior Research Fellow with the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre

Dr Sally Patfield is a Senior Research Fellow with the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre in the School of Education. Sally has over 15 years’ experience working in various educational contexts, including as a primary teacher in NSW public schools, in arts education at the local government level, community cultural development for the not-for-profit sector, and across professional and academic roles in higher education.