Our Team
Laureate Professor Jennifer Gore
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.
Steve Hannan
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.
Dr Drew Miller
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.
Associate Professor Jess Harris
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.
Associate Professor
Elena Prieto-Rodriguez
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.
Dr Leanne Fray
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.
Michelle Ware
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.
Rob Barter
Quality Teaching Rounds Adviser.
Rob is a secondary school educator with more than twenty years experience in leadership roles.
He is passionate about Quality Teaching Rounds and supporting teachers to collaboratively enhance their practice in order to improve learning outcomes for all students.
Beth Filipo
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.
Aaron Quinnell
Quality Teaching Rounds Adviser.
Aaron is a educator with extensive experience as a school leader.
He has a strong foundation in working collaboratively with teams to build the capacity of teachers of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Aaron has led QTR across his school and believes the rigorous research and evidence base is at the heart of improving teacher quality and ultimately outcomes for students.
