Education Minister appoints Professor Tania Aspland to AITSL board

ACU Executive Dean, Faculty of Education and Arts, Professor Tania Aspland has been appointed to the board of the Federal Government's high-ranking Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).

Professor Aspland will focus on initial teacher education.

ACU Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Craven said the appointment is a great recognition of Professor Aspland’s role as a pre-eminent leader in Australian teacher education, previously confirmed by her election as Chair of the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE).

AITSL will play a pivotal role in implementing the Government’s response to the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) report Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers.

In announcing the new AITSL board, Minister for Education and Training, Christopher Pyne said it was critical that the AITSL Board had the right mix of skills and expertise to deliver this very important work.

“While the focus of the new board is on skills and expertise, AITSL will also continue to consult broadly across the sector with peak bodies as it implements changes to initial teacher education,” Mr Pyne said in a media statement.

Professor Greg Craven said Professor Aspland’s appointment reflects well on ACU and its role in training Australia’s future teachers, of which Professor Aspland is a central part.

“The Government’s announcement of AITSL’s revitalised Board also points to their strong commitment to implement the reforms of TEMAG,” Professor Craven said.

“I believe these reforms are essential in guaranteeing teacher quality in this country and I wish Professor Aspland well in bedding down these reforms through AITSL.”

Professor Craven noted that at ACU, Professor Aspland has provided strategic leadership through a period of extensive growth and change, including in her previous position as ACU’s National Head of Education and Head of Education NSW/ACT.

Prior to ACU, Professor Aspland was a Professor in Education at the University of Adelaide. She has been a leader in course development in Teacher Education for many years and has been engaged in a number of research projects in higher education pedagogies in teacher education undergraduate and graduate courses.