The Australian College of Educators (ACE) National Council is delighted to announce the College Medallist for 2009.
Professor Geoff Masters
Professor Geoff Masters is an international authority on educational measurement and student assessment; he has made a distinctive contribution to education through his leadership of ACER and his active involvement nationally and internationally on many task forces and expert working groups.
I am delighted and honoured to be the recipient of the College Medal for 2009. I am especially pleased to be receiving this award on the occasion of the College's Fiftieth Anniversary.
The Australian College of Educators plays a unique role in Australian education. There are now many organisations, associations and voices in Australian education that did not exist at the time the College was founded. But what is unique about the College is that it is long-standing, well-connected through its membership, national, professional rather than industrial, and representative of educators in all sectors and levels of education.
Given its unique standing, the College is ideally positioned to continue to build its role as the voice of the profession of educators. I believe the College has an important advocacy role to play in relation to issues that affect the profession directly, including current efforts to attract more able people into teaching, to provide more flexible pathways into teaching, to develop and clarify standards of professional practice, to set standards for pre-service teacher education programs, and to raise the quality of professional development and support available to practicing teachers and school leaders. The national influence of the College and future growth in ACE membership will depend, I believe, on the extent to which the College is seen to be speaking out on issues of direct relevance to the profession.
Of course, the College, since its inception has been built around the core notion of professional collegiality, and this must remain at the heart of the College's work.
I consider myself fortunate to have served as a member of the national council of the College and also as its National President. Indeed, I have had a fortunate career as an educator - including secondary school teacher, academic, researcher, consultant and research leader. I also had some wonderful teachers, and for the past decade have had the good fortune to lead the Australian Council for Educational Research through a period of significant expansion and internationalisation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the College for the honour it has bestowed on me.