Keynote Speakers

• Sir Michael Barber, Chief Education Advisor, Pearson
  - Pearson's Chief Education Advisor, will speak about technology and system level improvement.
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  Sir Michael Barber is a leading authority on education systems and education reform. Over the past two decades his research and advisory work has focused on school improvement, standards and performance; system-wide reform; effective implementation; access, success and funding in higher education; and access and quality in schools in developing countries.
  
  Sir Michael Barber recently joined Pearson as Chief Education Advisor, leading Pearson's worldwide programme of research into education policy and efficacy, advising on and supporting the development of products and services that build on research findings, and playing a key role in Pearson's strategy for education in the poorest sectors of the world, particularly in fast-growing developing economies.
  
  Prior to joining Pearson, he was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, and Head of McKinsey's global education practice. He co-authored two major McKinsey education reports: How the world's most improved school systems keep getting better (2010) and How the world's best-performing schools come out on top (2007). He is also Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter.
  
  He previously served the UK government as Head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit (from 2001-2005) and as Chief Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education on School Standards (from 1997-2001). Before joining government he was a professor at the Institute of Education at the University of London. He is the author of several books including Instruction to Deliver; The Learning Game: Arguments for an Education Revolution and How to do the Impossible: a Guide for Politicians with a Passion for Education.
  
• Professor Gordon Stanley
  – Honorary Professor, University of Sydney; Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford; Pearson Associate will speak about progress in the implementation of technology and system-wide assessment.
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  Professor Gordon Stanley is Honorary Professor of Education at the University of Sydney, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne, and Senior Research Fellow in Education at the University of Oxford. From 2008-2010 he was the inaugural Pearson Professor of Educational Assessment, and Director, Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment.
  
  Between 1988 and 2008 he was President of the Board of Studies in New South Wales, Australia. In this position he was responsible for curriculum and assessment for schools K-12, the registration and accreditation of non-government schools, and overseeing the development of standards-referencing reporting in public examinations. During this period, major reform to school curriculum and assessment occurred, including the closer integration of technology into the curriculum and assessment processes.
• Greg Whitby
  – Executive Director of Schools, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta will speak about incorporating technology into classroom teaching and learning.
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  Greg Whitby is Executive Director of Schools, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, NSW, Australia.
  
  Greg is committed to building teacher capacity in order to improve student learning outcomes.
  
  Greg's experience and leadership in education spans thirty years. In 2007, Greg was named the most innovative educator in Australia by the Bulletin Magazine. He was also awarded a presidential citation by the Australian Council for Education and was presented with the AW Jones Oration Medal in 2011.
  
  He is a member of the Digital Education Advisory Group, which provides the Australian Government with advice on transforming schooling through technology. He also writes a blog and tweets on educational issues.
  
• Dr Peter Hill
  – Chief Executive Officer ACARA will speak about the prospects for online delivery of national testing programmes.
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  Dr Peter Hill is the Chief Executive Officer of ACARA (Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority). Prior to this, Peter was Secretary General of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority; Director of Research and Development at the National Center on Education and the Economy, Washington, D.C.; Professor of Leadership and Management at the University of Melbourne; Chief General Manager, Department of School Education, Victoria; Chairman and Chief Executive of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board; and Assistant Director of Planning, Education Department of Western Australia.