Emeritus Professor John Halsey

Emeritus Professor

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work

place Education
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Dr John Halsey commenced his career as a teacher, and was a principal of two schools in South Australia - Ceduna Area School and The Heights School (both reception to year 12, one rural, one metropolitan). He has been the Associate Director of the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia, an Executive Director in the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services and a Chief of Staff to a State Minister for Education and Children's Services. He has also worked as an Educational Facilities Project Officer and for the Australian School's Commission Choice and Diversity in Education initiative. He is the former Executive Officer of the Rural Education Forum Australia, and a consultant with the Center for RelationaLearning, Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2017, John conducted a review into regional, rural and remote education for the Australian Government. He transmitted his report to the Government in January 2018. In his report, John argued the key challenge for regional, rural and remote education is ensuring, regardless of location or circumstances, that every young person has access to high quality schooling and opportunities. To meet this challenge, John identified 4 overarching priorities, 11 recommendations and 53 specific actions. In the 2018-19 budget, the Australian Government allocated $96.1 million over 4 years as an initial response to the Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education.

Qualifications

EdD, MEd, Grad Dip Ed Admin, Dip T (Sec)

Honours, awards and grants
  • Fulbright Scholar
  • Fellow Australian College of Educators
  • Life Member - Victims Support Services, South Australia
  • Fellow Australian Council for Educational Leaders (SA)
  • Patron, Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia (SPERA)

Grants, donations, funding:

  • 2009, $1,000,000, Commemorative Grant, Sidney Myer Fund and The Myer Foundation for the Sidney Myer Chair of Rural Education and Communities
  • 2010, $20,000, Southern Knowledge Transfer Program for university mentoring in rural schools
  • 2010, $30,000, Yulgibar, for extended rural professional placements program
  • 2010, $2,000, Credit Union SA, for extended rural professional placements program
  • 2011, $30,000, DECD, for the schools who participated in the extended rural professional placement program
  • 2011, $40,000, The Myer Foundation, for Sidney Myer rural lecture series, 4 in total
  • 2012, $64,000, NCVER NVETRE Funding, for university engagement in rural Australia
  • 2013, $413,600, Origin Energy, for Masters of Education (Leadership and Management) in rural Australia
  • 2014 $90,000, Thyne Reid Foundation, for Rural Professional Placements for Pre-service Teachers
Key responsibilities

Research and teaching interests include rural schools and community sustainability; rural and remote leadership and management; framing rural and remote education in non-deficit ways and innovative/integrated policies and operations; determining the personal and institutional costs of pre-service rural and remote teacher placements; formulating appropriate resourcing policy and models.Vibrant, productive rural communities are integral to the long-term sustainability of Australia; it is critical that people who live and work in rural and remote Australia have access to high quality, relevant and affordable education, training and care at all ages and stages of life. It is also essential that people who live and work in urban contexts and provide policy advice to government (and others) and design and manage programs intended to benefit country people and communities, deeply understand rural.

Teaching interests
  • Teaching in rural and regional communities
  • Leading and managing in rural contexts
  • Globalisation: issues and challenges
  • Organisation: theory and contexts
Supervisory interests
Community development
Curriculum in general and in higher education
Curriculum initiatives in teaching
Education, gifted
Education, international
Education, rural
Educational leadership and management
Globalisation
Rural and remote communities
Expert for media contact
Leadership
Management
Teaching
Gifted Education
Relational leadership and learning
Rural and remote education
Rural and remote leadership in education
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Researcher
Media expert
Media expertise
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Teaching
Interests
  • Gifted Education
  • Relational leadership and learning
  • Rural and remote education
  • Rural and remote leadership in education