Professional Learnings NSWPPA Educational Leadership

Victim or master? In the opening episode of The Lead Learner, our new four part series with James Anderson, we ask what learner agency really asks of a school leader.

James makes a deceptively simple case. A student without agency feels like the victim of their circumstances. A student with agency feels like the master of them. Agency, he argues, is not a program we hand out. It is an outcome we build, through the environment to act, the will to act, and the power to act.

In this episode:

Why "voice and choice" is not the same as building agency

The environment to act, and the four zones of learning

What the learning zone should feel like, and the messages that get in the way

Why agency is an outcome, not a pedagogy

What all of this asks of us as the lead learners in our schools

About our guest: James Anderson is a speaker, author and educator. His work includes Learner Agency, The Agile Learner, Learnership, The Mindset Continuum, and his most recent book From Feedback to Advice. More at jamesanderson.com.au.

We would love to hear from you. What are your takeaways? Email [email protected]. We read every one.

Next episode: Learnership. Learning Is a Skill, So Who's Developing It?

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

If professional learning is “working”, where can you see it first: in a staff room conversation, a polished program plan, or in what students do differently tomorrow? We sit down with Dr Thomas Guskey, Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky, to get brutally clear on what counts as effective professional learning and how school leaders can evaluate it without turning it into another compliance task.

Guskey walks us through his five levels of evaluation and why so many schools get stuck measuring process instead of impact. We dig into the real leadership challenge behind “level five”: agreeing on what we want students to learn, then choosing evidence people actually trust. A key insight is urgency: teachers will often trial a new practice, but if they can’t see credible signs it’s helping students within about two weeks, they will understandably stop. That pushes us towards short-cycle evidence like formative assessment, engagement, dispositions, and other meaningful classroom indicators, not just end-of-term results.

We also explore why needs surveys often show symptoms rather than underlying needs, and why evaluation questions mostly need answering before you begin. Along the way we touch on Benjamin Bloom, structured collaboration that helps rather than resists change, principal workload, and the small acts of recognition that keep good people going. The conversation lands on one question that can reshape school culture: is our purpose to select talent or to develop it?

If you want a practical, evidence-based way to plan teacher professional development that improves student learning outcomes, hit play, then subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a short review so other school leaders can find the show.

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

If leadership feels heavier than it used to, you’re not imagining it. We sit down with leadership and coaching specialist Annette Gray to get honest about what effective school leadership looks like in 2026, and why the leaders who thrive now are the ones who ask better questions, share power, and stay deeply human while the system keeps demanding more.

We unpack the difference between trust-based leadership and the kind that slips into control and micromanagement. Annette explains how capability and “levels of work” can shape a leader’s behaviour, why self-awareness is the real starting point, and how shifting from below-the-line reactions to above-the-line choices changes culture fast. We also tackle the very real NSW constraint of one protected hour a week for professional learning, and reframe development as something that happens through purposeful conversations all day long, not only in formal meetings.

Then we get practical. Annette coaches Drew live on a genuine principal challenge: improving student growth in maths fundamentals while keeping staff engaged and supported. You’ll hear solution-focused coaching in action, including scaling, defining a preferred future, noticing what’s already working, and choosing a next small step that fits into the week you actually have.

We also share how you can learn these skills through the NSW Primary Principals Association coaching foundations program, with a two-day workshop in Ultimo (28 and 29 July) and an online option across four August mornings (11, 13, 18, 20). If this helped you rethink how you lead, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more principals can find it.

This is not a conversation about strategies and checklists. It is about the way you have your next conversation.

In this conversation, you will hear:

-> What leadership is becoming, and why "wise leadership" is learned through doing, not through one more program
-> The story of the two leaders who shaped Annette's career, one who brought out her best, one who brought out her worst, and the single difference between them
-> What an effective leader actually does today: agency, autonomy, and being trusted to work things out
-> How to fit everything in when you have one protected hour a week, by building a coaching culture instead of carrying it all yourself
-> Why your people want a coach, not a boss, and how coaching can be distilled into three questions you can ask in five minutes
-> A live, unscripted, real play, where Annette coaches Drew for around eight minutes on a genuine school challenge, so you can hear exactly what solution-focused coaching sounds like

If you have ever asked yourself "how do I fit everything in", this episode is for you.

 ABOUT ANNETTE GRAY

Annette Gray is a leadership and coaching specialist. She began as a high school teacher before moving into corporate learning and development, leadership development and strategic HR, and now works with leaders across sectors on solution focused coaching. She presents the Foundations program for NSWPPA.

More about Annette: https://www.annettegray.com.au/about-annette-gray

COACHING COURSES WITH ANNETTE, 2026

Foundations: Leading Solution Focus Coaching Conversations

"The most practical coaching training I have attended in my career." Jono Coombes, Principal, Artarmon Public School

July, in person, two days, NSW PPA Office, Ultimo, Sydney
Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 July, 9.00am to 4.30pm
Register: https://www.annettegray.com.au/offers/eLA35Yig/checkout

August, online, four mornings, 9.00am to 12.30pm AEST
Tuesday 11, Thursday 13, Tuesday 18 and Thursday 20 August
Register: https://www.annettegray.com.au/offers/URTtqbLF/checkout

Both programs include after-course coaching check-ins to embed the skills.

IDEAS MENTIONED 

-> Solution focused coaching: ask more, tell less, redirect to what is wanted
-> Above the line and below the line behaviours
-> Distributed leadership and building a coaching culture
-> The three coaching questions: what is happening for you now, how do you want it to be, what is your next small step
-> "You are the expert in your world, I am a guide on the side"

CONNECT WITH NSWPPA -

Website: nswppa.org.au
Professional Learnings Podcast: professionallearningsnswppa.buzzsprout.com
LinkedIn: NSW Primary Principals Association

Read less

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

What if the most powerful thing a school leader does every single day is something most people never even see?
In this Season 4 episode, Drew Janetzki sits down with Angela Falkenberg  National President of the Australian Primary Principals Association  for a conversation about national advocacy, student anxiety, principal wellbeing, and the profound power of primary education to change lives.
Angela brings to this conversation a career that began in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, moved through leading primary schools in South Australia, and now sees her carrying the national voice for over 7,600 primary school leaders across Australia.
In this conversation you will hear:
-> Why Angela believes primary education is the only profession in the world that every day intentionally sets out to change brains
-> The story of children born with their fists closed — and what it means for every educator who has ever believed in a student
-> APPA's national research into childhood anxiety: why 81% of principals flagged it as a significant issue, and what happened next
-> How NSWPPA's Anxiety Project : now operating in 143 schools with 82 trained implementation coaches :  grew from that national foundation
-> Why leadership is not appeasement  and what principals need to hear about saying no
-> What the data on principal wellbeing is telling us, and why positioning it as an individual responsibility is no longer good enough
-> Angela's own story of resilience and why goodwill is finite
This is a conversation about national advocacy, the courage it takes to lead, and why the work of primary school principals matters more than most people will ever know.
--- ABOUT ANGELA FALKENBERG ---
Angela Falkenberg is National President of the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA), representing over 7,600 primary principals across government, Catholic and independent sectors. Her career spans teaching in remote Aboriginal and Anangu communities in the Northern Territory, leading primary schools in South Australia, and serving as President of the South Australian Primary Principals Association. She is only the second female president in APPA's 52-year history. Angela holds positive psychology training through Penn University and is a passionate advocate for principal wellbeing, equity in education, and the esteem of the teaching profession.
--- ABOUT APPA ---
The Australian Primary Principals Association is the national voice for primary school leaders across Australia. Learn more and access APPA's position papers and research at www.appa.asn.au
--- THE ANXIETY PROJECT ---
NSWPPA's Anxiety Project is a whole-school approach to managing student anxiety, now operating in 143 NSW schools. Independent evaluation shows teacher confidence to address anxiety rose from 27.6% to 71.3%. Learn more at nswppa.org.au
--- CONNECT WITH NSWPPA ---
Website: nswppa.org.au
Professional Learnings Podcast: professionallearningsnswppa.buzzsprout.com
LinkedIn: NSW Primary Principals Association
Socials @nswppa  APPA @appa

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

What makes a great leader and where does that greatness actually come from?

In this milestone episode, Drew Janetzki sits down with Judy Hatswell  teacher, registered psychologist, leadership consultant, and co-architect of the Art of Leadership program. For 14 years, Judy has stood in front of NSW primary school principals and helped them do the hardest work in leadership: understanding themselves.

2,186 participants. 398 schools. 14 years. This is the story of a program that became the Crown Jewel of NSWPPA's professional learning suite and the woman who built it.

In this conversation you will hear:

-> The moment in 1979 that changed Judy's understanding of human behaviour forever
-> Why external psychology, rewards, punishments, compliance  is getting less effective, not more
-> What Choice Theory actually teaches, and why 40 years of neuroscience research now backs it up
-> The one thing every principal must do before they can truly lead others
-> The whiteboard moment that became the Window of Certainty  used in hundreds of NSW schools today
-> What Judy wants her legacy to be, and what she hopes every school in this state will one day choose to believe

This is not a conversation about strategies and checklists. This is a conversation about the inner work of leadership.

--- ABOUT JUDY HATSWELL ---

Judy Hatswell is a teacher, registered psychologist and senior instructor through Glasser Australia. She is the co-founder of the Art of Leadership program and a leading authority on Choice Theory and Quality Schools in Australian education. She has worked in schools across every state of Australia, in Indigenous communities, and in more than a dozen countries worldwide, including Iran, Colombia, South Africa, Canada and Korea.

--- THE ART OF LEADERSHIP 2026 ---

The Art of Leadership 2026 program is now open for enrolment across 8 locations in NSW.
Enrol now: nswppa.org.au/art-of-leadership

--- RESOURCES MENTIONED ---

-> Choice Theory / Quality Schools  Dr. William Glasser
-> The Window of Certainty Hatswell and Stones (2016)
-> Self-Determination Theory  Deci and Ryan
-> Vivian Robinson  instructional leadership effect size 0.84
-> Viktor Frankl  Man's Search for Meaning
-> Harvard positive psychology research  relationship as the primary driver of influence

--- CONNECT WITH NSWPPA ---

Website: nswppa.org.au
Art of Leadership: nswppa.org.au/art-of-leadership
Professional Learnings Podcast: professionallearningsnswppa.buzzsprout.com
LinkedIn: NSW Primary Principals Association

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

In this insightful episode of Professional Learnings, host Drew introduces Season 4 with a powerful conversation featuring executive coach and leadership consultant, Annette Gray. Annette shares her profound insights on navigating leadership through crisis, fostering human-centred school cultures, and the critical importance of self-awareness for educational leaders.

Drawing from her experience supporting principals during the recovery phase of the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, Annette discusses the emotional and professional toll on leaders and how a coach-like approach can help them support their communities while managing their own wellbeing. The conversation delves into practical strategies for having difficult conversations, building trust, and creating a thriving, constructive school environment.

About Our Guest

Annette Gray is an experienced educator, executive coach, and consultant specialising in leadership development within the education sector. With a passion for diversity and inclusion, she helps leaders create human-centred, inclusive, and effective learning environments. Annette is the founder of Annette Gray Consulting and offers a range of programs designed to enhance leadership capabilities, from foundational coaching skills to intensive group and individual coaching.

Connect with Annette:

•Website: www.annettegray.com.au

•YouTube: Annette Gray Consulting

Showcase Notes via Google docs to show all of Annettes Books

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sBw94nRp54zcJ3txgPXHyOHOjT-_gIrPOSYVN1Pw3mo/edit?usp=sharing

Key Takeaways

The Power of a Coach-Like Approach: Instead of giving advice, leaders can empower their teams by asking questions, listening deeply, and helping them find their own solutions. This fosters a sense of ownership and honours the expertise of individuals within their own context.

Self-Awareness is the Foundation of Leadership: Annette emphasises that self-awareness is the key skill for any leader. Understanding your own triggers, strengths, and areas for growth allows you to show up as your best self and lead with kindness and compassion.

Navigating Difficult Conversations: The episode explores the importance of direct management and having courageous conversations to address behaviours that are not aligned with the desired school culture. The goal is to be proactive and constructive, maintaining the relationship while holding people accountable.

Wellbeing and Presence: For busy principals, being fully present in conversations is a powerful way to make staff feel heard and supported. Annette suggests that if you cannot be present, it is better to reschedule the conversation for a time when you can give it your full attention.

Embracing Ambiguity: In today's complex world, leaders do not need to have all the answers. Annette encourages leaders to collaborate with their teams to make sense of uncertainty and move forward together.

Term 1 Program Opportunity

Annette is offering a pilot coaching program for leaders in Term 1. This is a unique opportunity to develop your coaching skills and leadership capabilities in a supportive group environment.

Annette Gray Pilot Coaching Program:

https://www.flipsnack.com/ACB5ACA8B7A/annette-gray-nswppa-foundation-program

Direct Booking  https://www.annettegray.com.au/offers/CnHMFKZX/checkout 

Showcase Notes via Google docs:

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

From the moment children develop basic motor skills, they begin role-playing the futures they can imagine. But by upper primary school, these dreams often narrow dramatically - limited by postcodes, stereotypes, and what they see in their immediate environment. What if we could change this pattern?

Liv Penny, co-founder and CEO of Become Education, is transforming how we prepare young people for their futures. Her journey began with a profound observation: watching smart, happy classmates take dramatically different paths based solely on where they lived. This sparked a mission to ensure all children could write their stories "from the inside out" rather than having their futures determined by external circumstances.

The evidence is compelling. OECD research shows 50% of students globally aspire to just 10 occupations, with even narrower patterns at the local level. Meanwhile, 80% of 10-13 year olds think about their futures weekly, yet less than 10% say a teacher knows their aspirations. We're missing a massive opportunity to tap into natural motivation.

Become Education's approach doesn't prematurely force career decisions but instead develops the skills to explore broadly and design meaningful future pathways. Schools implementing the program report remarkable outcomes - from a 205% increase in students feeling their school cares about their future to transformative stories of previously disengaged students finding purpose and hope.

One particularly powerful story involves a disengaged student with dyslexia who discovered animation as her "happy place" through the program. With newfound purpose, she crafted a beautiful email to a Disney animator who responded with encouragement and professional advice. "She was transformed," her teachers reported through tears. "She never spoke and now she has transformed."

The impact extends beyond career readiness to improved engagement across all learning areas. As PISA data confirms, students who connect current learning to future possibilities show improvement in all learning strategies. In a world of AI and rapid change, this approach develops the uniquely human capabilities - curiosity, creativity, agency - that will remain valuable regardless of technological shifts.

Ready to help your students design futures full of possibility? Visit the Become Education website to learn how your school or cluster can implement this powerful, evidence-based approach.

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

Khalil Khay. From classroom to executive to system advocate, Khalil’s story spans three decades of transformation in NSW public education. He’s currently Principal-in-Residence K–12 in the School Excellence Directorate, previously championed curriculum reform, steered the ConnectED conference for 17 years, and been named to the Educator Hot List in four of the last eight years running.

As we close Season 3 and our final episode for 2025, the NSWPPA Educational Leadership Podcast concludes with a reflective conversation on leadership, purpose and sustaining meaningful change.

In this episode, Drew Janetzki is joined by Khalil Khay, a highly respected NSW education leader whose career spans classroom teaching, principalship, system leadership and national advocacy.

Together, they explore leadership as service, the importance of equity and moral purpose, and the value of creating multiple pathways for success across public education. Khalil reflects on his long-standing involvement with the Connected Conference, including his role as Chair, and the impact of accessible, high-quality professional learning for principals and middle leaders across New South Wales.

The conversation is grounded in key system frameworks, including the NSW Public Education Plan and the NSW School Excellence Framework, and highlights the role of sustained professional learning through programs such as the Art of Leadership Program and the NSWPPA Professional Learning Suite.

This final episode brings Season 3 to a close by returning to a central theme that has underpinned the year. Leadership is not about position or authority, but about enabling others, aligning values and doing the right work for students, schools and communities.

NSW Primary Principals’ Association

https://www.nswppa.org.au

NSW Public Education Plan

https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/strategies-and-reports/education-plan

 NSW School Excellence Framework

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/school-excellence-and-accountability/school-excellence

 Art of Leadership Program

https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning/art-of-leadership

NSWPPA Professional Learning Suite

https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

Connected Conference

https://www.connectedconference.com.au

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

HALT Reimagined: How NSW Schools Are Recognising Excellence Through the HALT Talent Pipeline

In this episode of Professional Learnings for Leaders in Education, host Drew Janetzki speaks with Krystal Bevin, Coordinator of the HALT Talent Pipeline at the NSW Department of Education. Together, they explore how the Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation process has been completely redesigned, making recognition more accessible, achievable, and aligned to real classroom practice.

Krystal unpacks how the new HALT model removes barriers, reduces workload, and strengthens school culture by recognising teachers who demonstrate expert practice every day. She highlights the dramatic surge in applications across NSW, the role of the HALT Hub, and the practical ways principals can support and celebrate excellence in their staff.

This episode is essential listening for principals wanting to grow capability, lift professional identity, and embed a culture of instructional leadership in their school.

In This Episode:
• How the HALT accreditation process has changed
• What’s driving the surge in applications across NSW
• The role of the HALT Hub and statewide community of practice
• How principals can identify, support, and mentor potential HALTs
• How HALT aligns with the School Excellence Framework and school improvement
• Practical steps for getting started in 2025 and 2026. Links for Listeners:
HALT Accreditation (NESA):
https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/teacher-accreditation/halt-accreditation

HALT Hub (NSW DoE):
https://edu.nsw.link/haltcop

Department of Education – HALT Information:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/inside-the-department/human-resources/learning/highly-accomplished-and-lead-teachers

Email the HALT Team:
[email protected]

About our guest Krystal Bevin

Krystal Bevin is an experienced and strategic educational leader with 25 years in the NSW Department of Education, currently serving as the Coordinator of the HALT Talent Pipeline. In this statewide role she leads a framework of high-level support, advice, and contextualised resources for teachers and leaders working towards Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher accreditation. Her work focuses on strengthening teacher quality, system leadership, and professional learning in ways that are practical for schools to integrate and embed within existing processes and practices.

Krystal’s leadership spans a wide range of contexts, including remote Aboriginal communities, Central schools, and selective settings. As Principal of West Wallsend High School for the past five years, her focus on high expectations, strong support, and a deep sense of belonging has contributed to significant whole-school improvement. The school has received multiple state and national accolades, including the NSW Secretary’s Award for an Outstanding School Initiative and recognition as one of The Educator’s Top 50 Innovative Schools.

Krystal is committed to ensuring that school leaders have access to relevant supports that work in real school settings. She is deeply committed to equitable access to professional learning and career-growth opportunities, and to celebrating and recognising the outstanding educators who shape the strength of our public schools.

Linked in Profile:

Links and References:

To view  our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

What happens when educational leaders face back-to-back crises? How do they support traumatised communities while managing their own wellbeing? Leadership coach Annette Gray takes us deep into these questions, drawing from her powerful work with school principals following the devastating Black Summer bushfires.

The principals Annette coached were carrying an extraordinary burden—not just rebuilding physically destroyed schools, but becoming the emotional anchors for entire communities. "The principal was holding everything together and they were just incredibly exhausted," she shares. One leader, facing both bushfires and floods, confessed he simply couldn't make any more decisions. The emotional toll was palpable.

This experience illuminates a critical leadership challenge: how to navigate overwhelming circumstances while supporting others. Annette's approach focuses on creating space for leaders to be heard without judgment. Rather than dispensing advice, she guides them to discover their own solutions—a coaching mindset that transforms conversations.

The distinction between coaching and advice-giving emerges as crucial for all educational leaders. When Annette's daughter, a teacher struggling with challenging classroom behaviours, encountered leaders who bombarded her with strategies she'd already tried, the approach felt dismissive rather than supportive. "Coach-like conversations" instead begin with genuine curiosity: "What do you want from this conversation? What would make a difference?"

For busy principals, Annette offers immediate, practical suggestions. Being truly present matters more than availability—"If now's not a good time, when would be?" Simple acknowledgments like this demonstrate that you value the conversation enough to give it proper attention.

Beyond individual interactions, Annette advocates for group coaching, where leaders learn from each other's experiences and develop complementary leadership styles. This collaborative approach recognises that no single leader possesses all necessary competencies—especially important in today's complex educational landscape.

Self-awareness emerges as the fundamental leadership skill. Understanding your triggers, managing your responses, and creating boundaries around difficult conversations creates the foundation for effective leadership. As Annette puts it: "How do I bring my best self, best version of me, to this conversation?"

Ready to transform your leadership conversations? Connect with Annette at annettegray.com.au or explore her YouTube channel for more insights into creating human-centred, inclusive school cultures through the power of coaching.

In this insightful episode of Professional Learnings, host Drew introduces Season 4 with a powerful conversation featuring executive coach and leadership consultant, Annette Gray. Annette shares her profound insights on navigating leadership through crisis, fostering human-centred school cultures, and the critical importance of self-awareness for educational leaders.

Drawing from her experience supporting principals during the recovery phase of the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, Annette discusses the emotional and professional toll on leaders and how a coach-like approach can help them support their communities while managing their own wellbeing. The conversation delves into practical strategies for having difficult conversations, building trust, and creating a thr

Links and References:

To view our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue