Joanna Barbousas

Professor Barbousas is Dean of the School of Education and Professor of Teacher Education. Her research and teaching expertise is in education policy, teacher practice and the formation of educational knowledge in times of change. She was previously the State Head of Education and Director of Professional Learning at Australian Catholic University. Educated at the University of New South Wales, and with over 25 years’ experience as a teacher and academic in NSW and Victoria, Professor Barbousas’ research focuses on new visions in teacher education and role of partnerships and sector collaborations to drive the status of the teaching profession.

She is an invited member on government steering committees, advisory groups and expert panels and is President of the Victorian Council of Deans of Education. Professor Barbousas, in collaboration, has been successfully awarded over 14 million dollars for the High Achievers Teachers Program funded by the Commonwealth Government and the State Government of Victoria to deliver an innovative employment-based teacher education program for regional/rural and hard to staff schools in Victoria. With teacher shortages now reaching into primary schools, preparing teachers through evidence-informed approaches and gaining hands-on classroom experiences, will set them up to make a difference in regional, rural and hard to staff schools – The program launched in 2020 as part of the Government’s High Achieving Teachers Program, is a first-of-its-kind pathway into secondary teaching that enables people to transition from other careers, while gaining practical experience in a school setting.

Joanna was also instrumental in receiving $2.5 million dollars over 5 years from the Bertalli Foundation to the University’s ‘science of learning’ programs which will see the creation of evidence-based reading and writing clinics at La Trobe’s Bendigo and Bundoora campuses for children who have fallen behind with reading, writing and spelling. The funding will also empower schools that excel in using the science of learning to become regional hubs, and enable research into how rural and regional children are taught during the first three years of school. Joanna says this donation will benefit children who are being left behind, provide evidence-informed approaches to reading instruction, and better prepare graduates in the science of learning. “This very generous gift will help our passionate researchers and educators, who have been lobbying hard in this space for many years, reach many more schools – ensuring thousands of Victorian children have the best possible educational experiences, setting them up for future success,” she says.

She has dedicated her career to ongoing professional development and has multiple University Degrees including a BFA, an MFA, a BEdArtEd, a GradCertEdResearch and a PhD.Joanna empowers her staff to make a real difference and is continuously making enormous contributions to our society.