Last week I had the opportunity to join members of the Catholic Secondary Principals Association at their annual conference in Townsville and to speak to them about Leading Change. 

As we look to the near future our Catholic schools face a barrage of issues such as religious freedom, fallout from the Royal Commission, the Modern Slavery Act and other legislative changes they need to be ready to deal with.

Other broader education issues were also covered such as flexible alternatives to traditional schooling including virtual schools; fostering student attributes including social entrepreneurship and a sense of global place; understanding the impact and utility of AI and increasing datafication in schools; and recognising and responding to the increasing influence of ‘edu-businesses’, ‘start-ups’ funded by venture capitalists, and wealthy philanthropists.  

I also shared with Conference participants some research around the perceptions of Catholic schools, as well as looking at enrolment trends in Queensland and discussing the funding landscape going forward.