Congratulations to our Head of Allied Health, Sarah Wood, who has been awarded the Lee Mills Teacher Education Award by the NSW Chapter of the Australian Association of Special Education (AASE) for her paper A scoping review of the components of effective teacher in-service professional development in inclusive education.
This prestigious award is presented annually to encourage research-based practice among teachers and schools supporting students with disability. It honours the legacy of AASE foundation member Lee Mills, a dedicated advocate who served as a State President and contributed significantly at Branch, Chapter and National Committee levels. Lee was also instrumental in establishing the Australian Disability Achievement Foundation.
Sarah’s award-winning paper was a comprehensive literature review exploring the key components of effective in-service professional development for teachers in inclusive education settings. This research laid the foundation for our Inclusion Works PhD program, which recently completed a three-year data collection phase across 6 primary schools. Now in its data review stage, the project has involved our clinical staff working weekly with participating schools to train, review, and implement effective inclusive education strategies. This hands-on collaboration has allowed us to observe and measure the development of educators' skills and confidence over time.
“It’s an incredible honour to receive the Lee Mills Teacher Education Award. This recognition not only acknowledges the value of the research behind Inclusion Works, but also highlights the real impact that evidence-based professional development can have on inclusive education. Every child deserves to be seen, understood, and supported in their learning environment — and that starts with equipping educators with the knowledge and confidence to make inclusion meaningful.”
We’re proud to see Sarah’s work recognised nationally and grateful for the impact her research continues to have on inclusive education practices across Australia.
You can read more about our Inclusion Works® Program and its goal to strengthen inclusive education practices across entire school communities at https://www.learningforlife.com.au/blog/inclusion-works----empowering-educators-through-evidence-based-practice
