Professor Alma Harris

Speaker Summary

Dr Alma Harris is an internationally renowned researcher and acclaimed author famous for her work on educational leadership, system reform and school improvement. Dr Harris is currently Professor of Leadership in Education and Co-Director of the ‘Centre for International Research on Leadership in Education (CIRLE) at Cardiff Metropolitan University. She is an award-winning educationalist who has advised numerous governments on policy, system-wide reform and international education. Currently, an international adviser to the First Minister of Scotland, Dr Harris has also worked in many countries to support change at scale. She has been a consultant with the World Bank since 2009 ,working on research and development programmes aimed at supporting schools in challenging contexts. Very few people create and manage positive change in educational settings quite like Professor Alma Harris.

Areas of Expertise

Equity and Inclusion – Leadership and Management – System Reform – Whole School Improvement

Full Profile

With Professorial roles at Universities across the UK and around the world, Alma knows educational reform no matter the country or system. She co-led the Professional Learning Communities Programme as well as being instrumental in the development and implementation of a Master’s qualification for all newly qualified teachers in Wales. From 2009-2012 due to her stellar work internationally and at home, she was appointed to the Welsh Government as a senior policy adviser to assist with the process of system-wide reform.

She is the Past President of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and School Improvement, an organisation that is dedicated to enhancing quality and equity in education on every inhabited continent. She was so exemplary in this role that she earned the ICSEI honorary lifetime award for her efforts.

She is also a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science, a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Publications
  • System Recall: Leading for Equity and Excellence in Education (2020)
  • Distributed School Leadership: Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders (2008)
  • Do Parents Know They Matter?: Raising achievement through parental engagement (2009)

Sessions Featuring Professor Alma Harris: