Rate My Professor Alison Kearney

Professor Alison Kearney serves as Professor and Head of the Institute of Education at Massey University within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She earned an Advanced Diploma of Teaching from Palmerston North College of Education in 1993, a Master of Education in 2000, and a Doctor of Philosophy in 2009, both from Massey University. Kearney began her career as a primary school teacher for 15 years across locations including Tauranga, Tokoroa, Christchurch, and Palmerston North. She was later seconded to Massey University's Initial Teacher Education programme, served as National Coordinator for Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour qualifications, and previously headed the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy. As founding Co-Director of the Equity Through Education Centre, she has coordinated postgraduate programmes in specialist teaching, teaching and learning, and education support. A long-standing editor of the journal Kairaranga, Kearney has contributed to numerous Ministry of Education advisory and working groups and supervised many master's and doctoral students.

Kearney's research focuses on equity in and through education, inclusive education, social justice, children's rights, and factors marginalizing students from and within schools, particularly disabled students, gifted and talented learners, and refugee-background students. Her work is informed by personal experience growing up with a brother who had an intellectual disability and faced institutionalization, abuse, and educational exclusion, which underpinned her PhD on barriers to school inclusion. Key publications include the book Exclusion from and Within School: Issues and Solutions (2011), the highly cited article Inclusive education policy in New Zealand: reality or ruse? (2006, 160 citations), Barriers to school inclusion PhD thesis (2009, 92 citations), and recent work such as Improving educational inclusion for refugee-background learners through appreciation of diversity (2021). She shared the 2018 FLANZ Award and promotes systemic reforms for educational equity, influencing policy like the Tomorrow's Schools review and specialist teacher training programmes. Promoted to Professor in 2023, Kearney continues to advance teacher agency and professional development for inclusive practices.