Rate My Professor Joanna Barbousas

Professor Joanna Barbousas serves as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education, Impact and Innovation, Dean of the School of Education, and Professor of Teacher Education at La Trobe University. Holding multiple degrees from the University of New South Wales—including a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Education in Art Education, Graduate Certificate in Education Research, and a PhD—she possesses over 29 years of experience in education, teaching practice, and education policy across New South Wales and Victoria. Prior to her appointment at La Trobe in 2016, she occupied senior leadership positions at Australian Catholic University, such as State Head of Education and Director of Professional Learning. Under her leadership, the School of Education has been transformed into one of Australia's leading providers of teacher education. Her research and teaching expertise centers on education policy, teacher practice, the formation of educational knowledge amid change, innovative visions for teacher education, and the importance of partnerships and sector collaborations to enhance the teaching profession's status.

Professor Barbousas holds the position of President of the Victorian Council of Deans of Education and is an invited participant on government steering committees, advisory groups, and expert panels. She has driven the creation and expansion of the award-winning NEXUS program, obtaining over $14 million in funding from the Commonwealth Government and the Victorian State Government. Initiated in 2020 within the High Achievers Teachers Program, NEXUS offers an employment-based teacher education pathway for career changers entering secondary teaching in regional, rural, and hard-to-staff schools, now extending to primary levels and New South Wales. Furthermore, she secured $2.5 million over five years from the Bertalli Foundation to advance science of learning initiatives, including the establishment of evidence-based reading and writing clinics at La Trobe's Bendigo and Bundoora campuses for children facing literacy challenges, the designation of high-performing schools as regional hubs, and research funding for early schooling in rural and regional areas. Her efforts address teacher shortages and advance evidence-informed practices in literacy and numeracy, exerting substantial influence on Victoria's educational sector.