Ministry appoints Chief Education Science Advisor

Media release

22 July 2014

Internationally recognised Professor takes new role with Ministry of Education

Internationally acclaimed educational researcher Professor Stuart McNaughton has accepted the new role of Chief Education Scientific Advisor at the Ministry of Education.

Secretary for Education Peter Hughes says he is delighted that Professor McNaughton accepted the role, and that an academic of Professor McNaughton’s calibre will be working across Government agencies for the betterment of education.

“Professor McNaughton brings world-leading academic and professional credibility to this position. Over the course of his distinguished career he has earned respect from the international educational research community for his work to lift educational achievement.

“In this new role, Professor McNaughton will provide independent advice on areas of education that are especially complex, and will take significant time and focus to tackle. I’m looking forward to seeing how he can challenge us, push boundaries, ask the tough questions, and dig deep to get important answers.”

Professor McNaughton, along with the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor Sir Peter Gluckman and other science advisors, will work with a number of key government agencies and researchers in New Zealand and around the world.

“Professor McNaughton is hugely respected both within the education sector and within academic communities in New Zealand and internationally. His agreeing to take this role adds significantly to the mana of our organisation,”says Mr Hughes.

Notes for editors

Professor McNaughton is a Professor of Education, Director of the Woolf Fisher Research Centre at the University of Auckland and a trained teacher.

He was recently appointed as a Distinguished International Professor at East China Normal University (Shanghai), and inducted into the international body, the Reading Hall of Fame.

Professor McNaughton has a substantial publication history, including 6 books, 44 chapters in books and 83 refereed articles. His most recent book Designing Better Schools (2011) identifies what is needed to be more effective in meeting the challenges faced by culturally and linguistically diverse students.

As the Director of the Woolf Fisher Research Centre, Professor McNaughton works to develop education and schooling success for diverse communities, with research in New Zealand and in other countries. Within New Zealand, he has had a particular focus on optimising success in schools for children from Māori and Pasifika communities and from low decile schools.

The role of Chief Education Scientific Advisor is part time and Professor McNaughton will continue his research programme at the University of Auckland and his leadership of the Woolf Fisher Research Centre.

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