Jo’s extensive experience as an educational leader during her career spanning over 17 years has enabled her to grow and adapt her leadership in order to contribute purposefully to the education system and her role as an educator.
Jo Stephens
Principal
Beaumaris Primary School
A passionate and committed principal, her strongly distributed and collaborative leadership style at Beaumaris Primary School has grown the school from a good, into a great professional learning community.
Jo places a focus on developing a continually strengthened sense of collective efficacy in her team, and consistently refines whole school classroom practices, specifically in STEM, digital technology, English, health and physical education, and early childhood education.
For her change management project, Jo explored the topic of Gaining Ground for Aboriginal Students. The project aimed to answer two key questions. First, what could be learned from primary schools who are succeeding in outcomes for Aboriginal students. Second, to ask Aboriginal parents in these schools why they thought the school did well for Aboriginal students, and what they wanted from Education for their Aboriginal children. Findings from each of the three schools involved in this project reported using the headings Leadership, Relationships and Partnerships, Learning Environment, Teaching Quality, and Aboriginal Parent & Community Voice.