As a leader and Indigenous person, Weston is informed and passionate about building the capacity of all students so they achieve their potential within regional and remote areas.
Weston Jackson
Principal
Millars Well Primary School
In 2004, Weston was nominated for and received the award for Outstanding Aboriginal Educator whilst Principal at Pannawonica Primary School.
Weston attributes his career development to experiences particularly accessed in professional learning with Dr Stephen Covey (Habits of Effective People), coaching, and literacy and numeracy, which provided him with momentum and a spring-board to reassess why, and how, he does things as a leader. Weston has successfully imbued and sustained effectiveness within Millars Well Primary School and has positively influenced others in his community through strong leadership.
His belief that leaders have the potential to positively influence others drives his role as mentor in the ‘100 Days of Effective Leadership’ program, where he supports and mentors a principal colleague in their first three years leading a Level 5 school. Weston focuses on developing his staff into leaders with the goal of enacting positive changes in schools across regional Western Australia and holds the career vision of being a positive influence at many educational levels.
For his change management project, Weston 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 and Community Voice.