26 February 2026: The Â鶹´«Ã½’s Affiliated Schools Program has been crowned winner in the 2026 Shaping Australia Awards, taking home the judge’s top choice in the Future Builder category.
The prestigious award was presented at the Universities Australia (UA) dinner and annual conference on Wednesday, with program leads and supporters in attendance for the significant moment.
The Affiliated Schools Program is Australia's most comprehensive university-government partnership, which covers the entire educator life cycle, from preservice teacher training to leadership development, along with innovative school-based research, all of which shapes the future of the ACT's schooling system.
The impact of the program across the ACT is widespread – more than 5,000 preservice teachers and over 8,000 students have been involved in the school-based clinics since the program’s inception in 2019. A further $1.7 million of funding has since flowed through to local public schools for research projects.
In this time, 36 Teachers as Researchers projects have been completed, which has enabled local teachers to undertake relevant school-based research, with the guidance of academics within the University’s Faculty of Education.
Additionally, over 900 teachers have attended conferences, seminars and workshops to further their learning, and share knowledge with peers across the system.
The first agreement was signed in 2019 by ACT Minister for Education, Yvette Berry, and was renewed in 2024 for a further five-year term.
The program was originally developed by then Clinical Associate Professor Chris Morrissey –formerly Deputy Principal at Marist College Canberra – and Kerrie Heath, who was then Principal of Melba Copland College. Their work was guided by the then Executive Dean of Education, Emeritus Professor Geoff Riordan.
Together, they envisioned the program as a formal partnership between the ACT’s two key public education stakeholders: the Â鶹´«Ã½ – the region’s largest provider of initial teacher education – and the ACT Government, which oversees the public education system.
The program continued under the leadership of (now Adjunct) Associate Professor Morrissey, who has since retired, and Assistant Professor Dr Emily Hills, who has since been appointed as Associate Dean, Education, within the Faculty.
Clinical Associate Professor Joanne Keens now leads the program. Associate Professor Keens previously held system‑level responsibility for the program within the ACT Education Directorate and was a Deputy Principal at Kaleen Primary School, one of original 25 Affiliated Schools, and witnessed the benefits of the program firsthand.
“What I see as the real strength of the Affiliated Schools Program is the way it brings academics, teachers and schools together in a genuine partnership, where everyone is working collaboratively to improve learning and teaching, and strengthen the profession,” she said.
“This partnership lifts system capability, enriches professional learning for teachers, and provides preservice teachers with authentic experiences that truly prepare them for the classroom. Having the program recognised nationally affirms the impact of our partnership and reinforces what we see in our Affiliated Schools, that when universities and education systems work together, learners benefit the most.”
Photos courtesy of Universities Australia
Pictured: Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor the Honourable Bill Shorten; Associate Professor Emily Hills; Dr Holly Tootell, Senior Lecturer; Associate Professor Janet Smith, Interim Executive Dean, Faculty of Education; Professor Barney Dalgarno; Professor Michelle Lincoln, Vice-Chancellor; Associate Professor Kate Highfield; Clinical Associate Professor Joanne Keens; Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor Chris Morrissey.