Dr Valerie Drew

Valerie Drew is currently engaged part-time on the educational leadership programmes. She previously held positions as Senior Lecturer in Professional Education and Leadership (2016-2020) and Honorary Associate Professor in Educational Leadership (2020-2022) in the Faculty of Social Sciences. She was Programme Director for the MSc in Educational Leadership (Specialist Qualification for Headship) and MSc in Professional Education and Leadership. Valerie was a founding member of the Education Scotland Professional Learning and Leadership (EDSPLL) national design group for the Specialist Qualification for Headship (Into Headship and In Headship) and represented the Scottish Council of Deans of Education on the strategic group for EDSPLL’s Excellence in Headship programme. She has led partnership projects with Regional Improvement Collaboratives, local authorities and schools across Scotland and Wales in School-based Curriculum Making through Critical Collaborative Professional Enquiry. She is a member of the Forth Valley and West Lothian RIC Programme Board. She has contributed to the EDSPLL Excellence in Headship programme and was academic adviser on the SCEL Fellowship programme. She was a member of the Working Group for the revision of the GTCS Standards framework 2017-2020. Her research interests span professional learning in and through educational leadership, critical collaborative professional enquiry and curriculum making. She has examined Doctoral theses for University of Glasgow, University College London, University of Newcastle, University of Strathclyde and was External Examiner for the MSc in Learning and Teaching at the University of Oxford (2013-2016).

Valerie's research interests are concerned with professional learning in and through educational leadership, critical collaborative professional enquiry and curriculum making. She is a member of the Education Practice/Theory research group based in the Faculty of Social Sciences and was a founding member of ProPEL, an International Network for Research into Professional Practice, Education and Learning. In her doctoral thesis Valerie drew upon a Deleuzian theoretical framework to explore how creativity and imagination are enacted in and through policies, curriculum and professional practices in educational settings. She was co-applicant on two Government funded projects: Developing criticality for teacher career-long professional learning: oPEN - the online Professional Education Network and Developing partnerships for sustainable career-long professional learning. Her current research is concerned with evaluating the strategic impact of her sustainable model of professional learning, Critical Collaborative Professional Enquiry, on educators’ criticality, collaboration and leadership practices through the curriculum making process.

Recent Conference Contributions

Priestley, M., Drew, V., Smith, J. and Reeves, J. and Humes, W. (2019) Paper Realising the potential of Critical Collaborative professional Enquiry, presented in Symposium What we have learned about educational reform form the experience of Curriculum for Excellence? at Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) Annual conference, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK (November).

Drew, V. (presenting) and McMahon, M. (2019) Translating policy aspirations for equity and excellence through an inter-organisational partnership programme for early strategic leadership development: policy actors’ perspectives one year on. Paper presented at International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, University of Stavanger, Norway (January).

Drew, V. (2018) Pedagogic deliberations: principles, mediators, processes and outcomes. Invited paper presented at ResearchED Conference, Dollar Academy, Scotland, UK (September).

Drew, V. (2018) Critical Collaborative professions enquiry: methodology for examining curriculum making through consideration of content, pedagogy, and assessment. Invited paper presented at Scottish Council of Deans of Education Annual Stakeholders Conference, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK (September).

Day, S. (presenting), Wall, K. and Drew, V. (2018) ‘Enhancing teacher leadership through online professional learning: A Scottish perspective. Symposium paper for Professional Learning Cultures and Practices: Supporting teacher leadership presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, Free University Bolzano, Italy (September).

Whelan, L., Drew, V., Laing, S. and Saunders, L.  (2018). Scottish College for Educational Leadership: Changing the Paradigm of Leadership in Scotland - from School  to System. Paper presented at International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (January).

Drew, V., Kent, J., Glasbrook-Griffiths, R. and Forrest-McKay, K. (2017) Working in partnership to translate education policies into practices: policy actors' perspectives of a partnership project in School-based Curriculum Development through Critical Collaborative Professional Enquiry (CCPE). Symposium presented at the 3rd European Conference on Curriculum Studies. University of Stirling, Stirling, UK (June).

Drew, V. and Whelan, L., Allan, A., Travis, A. and McMahon, M. (2017) Translating Educational Leadership Policies into Practices through Collaborative Partnership Working: Policy Actors' Perspectives One Year On. Symposium presented at International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, University of Ottawa, Ottawa (January).

Drew, V. and Whelan, L.(2017) Promoting collaboration in and through a preparation for strategic leadership programme: elaborating on the impact of ‘co' in the collaborative development and implementation of a mandatory leadership qualification for aspiring head teachers in Scotland. Paper presented at International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, University of Ottawa, Ottawa (January).

Drew, V. (2016) Critical Collaborative Professional Enquiry: a methodology for school-based curriculum development Paper presented at the Stirling Network for Curriculum Studies, University of Stirling, Stirling (November).

Priestley, M. (presenting) and Drew, V. (2016) Teachers as agents of curriculum change: closing the gap between purpose and practice. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, Dublin (September).

Drew, V. (presenting) and Priestley, M. (2016) Examining Tensions and Ambiguities in a Policy Desire for Enquiring Professionals and Partnership Working. Paper presented at International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, University of Glasgow, UK (January).

Drew, V. (2015) School-based Curriculum Development through Critical Collaborative Professional Enquiry: What, Why, How? Paper presented at the SCSSA Curriculum for Excellence in Primary and Early Years - Innovation for Effective Practice Conference, Edinburgh (November).

Watson, C., Drew, V., Thompson, TL. and Wilson, A. (2015) oPENing critical spaces for professional learning: developing and researching spaces for online learning. Symposium presented at Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) Annual conference, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK (November).

Drew, V. (2015) Critical Collaborative Professional Enquiry: what, why and how? Invited keynote at the inaugural #EnquiryMeet, Grangemouth High School, Falkirk (November).

Forde, C. and Drew, V. (2015) The Changing Nature of Headship: Dual/Joint Headship. Paper presented at ADHS Conference, Glasgow, UK (October).

Priestley, M. and Drew, V. (presenting) (2015) Teacher sense-making in school based curriculum development through critical collaborative professional enquiry: using ‘big ideas' to imagine new possibilities and practices. Paper presented at British Educational Research Association Conference, University of Belfast, UK (September).

Priestley, M. and Drew, V. (presenting) (2015) Collaborative Professional Enquiry and Teacher Agency: No Pressure, No Diamond; No Grit, No Pearl.. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, Corvinus University, Budapest, Hungary (September).

Priestley, M. and Drew, V. (2015) School-based curriculum development through Critical collaborative professional enquiry. Paper presented at ResearchED Conference, University of Glasgow, UK (August).

Drew, V. (2014) Visualising complexity: Surfacing uncertainties and tensions in enacting a policy desire for professional learning. Invited symposium paper for ‘Inaugural Symposium - Organizational Education' presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, (September).

Drew, V. and Priestley, M. (2014) School-based Curriculum Development through Collaborative Professional Enquiry. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, (September).

Fox, A. and Drew, V. (2014) Supporting Practice-based Masters-level Learning: The Emergence and Role of the ‘Critical Colleague'. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, (September).

Drew, V. (2014) [Re]focusing on practitioner enquiry: a false dawn or shining a light on processes and practices.  Paper presented at Into the Light: Practitioner Enquiry Conference, Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, UK, (August).

Drew, V. (2014) Masterliness and accredited Masters level learning: desire and tensions. Symposium paper for ‘Connecting masterliness and professional learning through university and local authority partnership' presented at the ProPEL International Conference, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK (June).

Watson, C. and Drew, V. (2013) Masters level learning: criticality and accomplishment. Paper presented at Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) Annual Conference, Burton-Upon-Trent, UK,(November).

Redford, M. and Drew, V. (2013) MTL, MEP and the Scottish Framework for Masters in Education. Paper presented at Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) Annual Conference, Burton-Upon-Trent, UK, (November).

Drew, V. (2013) Perceptions and Possibilities: a school community's imaginings for a Future Curriculum for Excellence. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey, (September).

Mackie, L. and Drew, V. (2013) ‘Active Learning': an exploration of teachers' perceptions and practices. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey, (September).

Drew, V. (presenting), Eady, S. and Smith, A. (2012) Doing Action Research in Professions: dilemmas, strategies and transformational learning. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University of Cadiz, Cadiz, Spain (September).