Prestigious postion for Education expert

An education expert from The University of Auckland has been selected to represent NZ in an international working group tasked with transforming the world’s education system.
Dr Brian Annan, director of Business Development at the Faculty of Education, is one of four NZers chosen for the second year of the Global Educations Leaders Programme (GELP).
He will join top education experts from Australia, Finland, China, Korea and India, who have the job of transforming current education systems to better meet the needs of businesses and society, and developing the capabilities required for success in the 21st century. 
GELP is run by a consortium comprising Cisco, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bridge, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Hay Group, Innovation Unit, and McKinsey & Company.
Dr Annan was nominated by The University of Auckland Centre for Educational Leadership.
Dr Annan said he felt honoured to be accepted to join the prestigious group of policy-makers, thought-leaders and global consultants who will meet for the first time in Beijing on 30th October, 2010. “It’s a huge honour and opportunity not only for me, but for the University and NZ,” he says.
“NZ has a lot to offer globally. When it comes to literacy, for instance, overall we are regarded as world leaders,” he says.
Despite our great literacy record and expertise in school effectiveness and improvement, we have to lift to another level, says Dr Annan.
“Four out of five children are doing really well in school and it would be wonderful if we lifted that to five out of five.”
Dean of the Faculty of Education, Associate Prof. Graeme Aitken, says Dr Annan’s acceptance to join such a prestigious group is an acknowledgement of his strong record of change leadership in education.
“Dr Annan has worked alongside world-class researchers in NZ, the US, Canada and Europe to advance what we know about building better schools.
“Closer to home between 1997 and 2002 he played a vital role in the Strengthening Education in Mangere and Otara project, one of the most successful schooling improvement projects in the country,” says Dr Aitken.
Dr Annan has worked previously as a senior adviser with the MoE, been president of the Auckland Primary Principals’ Association, and Principal at Auckland primary schools, Tirimoana Primary School and Edendale Primary School.
His doctoral research into the effectiveness of schooling improvements in NZ, and comparing these improvements to international efforts, informed systems changes in all NZ schools.