DCU Dean's Lecture Series, November 2023: Professor Harold Hislop presents his Reflections on Educational Assessment and Teacher Professionalism in Ireland

Professor Harold Hislop, Adjunct Professor, School of Policy and Practice, DCU Institute of Education, delivered the keynote address entitled: Reflections on Educational Assessment and Teacher Professionalism in Ireland, as part of the Dean's Lecture series at DCU Institute of Education.

The keynote speech provided a comprehensive overview of the development, current realities and future challenges for educational assessment and teacher professionalism in Ireland.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Professor Charlotte Holland, Deputy Dean of the DCU Institute of Education, stated:

Dublin City University is delighted to have Dr Hislop accept the appointment of Adjunct Professor. As an academic, former teacher, principal, and Chief Inspector of the Department of Education, Professor Hislop’s experience, deep knowledge and understanding of the challenges and opportunities for educational policy and practice are unrivalled and are a great asset to communities within and beyond DCU.

Dr Martin Brown, Head of School of Policy and Practice, also stated:

With the commitment of DCU Institute of Education and DCU as a whole to the enhancement of educational provision both nationally and internationally, we are delighted that Professor Hislop has agreed to take up this role of adjunct Professor, to which the DCU Community greatly looks forward to working with Professor Hislop over the coming years.

Professor Harold Hislop was appointed an Adjunct Professor in DCU Institute of Education earlier this year, following his retirement from the post of Chief Inspector at the Department of Education in October 2022, a post he had held since 2010. Prior to joining the Inspectorate, he had been a teacher, school principal, an education and research officer at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, and General Secretary of the Church of Ireland Board of Education. Professor Hislop has also researched and published on the history of education in early nineteenth-century Ireland. While Chief Inspector, he led a series of reforms in the Inspectorate, which included the introduction of school self-evaluation, the extension of inspections to early learning and care settings, and the development of a co-professional, collaborative approach to inspection that combined both evaluative and advisory functions.

Professor Hislop became Chair of the Governing Board of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) at the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in January 2023. He is Chair of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme Delivery Board, which has been established by the Minister for Education to oversee the implementation of reforms to upper secondary education in Ireland. He is also a member of the Education Reform Delivery Board established by the Scottish Government to oversee the establishment of a new schools Inspectorate in Scotland.

Professor Hislop has also lectured and advised about school evaluation in universities in Ireland and at conferences, inspectorates and government departments in several countries, including Austria, France, Malta, Abu Dhabi and Wales. His recent international work includes a keynote address to the annual conference of the European Education Policy Network/European School Heads Association (EEPN/ESHA) and an address at the Sharjah International Summit on Improvement in Education 2023 (at the invitation of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching).

Dr Hislop introduced the keynote address as an opportunity for ‘self-reflection’ and proceeded to deliver a challenging analysis of the system that has emerged over recent years. The wide-ranging address by Professor Hislop concluded with a challenge to Higher Education Institutions to engage with schools in order to enhance their capacity in the areas of Educational Assessment and Teacher Professionalism.