The Community of Associate Deans Research in Education (cADRE) was established by the Australian Council of Deans of Education in 2013 to strengthen collaboration and leadership in educational research across Australian universities. cADRE provides a strategic forum for Associate Deans (Research) to identify shared priorities, exchange insights, and advance the national research agenda in education.
Through its work, cADRE promotes a culture of collaboration, quality, and innovation in educational research. cADRE plays a key role in facilitating joint initiatives, supporting emerging research leaders, and guiding collective responses to policy and funding developments that impact research in the discipline of education.
Download a copy of our flyer here.
cADRE works to:
During 2026, cADRE is presenting a series of four workshops to build Education researchers’ capacity to conduct quality peer reviews. The focus is on applications coded as Field of Research 39: Education and submitted to current and future Australian Research Council (ARC) funding schemes. This workshop series is funded by ACDE.
Insights from the ARC College of Experts and Senior Assessors (16 April 2026)
• Hear insider perspectives on the ARC assessment process from an experienced ARC College of Experts (CoE) member and detailed assessor. Build your capacity to conduct rigorous and fair peer reviews of nationally competitive grant applications. This session explored the roles and responsibilities of ARC assessors and CoE members, what experienced assessors look for in a competitive application, and common challenges in the review process.
Understanding ARC Schemes and Assessment Guidelines (12 March 2026)
In Workshop 1, a representative from the Australian Research Council (ARC) provided an overview of assessment processes, outlining key assessor guidelines as well as features of quality peer review for the ARC. They were joined by a former member of the ARC College of Experts and an experienced research manager to discuss what assessors need to do and know to engage in constructive and sector-promoting feedback. The presentations challenged some common assumptions about sector success in ARC funding rounds.
cADRE National Report on the State of Education Research
Australia’s education research field faces a complex, fast-changing policy environment with a highly interventionist Federal government. Prior ERA assessments have failed to capture the strength and diversity of Australian education research, disadvantaging women, First Nations, and regional researchers.
Nationally competitive education research funding has declined, alongside ARC grant success. Most funding comes from Category 2 public sector sources, while research commercialisation remains a valuable income stream, with education among the top five disciplines. Education research publications have also grown significantly, ranking third in output growth.
Opportunities exist to advance education research, particularly through the Federal government’s priority on elevating First Nations knowledge systems and fostering educational sovereignty. Transdisciplinary collaborations with health and STEM and expanding research commercialisation offer further potential. The cADRE report outlines 10 key recommendations to guide ACDE’s strategic priorities for intervention, lobbying, and action to strengthen Australia’s education research future.
AARE-ASSA Priorities and Future Directions for Educational Research
cADRE is pleased to support the development of a decadal plan for Educational Research, as led by the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), and the Academy of Social Sciences (ASSA). In August 2024, AARE and ASSA hosted a national roundtable in Melbourne attended by peak bodies, educational researchers, professional associations and representatives from research organisations to discuss the challenges and opportunities for Australian education research over the next decade. Roundtable participants agreed to come together to develop a 10-year roadmap for the field of Educational Research. cADRE is represented on a steering committee that will progress the development of the plan in 2025.
cADRE Mid-career Researchers (MCR) Network
The MCR Network is led by Associate Professors Amanda Gutierrez (Australian Catholic University) and Sharon McDonough (Federation University). The Network is comprised of Education MCRs across all Australian universities and seeks to provide a supportive and connected professional network that shares information and opportunities relevant to mid-career researchers. In 2024, they facilitated a series of successful webinars on topics such as planning for promotion, finding joy in academic work, and finding and applying for research grants, and establishing research collaborations. Sharon and Amanda are currently leading a research project, funded by the ACDE, ‘Understanding the experience of mid-career education researchers in Australia’. If you are interested in learning more about the network, please email: Amanda.Gutierrez@acu.edu.au and s.mcdonough@federation.edu.au.
| Role | State | Name | University |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair | QLD | A/Professor Louisa Tomas Engel | James Cook University |
| Deputy Chair | QLD | Prof Karen Dooley | Queensland University of Technology |
| - | ACT | Assoc Prof Deborah Pino Pasternak | University of Canberra |
| - | NSW | Prof Lina Markauskaite | University of Sydney |
| - | NT | Assoc Prof Jon Mason | Charles Darwin University |
| - | QLD | Assoc Prof Linda Pfeiffer | Central Queensland University |
| - | SA | Prof Shane Pill | Flinders University |
| - | TAS | Prof Iris Duhn | University of Tasmania |
| - | TAS | Dr Abbey MacDonald | University of Tasmania |
| - | VIC | Prof Linda Hobbs | Deakin University |
| - | WA | Assoc Prof Melanie Brooks | Edith Cowan University |
Broaden Your Horizon: Beyond Cat 1 Funding – 3 September 2025
Associate Professor Linda Pfeiffer, CQU has led another successful webinar on behalf of the Qld-NT cADRE Network, joined by Associate Professor Annette Bromdal UniSQ, Dr Sharon Louth USC and Associate Professor Kate Thompson QUT.
2024 cADRE SEED GRANT
Through ACDE’s Network Funding Initiative, cADRE invited educational researchers to apply for a Seed Grant of $3,000 to seed a project on a ‘hot’ education topic with national significance with a view to enable educational research that promotes evidence-based practices and policies. The successful recipient of the grant was Dr Rebecca English from the School of Teacher Education & Leadership at QUT.
The alignment between ‘school can’t’ (refusal) and the rise in homeschooling: A case study of submissions to a 2024 Queensland parliamentary inquiry
In March 2024, the Queensland government introduced an amendment bill to the Education (General Provisions) Act that would have increased the compliance measures to which homeschoolers were subject. These compliance measures included the removal of provisional (or fast approval) registration and the use of ACARA curriculum. The community, in particular the large numbers of accidental homeschoolers who are largely from the ‘school can’t’ (refusal) community, galvanised and fought the amendments through the 2,000 submissions objecting to the bill. This study examines the ways that these ‘school can’t’ homeschoolers described their homeschooling in the submissions.
cADRE Webinar: Supporting Education Mid-Career Researchers (15 June 2023)
This webinar marked the first initiative of the cADRE Working Party on Supporting Education HDR, ECR and MCR Researchers, established as a key outcome of the National Summit on Educational Research held in June 2022. Recognising the importance and urgency of succession planning within the discipline, the Working Party began its focus with Mid-Career Researchers (MCRs).
The interactive cADRE–ACDE webinar explored existing research on the needs and experiences of education MCRs and gathered insights directly from researchers across Australia. The findings and key issues raised were subsequently presented to the ACDE Board to inform ongoing discussion and strategic action to support research leadership and sustainability in education.
Australian Education Research Leaders’ Summit, 29-30 June 2022
In 2022, the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and cADRE jointly hosted a National Summit of Education Research Leaders in Adelaide. The Summit brought together senior academics, research leaders and sector representatives to discuss the key challenges facing the education research community and to explore national, sector-wide strategies to strengthen its future.
The event resulted in a collaborative action plan and the establishment of working parties to address several priority areas, including:
Read Professor Catherine Manathunga’s opening address ‘Why we must take the pulse of education research in Australia now’.
Assessing ARC Grant Applications
Many Australian Education researchers provide feedback in ARC assessment reports, which is putting applications at risk of not being funded. At the Australian Education Research Leaders’ Summit (29-30 June 2022), informal advice from previous ARC College of Experts indicates that in Education we could do better in the way we provide assessments.
Joint cADRE-ACDE webinar: Reimagining education research in a post-election world (27 May 2022)
This webinar included the following presentations:
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