Rate My Professor Carl Leonard

Dr. Carl Leonard is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education within the Faculty of Education and Arts at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Holding a Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Education, and Bachelor of Education—all earned from the University of Newcastle—Dr. Leonard has championed public education, inclusivity, and diversity for over 30 years. Until mid-2019, he worked full-time in schools, including as Relieving Principal and Deputy Principal at Eleebana Public School (2013–2018), bridging practical school leadership with academic pursuits to refine professional knowledge in real-world settings. Now, as full-time Senior Lecturer, he convenes the Master of Special and Inclusive Education and several Graduate Certificates in specialized support areas, such as Special and Inclusive Support, Early Childhood Disability Support, Emotional and Behavioural Support in Education, and High Potential and Gifted Education. His leadership emphasizes holistic, innovative structures grounded in implementation science and universal design for learning, prioritizing student outcomes, staff wellbeing, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Dr. Leonard's research interests encompass special education and disability (35%), teacher and student wellbeing (30%), and inclusive education (35%), along with educational leadership and innovation, visible learning, and quality of school life. Notable scholarly contributions include his PhD thesis, Quality of School Life and Attendance in Primary Schools (2002); a sole-authored book; co-authored works such as "Measurement of Self-regulation in Preschool and Elementary Children: A Scoping Review" (2023), "Evidence Synthesis and Clinical Recommendations for Supporting School Students With Sensory Processing Challenges: A Rapid Review" (2024), and "Conceptualising and effectuating self‐regulation, self‐regulated learning and executive function in education contexts for children and adolescents: A scoping review" (2026). With over 20 conference presentations and various journal articles, he advances evidence-based inclusive practices. Additionally, he serves on the NESA Primary Maths & Science and Technology Specialisations Expert Advisory Panel, as an AITSL Initial Teacher Education Accreditation Panellist, and as a certified External Observer for higher-level teacher accreditation.