Viv White has an impressive thirty-year history of international work in educational reform, research, policy and practice, and is the co-founder and co-managing director of Big Picture Education.

Before Big Picture came into the picture, Viv was the CEO of the Australian National Schools Network and the Victorian Schools Innovation Commission. Through this work with schools, Viv could see that there was something fundamental in the way that schools were organised that was getting in the way of student engagement and deeper learning, despite the best efforts of teachers and school leaders and particularly in disadvantaged and regional areas.

With this in mind, she co-founded Big Picture Education Australia in 2006, with the goal of setting up one “Greenfield” public school by 2011; designed from the ground up, with the key philosophy of working with “one student at a time, in a community of learners”.

Now, in 2014, there are four Greenfield Big Picture schools across Australia and 40 Big Picture Academies and programs, as well as partnerships in New Zealand, the USA and the UK.

The Big Picture schools are constantly reviewing, researching and evaluating their practice with the aim of serving as demonstration sites for other schools around the country looking to redesign the way they function for 21st century learning.

With the help of key funding bodies and Australia’s top educational academics, Big Picture Education is disseminating the achievements of these groundbreaking schools to influence the broader debate about how we can make our public schools great.

One of the major successes of Viv’s work has been negotiating with, and working within, public education systems. She has worked to deliver millions of dollars in additional state education funding for innovative schools and programs re-engaging Australian students, from Launceston in Tasmania to Kalumbaru in far north Western Australia.

Viv has also been successful in forging models to link philanthropy with public schools, leveraging seed funding from philanthropy into significant and long-term educational investment.

As well as managing the organisation, Viv still spends a large portion of her time coaching and working with schools and students on-site. She continues to pursue her passion for energising and engaging students and teachers across Australia and the world.

One key piece of learning Viv has encountered over the span of her career is that real change comes from below, not above.

“If you engage, listen and give ownership to local communities and stakeholders you can achieve real change that is stronger than the vagaries of political mood.”

1. Go wherever the interest is.
2. Maintain and tend to your networks.
3. Always think about who (else) should be at the table.
4. In any situation you need to address the people, the content and the process to move forward effectively.
5. Research, advocate and disseminate the ideas, practice and innovation.