Robert J. Tierney

Rob Tierney is a Professor of Language and Literacy Education and former Dean at the University of British Columbia (2000-2010), an Honorary Professor and immediate Past Dean of the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney (2010-13) and a Distinguished Professor at Beijing Normal University. He has served as a member of the Faculties at the Ohio State University, the University of Illinois, University of Arizona, Harvard University and University of California-Berkeley.

Rob has published numerous books and scholarly articles focused upon literacy education, teacher education, cross-national education, educational assessment and equity. His recent projects have ranged from teacher development projects in China schools to a range of engagements addressing indigenous developments in Australia. He has served as editor of Reading Research Quarterly and is currently serving as an editorial board member to the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, the British Educational Research Journal and Reading Research Quarterly. He has pursued funded research for various US government and Canadian agencies and been engaged in projects for UNESCO in Africa, Children’s Television Workshop, Apple Computer, the World Bank, various foundations (Spencer, Lucas) and university consortium groups globally, across America and the Pacific region.

In Canada, Rob served as the President of the Association of Canadian Deans of Education where he guided the formulation of a National Accord on Teacher Education and a National Accord on Education Research. In Australia, he has been actively involved in national, state and local teacher education efforts including with the Association of Australia Council of Deans of Education, the New South Wales Council of Deans of Education and other groups. In Asia (especially China) he has worked closely with the key universities involved in Education (Beijing Normal University, East China Normal University, Southwest University) as well as national policy groups. Rob has held a range of offices including serving as a board member for the University of Melbourne, the University of Newcastle and Beijing Normal University.

During his tenure in the US, he was President of the Literacy Research Association and Chair of the National Assembly of Research for the National Council of Teachers of Education. He was engaged with graduate level teacher education initiatives related to the Holmes initiative and responsible for oversight of the National Eisenhower Center for Science and Mathematics Education and the ERIC clearinghouse for Science and Mathematics Education as well as US Reading Recovery’s national office.. He has been the recipient of a number of international and national awards including the W. S. Gray Award for contributions to literacy education and American Council of Teacher Education Award for contributions to Teacher Education. In Canada he received award and lifetime membership in the Association of Canadian Deans of Education for his work.