Rate My Professor Nicola Sum

Nicola Sum is a Senior Lecturer within the Faculty of Education at Monash University, affiliated with the School of Education Culture & Society. Drawing on over twenty years of experience in school systems across Victoria, the United Kingdom, and the international sector, including her role as a school principal, she informs her teaching in core units on Initial Teacher Education and postgraduate studies in globalisation and education. She completed her PhD at Monash University in 2019, examining the interconnected nature of global development goals, glocalisation, and educational leadership practice in English Medium Schools. Passionate about amplifying the voices of educational leaders, particularly regarding gendered experiences, social justice, and sustainable practices, her research explores school leadership beyond crises, diasporic women in education, and the interplay between hope and education.

Her scholarly contributions include publications such as 'School leaders' perceptions of their roles during the pandemic: an Australian case study exploring volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA leadership)' (2022, School Leadership & Management), 'Quiet in the mind: women leading during crisis explored through a lens of hope' (2024, School Leadership & Management), 'Hope theory as resistance: narratives of South Asian scholars in Australian academia' (2025, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), 'Glocalization: issues and strategies for school leadership' (2021, The School Leadership Survival Guide), and 'School leadership and information literacy: leading in crisis and beyond COVID-19' (2022, Leadership After COVID-19). Nicola has been recognized with the Faculty of Education Emeritus Mentoring Scheme (2020) and as a finalist for the Politics of Education Association Outstanding Dissertation Award (2020). She serves on the editorial boards of the Review of Education (since 2025) and the International Journal of Educational Management (since 2023), and acts as a peer reviewer for Scientific Reports (since 2024). As an invited expert to the UNESCO Teacher Task Force School Leadership Network, she has also spoken at the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (2024).