Barry McGaw is a prominent Australian educational psychologist and academic, known for his contributions to education research and policy. He has had an illustrious career, marked by influential roles both nationally and internationally. McGaw's journey into educational research began at the University of Queensland, where he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in 1962, followed by a Graduate Diploma of Education in 1963 and Bachelor of Education (Hons) in 1969. McGaw entered the education sector as a science teacher in Queensland government high schools before joining the Department's Research and Curriculum Branch in 1968. He took leave from the Department between 1969 and 1972 to complete a PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He returned to the Department in 1972 and become Head of the Research and Curriculum Branch. McGaw held this role until 1976 when he was appointed Professor of Education at Murdoch University. In 1985, McGaw became the Director of Australia's leading independent educational research organisation, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). He held this position until 1998. During his tenure at ACER, McGaw led the introduction of triennial research themes that guided the organisation's research activity. One of the innovative programs McGaw supported under the Education and Technology research theme was the Sunrise School project (1988-1990). The Sunrise Collection held by Museums Victoria contains a range of material related to this project which explored how computers and new digital technologies might change the education landscape. Between 1998 and 2005, McGaw held the position of Director for Education at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Here he oversaw the introduction of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a longitudinal international benchmarking study that continues to be conducted and plays an important role in education policy development. After returning to Australia in 2006 McGaw joined the University of Melbourne as the founding Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute. In 2008, he was also appointed inaugural Chair of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), an independent statutory authority responsible for the national curriculum development, assessment programs, and data collection and reporting. In this role, he led the production of the first national school curriculum for Australia. McGaw was a Senior Fellow of the UNESCO International Bureau of Education leading curriculum projects for Kuwait and the Seychelles. He is currently an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. McGaw's career has been characterised by a commitment to improving educational outcomes, both in Australia and around the world. His contributions to education have been recognised through numerous awards and honours. In 2001, he received an Australian Centenary Medal for distinguished service through educational research and policy and in 2004 he was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia.

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