Dr Jessa Rogers

Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Communication
Biography
Dr Jessa Rogers is a Wiradjuri researcher and Indigenous educator with over fifteen years of teaching experience in schools and tertiary education. Jessa’s research focuses on Indigenous research methods and methodologies, and Indigenous peoples’ experiences of education. She was the founding principal of Australia’s first boarding school for Indigenous young mothers and babies in Far North Queensland. She has been a Fulbright Scholar (Harvard University), a Churchill Fellow, and was awarded a National NAIDOC Award for her contributions to Indigenous girls’ education. Jessa’s research draws attention to the voices of Indigenous students, with a specific focus on Indigenous boarding school experiences in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and mainland USA.Jessa is the Managing Director of Baayi Consulting. She serves on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, the Centre for Policy Development Board, and the Pearson First Nations Advisory Board. Jessa is a member of the ACCAN Indigenous Advisory Group, and serves on the Aboriginal Australian Studies Journal Editorial Board, among other boards and committees.
Jessa has extensive experience in pre-service teacher education. She has contributed nationally to Indigenous education programs including the 3Rs Framework, MATSITI and Narragunnawali (Reconciliation Australia). She is the co-author and co-editor of best-selling education texts including “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An Introduction to the Teaching Profession” (3rd Ed) (Cambridge University Press), and “Teaching: Making a Difference” (4th Ed) (Wiley). Jessa’s work in schools as a teacher spans primary through high school, and her many years of community engagement in Indigenous communities across Australia has led to her voice being nationally respected in Indigenous education. Jessa writes for IndigenousX, NITV, SBS, The Guardian, and The Conversation, and frequently contributes to media stories on Indigenous education.
Jessa is the proud mother of three sons. Her whanau (family) connections through marriage are to Ngati Kauwhata, and Ngati Raukawa in Aotearoa. Jessa speaks te reo Maori, and is passionate about supporting Kohanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Maori (Maori education), and Kaupapa Maori research methodologies and approaches. Jessa currently serves on the board of Hato Paora College, a Maori boarding school in New Zealand.
Jessa's publications can be found here.
Personal details
Positions
- First Nations Senior Research Fellow
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Communication
Keywords
Indigenous education, Aboriginal education, Photography, Boarding schools, Indigenous studies, Photoyarn, Indigenous research methods, Indigenous research methodologies, Residential schools, Native education
Discipline
Film, Television and Digital Media, Specialist Studies in Education, Anthropology
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Australian National University)
- Master of Education (Guidance & Counselling) (University of Southern Qld)
- BCI (Drama) (With Distinction) (Queensland University of Technology)
- BEd (Secondary) (First Class Honours) (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
Queensland College of Teachers (Full Teaching Registration)
Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (Full Teaching Registration)
AIATSIS
Australian Sociological Association
Native American Indigenous Studies Association
National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (Associate Member)
Teaching
Primary School Teacher (Integrated Arts), QLD
High School Teacher (Indigenous Studies, SOSE, Creative Arts), QLD
Executive Teacher, ACT
High School Principal, QLD
Associate Lecturer (Indigenous Education), University of the Sunshine Coast
Lecturer (Postgraduate Indigenous Education), Macquarie University
Senior Lecturer (Indigenous Studies, Arts Education), University of Canberra
Selected publications
- Seely Flint A, Kitson L, Lowe K, Shaw K, Humphrey S, Vicars M, Rogers J, (2020) Literacy in Australia: pedagogies for engagement.
- Rogers J, Sisquoc L, (2020) The experiences of Native American girls attending Sherman Indian High School, Australian Aboriginal Studies (1), pp. 2-17.
- Price K, Rogers J, (2019) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An Introduction for the Teaching Profession, Cambridge University Press.
- Churchill R, Godinho S, Johnson N, Keddie A, Letts W, Lowe K, Mackay J, McGill M, Moss J, Nagel M, Shaw K, Rogers J, (2019) Teaching: Making a Difference.
- Rogers J, (2019) Indigenous empowerment and diversity in higher education. In S Marshall, Strategic Leadership of Change in Higher Education, Routledge, pp. 90-99.
- Rogers J, (2019) Photostory and relatedness methodology: The beginning of an Aboriginal-kanaka Maoli research journey (part two), Australian Aboriginal Studies (1), pp. 3-18.
- Rogers J, (2018) Teaching the Teachers: Re-educating Australian Teachers in Indigenous Education. In P Whitinui, C Rodriguez de France & O McIvor, Promising Practices in Indigenous Teacher Education, Springer, pp. 27-39.
- Rogers J, (2018) Photostory and relatedness methodology: The beginning of an Aboriginal-Kanaka Maoli research journey (part one), Australian Aboriginal Studies (2), pp. 3-16.
- Rogers J, (2017) Photoyarn: Aboriginal and Maori girls' researching contemporary boarding school experiences, Australian Aboriginal Studies (1), pp. 3-13.
- Rogers J, (2016) Boarding School Business: Exploring Aboriginal Girls’ Boarding Experiences Through Photoyarn, Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues, 19 (1-2), pp. 102-116.
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Jessa, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Fulbright Scholarship (Harvard University)
- Type
- Membership of a Statutory Committee
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, National Board Member
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Member, Federal Expert Reference Group on English Language Learning for Indigenous Children (ELLIC)
- Type
- Editorial Role for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Editorial board member, Australian Studies: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Peter Lang)
- Type
- Fellowship of a Learned Academy or Membership of AIATSIS
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Membership of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)
- Type
- Keynote Speaker/Expert Panel Member/Invited Speaker for a Conference
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- 2021 Connected Learning Summit (CLS2021) Keynote Speaker
- Type
- Fellowships
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Churchill Fellow (2018)
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy Group, AHPRA
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Advisory Group on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education (AGATSIE) Member
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Member, ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Women (MACW)