Mark Harris has taught in primary schools and high schools in five countries. He has been the principal of three New South Wales public primary schools and for the past 23 years he has been the principal of Auburn North Public School.

 

Auburn North Public School is one of Australia’s most multicultural schools. It has more than 670 students and serves a socio-economically disadvantaged community. Students come from more than 70 countries and speak more than 45 different languages. Ninety-eight percent of students are from an EAL/D background and for the past 17 years nearly 20% of students have been from a refugee or refugee-like background. 

 

In 2021, Auburn North Public School was selected as one of the NSW Department of Education’s ten Ambassador Schools. 

 

Mark is committed to collaboratively leading school learning communities that develop community cohesion, social harmony, and unity that assist students achieve outstanding emotional, social, and learning outcomes, and that facilitate the engagement and participation of all parents in the operation of the school and in the education of their children.

 

Mark was invited to present a paper on refugee education and parent engagement at the 2017 International Metropolis Conference in the Netherlands. In 2018, Mark and two colleagues from Auburn North Public School presented a paper on multicultural education and parent engagement at the International Metropolis Conference that was held at the Sydney International Conference Centre (ICC).