Dr Samantha Vlcek is an academic in Inclusive Education. She has been employed across a range of research and teaching positions, within primary schools and the tertiary sector. Sam’s research and teaching interests focus on investigating relationships between key stakeholders in the education of students with diverse needs, and developing innovative strategies for improving collaborative partnerships between teams. Through a systems approach lens, Sam’s research examines education systems to understand dependent, independent, and interdependent variables influencing the experiences, perspectives, and priorities of internal and external stakeholders at each level of the education system.

Sam's research has explored funding models for students with diagnosed and imputed disability, the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD), the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), as well as teacher decision-making for use of evidence-based practices to support students' opportunities and outcomes. Her research focuses on equitable practices for all students, with a specific emphasis on the rights of students with disability and students facing forms of educational disadvantage, such as students living in out of home care arrangements and students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Sam's expertise expands into gifted and talented education and the roles and responsibilities of teachers and school leaders for developing, implementing, and reviewing appropriate educational adjustments to ensure equitable access, participation, and opportunity for every student.

Sam is a member of the Consortium of Inclusive Teacher Education and Development (CITED) network of international inclusive education academics, practitioners, and advocates. She is proud to promote the rights for all students in Australia and abroad to receive equitable educational experiences and outcomes.