'Valerie Volk was educated at Mac.Robertson Girls' High School and the University of Melbourne. After graduating with a BA(Hons) and Diploma of Education she taught in high schools in Geelong and later at Luther College, Croydon, before becoming a lecturer in Comparative Education and Sociology of Education in a number of tertiary institutions in Victoria and Queensland. She holds a Master of Education from the University of Melbourne, an MA in Creative Writing from Tabor Adelaide and a PhD from the University of New South Wales in the field of Gifted Education. Her career as a Senior English teacher in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia led to an interest in the assessment of English, and an extended period as Chief Executive Examiner for Year 12 English in Victoria and subsequently many years as a supervising examiner in South Australia.
Volk's interest in gifted education drew her to the Future Problem Solving Program, which she describes as the most challenging activity she knows for extending able students. Since 2000 she has been one of the Australian directors of the program, and heavily involved in conducting coach training workshops in South East Asia, especially Singapore. Her publications have been mainly in the field of academic writing, both in peer-reviewed journals and in more popular magazines.' Source: www.valerievolk.com.au/ (Sighted 03/11/2010).
