Michael Csongrady

Michael Csongrady serves as Head of the Center for Educational Management and Executive Leadership at the University of Education in Upper Austria (PH Oberösterreich). He has been affiliated with the institution since 2007, initially as a speaker at SCHILF training events, and has been employed full-time since 2022. His work bridges practical classroom experience with educational leadership, focusing on school development, teacher training, and digital transformation in educational institutions.

His educational background includes studies in Geography/Economics and Mathematics at the University of Salzburg (1990-1997), following earlier architecture studies at TU Wien. Prior to his university position, he taught at HTL Steyr from 1999-2022, where he served as year-level coordinator and department leader for Geography/Economics and Didactics/Methodology.

Csongrady's research interests center around cooperative learning methodologies, performance assessment systems, quality management frameworks in education, and digital transformation strategies for schools. His work demonstrates a consistent focus on practical implementation of educational theories, particularly through the COOL (Cooperative Open Learning) approach that he has helped develop and refine over multiple project phases.

His publication record shows an evolution from classroom-level teaching methods (2006-2010) to broader school development frameworks (2015-2020), with increasing emphasis on digital education in recent years. The majority of his work focuses on practical applications rather than theoretical constructs, reflecting his background as a classroom teacher.

• Head of Center for Educational Management and Executive Leadership (since Oct 2022)
• Head of university course "Professional School Management"
• Head of university course "eEducation - Managing and supporting schools in digital change"
• Certified educational development consultant (since 2012)
• Peer reviewer for quality management processes in vocational schools

Csongrady actively supervises bachelor's theses at the Institute for Vocational Training and has developed curricula for multiple university courses. His international experience includes conducting training and consulting work in Kosovo and Budapest, demonstrating the broader relevance of his approaches to educational development.