John P. Portelli was born in Malta where after completing a B.A. (Philosophy & Maltese, 1975) he taught history and modern languages at a secondary school and philosophy at a junior college. In 1977 he was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship and commenced his studies at McGill University from where he obtained an M.A. (1979) and a Ph.D. (1984) in philosophy. He taught in several universities: The University of Malta (1980), McGill University (1982-1985), Dalhousie University (Killam Post-Doctoral Fellow, 1985-1986), Mount Saint Vincent University (1986 - 1999), and OISE/UT (1999 - present) where he teaches in the Educational Administration Program, the Philosophy of Education Program, and the Pre-service Program. He is a fellow of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto . He was a visiting professor at The University of Malta (1992), Acadia University (1997), and University of British Columbia (1998). He was editor of Paideusis: Journal of the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society from 1996 to 2000. In 2005 he received the Canadian Society for the Study of Education Mentorship Award. Two of his books won the American Educational Studies Association Critic Award, and another of his books won the Canadian Association for the Foundations of Education Book Award.

His main research and teaching interests are in philosophy of education and educational leadership and policy. More specifically his interests focus on:

	democratic values and teaching controversial issues;
	student engagement, critical pedagogy and students 'at risk';
	equity, diversity and educational standards;
	philosophical issues in educational policy;
	critical-democratic leadership;
	developing philosophical discussions in schools; and
	the Maltese in Canada .

His research involves both philosophical and empirical work and is conducted from a critical-democratic perspective. Since 1982 he has worked with educators in schools in several provinces. He has conducted workshops and professional development seminars on:

	dealing with controversial issues in teaching;
	developing student engagement;
	ethical and social diversity issues in educational leadership: a case study approach;
	curriculum of life;  and
	reconstructing 'students at risk': beyond deficit mentality.

I cannot be a teacher if I do not perceive with ever greater clarity that my practice demands of me a definition about where I stand. A break with what is not right ethically. I must choose between one thing and another thing. I cannot be a teacher and be in favor of everyone and everything. I cannot be in favor merely of people, humanity, vague phrases far from the concrete nature of educative practice. Mass hunger and unemployment, side by side with opulence, are not the result of destiny, as certain reactionary circles would have us believe, claiming that people suffer because they can do nothing about the situation. The question here is not “destiny”. It is immorality. Here I want to repeat – forcefully – that nothing can justify the degradation of human beings. Nothing.

Paulo Freire