Dr. Allison began his teaching career teaching in England after graduating from St. Peter’s Anglican Teacher Training College in Birmingham, moved to Alberta, where he was a school principal and teacher in three First Nations schools, and later joined the Faculty of Education at The University of Western Ontario. He taught the social and legal foundations of education to thousands of teacher education candidates, and guided hundreds of graduate students through advanced research and study in education policy and leadership. He gained acclaim for his teaching, especially his outstanding lectures, his skill as a mentor and advisor to graduate students, and his extensive service to the university and scholarly communities. He is a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute, the recipient of ten teaching awards and the Distinguished Service Award of the Canadian Association for the Study of Educational Administration. Since retiring he has continued to study and write about the nature and work of schools, with particular emphasis on choice, freedom and accountability in education.