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• Education

Quality school education is vital for individual potential and a healthy society. All children should have access to an education that is responsive to their needs as well as upholding high academic standards. CIS’s research focus is on policies that improve the quality of teaching and student outcomes.

Don’t blame the COVID pandemic for truancy
Glenn FaheyFebruary 8, 2024AFR

Don’t blame the COVID pandemic for truancy. Sliding attendance of Australia’s school students is a...

Education policy must mature beyond calls for more money
Glenn FaheyFebruary 3, 2024THE AUSTRALIAN

Education policy must mature from being dominated by demands for more funding and instead focus...

Maths Practices You Can Count On: Five Research-Validated Practices in Mathematics
Sarah Powell, Sarah King, Sarah BenzFebruary 1, 2024AP62

Introduction An understanding of mathematics gained during primary and secondary school is essential for...

maths, anxiety, maths anxiety, policy, education
What does and doesn’t work when it comes to maths anxiety?
Glenn FaheyJanuary 24, 2024ABC

Rising levels of ‘maths anxiety’ should worry educators and policymakers. But misinformation about the issue...

maths anxiety
How maths anxiety could be holding you back
David C. GearyJanuary 23, 2024CANBERRA TIMES

The mathematical competencies of students have a long-term influence on their employability and wages in...

Facing Up To Maths Anxiety: How It Affects Achievement And What Can Be Done About It
David C. GearyJanuary 23, 2024AP61

Executive summary The mathematical competencies of students have a long-term influence on their employability and...

Implementing the Science of Learning: teacher experiences
Trisha JhaFebruary 22, 2024RR47

Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Background and policy context A pathway for advancing the...

science of learning, learning, education, learning styles,
What is the Science of Learning?
Trisha JhaFebruary 15, 2024AP63

Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Politics, philosophy and education Progressive education versus modern evidence...

Maths Practices You Can Count On: Five Research-Validated Practices in Mathematics
Sarah Powell, Sarah King, Sarah BenzFebruary 1, 2024AP62

Introduction An understanding of mathematics gained during primary and secondary school is essential for...

Facing Up To Maths Anxiety: How It Affects Achievement And What Can Be Done About It
David C. GearyJanuary 23, 2024AP61

Executive summary The mathematical competencies of students have a long-term influence on their employability and...

Job-ready Graduates 2.0: The Universities Accord and centralised control of universities and courses
Andrew NortonNovember 16, 2023AP58

Summary Australia’s graduate labour market does not always seem to function well. Graduates with degrees...

The Need For Speed: why fluency counts for maths learning
Toni Hatten-RobertsOctober 19, 2023AP57

1. Introduction Australia has a problem in maths achievement which is shown in stark relief...

If we catch them young, kids will solve our numeracy crisis
Glenn FaheyOctober 23, 2025SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
How do we fix the alarming decline in numeracy among young Australians? The answer is...
Clare’s new education body offers a real chance for reform
Glenn FaheySeptember 10, 2025THE AUSTRALIAN
Canberra’s bold plan to revolutionise education oversight faces a stark choice: become a game-changer or...
Unis must be run like a business, whether academics like it or not
Steven SchwartzSeptember 9, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
Staff unions are mobilising, newspapers are lamenting, and politicians are hand-wringing, but the arithmetic is...
Benchmarked into oblivion
Steven SchwartzJuly 31, 2025SPECTATOR FLAT WHITE
NAPLAN is not so much a mirror as a house of mirrors....
We need better returns on education investment
Trisha Jha, Glenn FaheyJuly 30, 2025DAILY TELEGRAPH
Billions of dollars have been poured into school funding in the state over the past...
School child reading book
Education Minister Jason Clare must ensure new schools pact benefits nation
Glenn FaheyJuly 30, 2025THE AUSTRALIAN
The latest NAPLAN results confirm the sobering truth that our school system continues to underdeliver...
Behind Every Great Teacher Is a Great System | David Didau, Jenny Donovan & Trisha Jha
Trisha Jha, David Didau, Jenny DonovanMarch 20, 2026

David Didau — education consultant, teacher trainer, and author of Making Kids Cleverer and Intelligent...

Education Reform That Works: Insights from UK, New Zealand & Australia
Glenn Fahey, Nick Gibb, Jason Clare MPDecember 8, 2025

Three leading education ministers — Sir Nick Gibb (UK), Erica Stanford (New Zealand), and Jason...

What do teachers believe about learning? | Trisha Jha
Trisha JhaNovember 6, 2025

This report presents findings from literature about what teachers believe about how students learn: the...

Restoring Excellence in Australian Education | Senator Jonathon Duniam
Glenn FaheyOctober 3, 2025

At this Centre for Independent Studies forum, Shadow Federal Minister for Education Senator Jonathon Duniam...

Evidence vs Ideology: Why the Science of Learning Matters?
Doctor Carl Hendrick, Doctor Simon Breakspear, Glenn FaheyJune 26, 2025

As Australian student outcomes decline and education inequality persists, a growing movement is challenging the...

The science of learning will set students free | Glenn Fahey
Robert Forsyth, Glenn FaheyJune 13, 2025

Robert Forsyth interviews Glenn Fahey, director of the education program at the Centre for Independent...

Submission to Senate Education and Employment References Committee
Michael Wu October 22, 2025CIS

Despite good intentions, Australia’s Early Childhood Education and Care system has expanded well beyond its...

Submission to the Productivity Commission’s Interim Report on Building a Skilled and Adaptable Workforce
Trisha JhaSeptember 18, 2025

Submission at a glance 1. Achieving written curriculum quality is a necessary step for long-term...

Submission to the Independent Review of Education in Tasmania
Trisha JhaOctober 4, 2024

Introduction The Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) is a leading independent public policy think tank...

Submission to the Inquiry into Literacy and Numeracy in ACT Public Schools
Trisha JhaFebruary 27, 2024

This submission does not directly seek to answer the 20 questions posted in the Consultation...

Submission to the Legislative Council Inquiry into the State Education System in Victoria
Trisha JhaOctober 4, 2023

Introduction The Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) is a leading independent public policy think...

Submission to the NSW Curriculum Review Interim Report Consultations
Fiona MuellerDecember 1, 2019

The NSW Government commissioned a review of the state’s curriculum in September, 2018, to be...

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