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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.

Focusing on the family
Trisha JhaSeptember 23, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

There’s been a lot of focus on early childhood development as the site of inequality...

FIVE from FIVE helps parents get children ready to read
Jennifer Buckingham OAMSeptember 23, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

One in five Australian children begin school with poor language skills. In disadvantaged areas, it’s...

Early Childhood Intervention: Assessing the evidence
Trisha JhaSeptember 20, 2016Research Report 19

Early childhood interventions are programs that aim to improve a child’s development trajectory over the...

Finnish Fantasies
Steven SchwartzSeptember 9, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

As a call to action, “Let’s imitate Finland” is unlikely to stir many hearts. Yet,...

Philosophy not the answer to literacy problem
Jennifer Buckingham OAMSeptember 9, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

Can an hour a week of philosophy lessons really ‘dramatically increase scores in literacy and...

New report highlights need for education based on what works
Jennifer Buckingham OAMSeptember 7, 2016The Australian

The Productivity Commission’s draft report into the evidence base for education is a useful document...

Childcare in Australia: A new approach
Gigi FosterNovember 20, 2025RR51

Executive summary Several well-known bodies, from the Productivity Commission to the Australian Competition and Consumer...

Knowledge is power: What do teachers believe about learning?
Trisha JhaOctober 30, 2025AP92

Executive Summary This report presents findings from literature about what teachers believe about how students...

Sex and maths success: myths and interventions
David C. GearyJuly 17, 2025AP83

Executive summary Mathematical competencies at the completion of secondary school influence later educational and occupational...

Early Numbers, Big Ideas. Fostering Number Sense in Young Children
Nancy C. Jordan, Nancy DysonJuly 10, 2025AP82

Introduction Numbers are an integral part of our daily lives, both inside and outside of...

Fractions Minus the Friction. A guide to four teaching practices
Leanne R. Ketterlin-Geller, Allison McClure, Cassandra HatfieldDecember 12, 2024AP78

Introduction Understanding fractions has a significant impact on both individuals and society. Fractions are an...

The Argument For Debate: how school debating can improve academic outcomes and foster a stronger democracy
Deidre Clary, Fiona MuellerDecember 5, 2024AP77

Introduction The Education Goals for Young Australians prioritise “excellence and equity” and the formation of...

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...
Woke ‘sense and sensibilities’ replace reason and logic
Glenn Fahey, Claire Fox, Tanveer AhmedAugust 27, 2021

Schools and universities have become preoccupied with cushioning students’ experiences, rather than challenging them. The...

Is technology our educational saviour?
Glenn Fahey, Jamie Beaton, Wayne Houlden, John HattieJuly 15, 2021

A free and open marketplace for education technology has the potential to deliver innovative solutions...

On Liberty EP53 Australians reject identity politics
Glenn Fahey, Bella D’AbreraJune 2, 2021On Liberty

We talked to Institute of Public Affairs’ Dr Bella d’Abrera. Speaking with The Australian recently,...

Scaling up success in majority Indigenous schools
Glenn Fahey, Noel Pearson, Alan TudgeJune 2, 2021

One of Australia’s most pressing public-policy challenges is to overcome poor education outcomes suffered by...

On Liberty EP48 Education or Enstupidation? English in the Curriculum
Salvatore Babones, Fiona MuellerApril 28, 2021On Liberty

How can students be expected to develop into intellectual adults if they are never exposed...

Advancing Indigenous Education Outcomes
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Lorraine Hammond, Glenn Fahey, Nyunggai Warren Mundine AOJanuary 12, 2021

Indigenous educational disadvantage has persisted despite countless initiatives, programmes, and spending from governments and communities....

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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