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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.

Funding system is broken
August 28, 2006The Age

The annual release of the Good Universities Guide, with its estimates of how much each...

Report into literacy and numeracy too narrow
August 8, 2006The Canberra Times

Late last month, in his address to Reconciliation Australia, Prime Minister John Howard said education...

Choice is best for curriculum
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJuly 31, 2006The Age

School curricula and the standards of students seem to be constantly under fire, with discussion...

School Autonomy: A Key Reform for Improving Indigenous Education
Julie NovakJune 21, 2006IA72

The marked educational under-achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in remote area communities...

Showcasing Unis when price is right
April 24, 2006The Age

Many critics of universities complain that commerce is put ahead of education. To them, generalist...

HELPless: How the FEE-HELP Loans System Lets Students Down and How to Fix it
Andrew NortonFebruary 27, 2006IA68

Australia pioneered repaying student loans through the tax system, the HECS scheme. In 2005, HECS...

A Private Education for All
Mark HarrisionFebruary 1, 1996OP56

Though everyone recognises the importance of education to the nation’s future, many lack confidence in...

The Education Monopoly Problem
Edwin G. WestDecember 12, 1989OP26

Professor Edwin West has for many years been a leading authority on, and advocate of,...

Early numeracy screening will help prevent students from falling behind in maths
Kelly Norris, Glenn FaheyAugust 20, 2024ABC.NET.AU

Policymakers are on the verge of a major education reform — early numeracy screening —...

NAPLAN: doom, gloom, and blame
Kelly NorrisAugust 19, 2024SPECTATOR

  The release of NAPLAN data last week unleashed a flurry of doom, gloom and...

Teaching classroom school
Lifting NAPLAN results: what happens in the classroom matters most
Trisha JhaAugust 16, 2024EDUCATIONHQ

Every year, the national release of NAPLAN results triggers a barrage of commentary and soul-searching...

Improve learning outcomes – take NAPLAN seriously
Glenn FaheyAugust 15, 2024THE AUSTRALIAN

The latest NAPLAN data set highlights the urgent need for the education system to set...

NSW curriculum reform a success, but will other ministers follow?
Glenn FaheyJuly 30, 2024THE AUSTRALIAN

The NSW government has thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the nation on...

Déjà vu in Australian higher education
Steven SchwartzJuly 4, 2024SPECTATOR FLAT WHITE

History repeats itself, often with a sense of irony only those with long memories can...

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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