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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.

MEDIA RELEASE: Warren Mundine outlines ‘most effective blueprint for educating Indigenous children’
Nyunggai Warren Mundine AONovember 10, 2014CIS

Remote Indigenous education can be turned around quickly, and without any extra funding, Chairman of...

Courage is needed right now to fix childcare
Trisha JhaNovember 7, 2014

  Peak childcare services body Early Childhood Australia this week released a report claiming that...

MEDIA RELEASE: CIS refutes erroneous claims about childcare report
November 6, 2014

Critics of a report on the lack of evidence that recent childcare reforms will have...

Regulating for Quality in Childcare: The Evidence Base
Trisha JhaNovember 5, 2014PM142

The National Quality Agenda (NQA) endorsed by all states and territories in 2009 regulates childcare...

Childcare reforms are failing to benefit children
Trisha JhaNovember 5, 2014The Australian

As the cost of childcare to the Australian family and taxpayer has ballooned over recent...

MEDIA RELEASE: Report finds scant evidence that costly childcare reforms have benefits for children
November 4, 2014

A report by the Centre for Independent Studies has found there is little evidence of...

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...

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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