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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.

Rudd revolution must grasp basics
Jennifer Buckingham OAMDecember 17, 2007The Australian Financial Review

The central components of the Rudd education revolution include computers, trade centres, national standards, and...

Teacher pay and performance
Kirsten StorryOctober 15, 2007The New Matilda

Ten years ago, the front page of a Sydney tabloid identified Mount Druitt High Year...

Charting a new course through schools red tape
Jennifer Buckingham OAMOctober 15, 2007The Age

The state school system in Victoria has gone further towards empowering individual schools and enabling...

Boost pay to keep teachers
Kirsten StorryOctober 3, 2007The Courier Mail

There is "a long tail of under-achievement" among disadvantaged school children, according to a recent...

Testing times for literacy and numeracy
Kirsten StorrySeptember 15, 2007The Newcaslte Herald

Last week was national Literacy and Numeracy Week, a time to recognise schools and individuals...

Which School? Beyond private vs public
Jennifer Buckingham OAMSeptember 11, 2007Policy

Which School? Beyond private vs public by Joanna Mendelssohn Reviewed by Jennifer Buckingham Read full...

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...

Smart move is to keep smart phones out of classrooms
Jennifer Buckingham OAMSeptember 14, 2018Ideas@TheCentre

Smart phones have become a big educational talking point. This year, the French government banned...

Are school leavers prepared for university?
Blaise JosephSeptember 7, 2018Ideas@TheCentre

About one in four Australian university students drop out and don’t complete their degree. One...

Early years are of primary importance for vital skills
Blaise JosephSeptember 3, 2018The Australian Financial Review

It’s a myth that primary school is less important than secondary school. Parental engagement and...

NAPLAN under attack because it exposes the truth
Steven Schwartz, Blaise JosephAugust 29, 2018The Age

The latest skirmish in the never-ending war against NAPLAN is being fought on the grounds...

5 facts on school funding
Blaise JosephAugust 10, 2018Ideas@TheCentre

“Facts complicate things. All the press, the people, and their leaders want to know is:...

Phonics science vs the ‘feels’
Jennifer Buckingham OAMAugust 3, 2018Ideas@TheCentre

The phonics debate co-hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies and the Australian College of...

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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