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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.

Will higher funding really deliver higher education?
September 3, 2002The Age

A curious feature of the current higher education debate is that very little of it...

Students gain in change
August 29, 2002The Courier Mail

Are low-income young people more or less likely to go to university than they were...

Public choice must fashion education
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJune 26, 2002The Age

Dr Boston raises the important question of the kind of schools in which we would...

Families Freedom and Education: Why School Choice Makes Sense
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJune 24, 2002PM52

Parents have been demonstrating their increasing lack of faith in the public education system for...

Who says uni deregulation is politically unpopular?
June 20, 2002The Age

WHAT a difference 2½ years make. In October 1999, after then education minister David Kemp's...

Unfettered deregulation for varsities
April 29, 2002The Australian Financial Review

Reserve Bank Governor Ian Macfarlane created headlines recently with his remarks about Australia lacking a...

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...

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...

The Productivity Commission’s schools fail
Jennifer Buckingham OAMSeptember 6, 2016Spectator Flat White

The Productivity Commission’s draft report into the evidence base for education confirms there has been...

Funding fails to pay off in student results
Jennifer Buckingham OAMAugust 5, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

While there has been some improvement in mean scores in Years 3 and 5 since...

Poor teachers beget poor students
Jennifer Buckingham OAMAugust 4, 2016Australian Financial Review

The NAPLAN results released this week tell an all-too-familiar story: in most states there has...

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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