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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.

Improving Student Behaviour in Schools
Tom Bennett, Manisha Gazula, Blaise JosephApril 2, 2026
Join CIS in Sydney on Thursday, 7 May for the launch of new research on...
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...

Liberty & Society: Student Conference 2026
February 23, 2026
A unique two-day exploration of classical liberal and libertarian principles, providing students from Australia and...
We’ve spent the money, now what about the results?
Blaise JosephFebruary 23, 2026CANBERRA TIMES
We have a great window of opportunity now to finally follow through on education reforms...
Education has become a system designed to issue credentials rather than create knowledge
Steven SchwartzFebruary 10, 2026THE AUSTRALIAN
When a society forgets the difference between learning and performance, between a mind and a...
Science of learning
How revamping education will boost the Australian economy
Trisha JhaJanuary 24, 2026CANBERRA TIMES
If Australia wants productivity growth, it needs to start in the classroom....
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...

Helen Hughes: A Tribute
Glenys Byrne, Greg Lindsay, Noel Pearson, Ron Duncan, Tony AbbottAugust 27, 2014PF26

CIS Senior Fellow Professor Helen Hughes AO passed away on 15 June 2013 after a...

School Funding on a Budget
Jennifer Buckingham OAMApril 30, 2014T30.09

Government expenditure on schools has more than doubled in real terms in the last 25...

Why Jaydon Can’t Read: A Forum on Fixing Literacy
Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Justine Ferrari, Tom AlegounariasFebruary 18, 2014IA144

Many thousands of Australian students have very low levels of literacy after spending four or...

Emergency Budget Repair Kit
Alexander Philipatos, Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Jeremy Sammut, Robert Carling, Simon Cowan, Trisha JhaNovember 21, 2013T30.05

The new Abbott government should address its self-identified budget emergency by cutting wasteful spending now....

The Right to the Good Life: Improving Educational Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children
Marcia LangtonOctober 1, 2013OP133

Education is a key ideological battleground in debates about how to address Indigenous disadvantage. Yet,...

NAPLAN results show core learning skills are in retreat
Jennifer Buckingham OAMAugust 3, 2016The Australian

The latest NAPLAN results are a wake-up call for the whole country. While there has...

Education does not lead to violence
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJuly 15, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

A lot of people who have never been to Aurukun have opinions about its problems;...

Improve education, but don’t fund more waste
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJune 24, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

Recent arguments in favour of a large increase in school funding have cited the ‘Gonski’...

‘Don’t Give a Gonski’: Can Social Issues Assist with Economic Reform?
Jeremy SammutJune 10, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

Many politically-engaged people are wont to say “I hate the culture war stuff, but even...

Phonics check FAQs
Jennifer Buckingham OAMMay 30, 2016Teacher

One of the policy announcements in the 2016-17 federal budget is a Year 1 phonics...

Cracking the ‘safe schools’ campaign
Peter KurtiMay 20, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

When does ‘safe’ mean ‘dangerous’? Answer: when the education of young children falls into the...

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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