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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.

Unskilled and over-educated: A plan for worse outcomes
Jeremy SammutJanuary 29, 2009Crikey

The NSW State Government is promising that its plan to raise the school-leaving age to...

Beyond Symbolism: Finding a Place for Local Government in Australia’s Constitution
January 20, 2009

Local governments could provide schools and fast development approvals if they receive more than just...

Modest gains but at a price
January 7, 2009The Australian

After a very quiet 2008 for higher education policy, 2009 is the critical year in...

School litany of shame
Helen HughesDecember 14, 2008

With the May 2009 national literacy and numeracy tests only six months away, it is...

Learning from New York to improve our education system
Jennifer Buckingham OAMNovember 28, 2008THe Australian

New York City's letter-grade school report cards form only one part of the reform program...

Every good parent deserves truth
Jennifer Buckingham OAMNovember 20, 2008Sydney Morning Herald

State governments have reams of data about schools, but parents – and anyone else interested...

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...

Ignore the doubters. NAPLAN is important and it’s working
Jennifer Buckingham OAMAugust 5, 2015The Drum

The National Assessment Plan for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is doing what it was designed...

Options for over-crowding in schools
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJuly 10, 2015Ideas@TheCentre

Enrolments in inner city Sydney public primary schools have doubled in the last five years....

School funding report makes flawed case for full Gonski reforms
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJuly 4, 2015The Australian

As we pass the halfway mark of the four year federal education budget cycle, attention...

Fees for state schools: don’t jump to conclusions
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJune 22, 2015ABC The Drum

There are few things more likely to ignite passionate opinions than school funding. Even a...

Victoria’s quest to be the Education State
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJune 12, 2015ideas@TheCentre

The Victorian government is on a quest to be the ‘education state’. Two discussion paperswere...

Public primary schools are holding their own
Jennifer Buckingham OAMApril 18, 2015The Australian

Parents who pay large sums of money for their children to attend high-fee non-government schools...

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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