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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.

Q&A The Gonski Review: Game Changer or Dust Gatherer?
March 23, 2012
NSW Community Discussion Paper: Improving Educational Outcomes for Aboriginal People
Helen Hughes, Mark HughesMarch 23, 2012

By ending the raft of current discriminatory, costly and ineffective Indigenous education policies, the New...

Staffing reform a crucial issue
Jennifer Buckingham OAMMarch 14, 2012Australian Financial Review

More autonomy for principals to hire, fire and pay teachers for performance is needed, writes...

Gonski: less for private schools
Jennifer Buckingham OAMFebruary 21, 2012Australian Financial Review

The recommendations of the Gonski report discriminate against non-government schools, writes Jennifer Buckingham. The headline-grabbing...

Gonski review must not hobble choice
Jennifer Buckingham OAMFebruary 14, 2012Australian Financial Review

On Monday, the report of the federal government’s Review of Funding for Schooling, commonly known...

Nudge, nudge, here come the Germans
Peter SaundersJanuary 20, 2012

Okay, forget, for a moment the monumental folly of the European common currency, which wasn’t...

Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory
Helen HughesApril 7, 2008PM83

The causes of failing education — inequitable school facilities, inappropriate curriculums, and inadequate teaching —...

What are Low Ability Workers To Do When Unskilled Jobs Disappear? Part 2
Peter SaundersFebruary 14, 2008IA93

Part 2: Expanding Low-skilled Employment One reason working-age welfare dependency remains high is that the...

What Is Working in Good Schools in Remote Indigenous Communities?
Kirsten StorryApril 4, 2007IA86

In remote community schools, children often miss one or two days of school a week....

Mismatch: Australia’s Graduates and the Job Market
Andrew NortonMarch 23, 2007IA84

Politicians and academics argue that we need more people graduating from university to meet strong...

Teachers and the Waiting Game: Why Decentralisation is Vital for Public Schools
Jennifer Buckingham OAMFebruary 5, 2007IA80

On the most important aspects of education policy, state governments are in the grip of...

Tackling Literacy in Remote Aboriginal Communities
Kirsten StorryAugust 31, 2006IA73

There is an alarming educational gap facing remote Aboriginal communities. The gap in literacy between...

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....
Australia’s education system is failing students despite $100bn spending
Fiona MuellerDecember 27, 2025THE AUSTRALIAN
Taxpayers know all too well that massive increases in education funding (approaching $100 billion a...
School child reading book
Turning up a first step to success
Trisha JhaDecember 4, 2025DAILY TELEGRAPH
The best that can be said about the latest national attendance data is that things...
Give teachers clarity: Maths curriculum should build the staircase, not set the high jump
Kelly NorrisOctober 28, 2025EDUCATIONHQ

The national review of the F–2 maths curriculum is a welcome chance to put 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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