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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.

Competitive forces in school education
Jennifer Buckingham OAMOctober 14, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

Funding changes are not the only threats non-government schools will need to have on their...

Naplan obesity tests? A fat lot of good that will do
Steven SchwartzOctober 10, 2016The Spectator - Flat White

NAPLAN FAT TESTS—Students as young as nine would [sic] take fitness exams so schools across...

Trouble brewing for childcare
Trisha JhaOctober 7, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

Just as the Education Minister has disabled the landmine that was Labor’s troubled VET fee...

School funding should be without fear or favour
Jennifer Buckingham OAMOctober 1, 2016The Australian - Inquirer

The collective gasp that resonated around the country when federal education minister Simon Birmingham said...

At last, a ranking system to sort wheat from chaff
Steven SchwartzSeptember 28, 2016The Australian

  The National University of Typing, Tiling and Yodelling, or NUTTY, was crowned Best University...

RIP Reading Recovery
Jennifer Buckingham OAMSeptember 23, 2016Spectator Flat White

  Thanks to NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli, the deeply entrenched, multi-million dollar Reading Recovery...

Using Curriculum-Based Measurement for Primary School Maths Screening
Erica S. Lembke, Emily L. Singell, Gabriella Lyth Donofrio, Megyn MartinAugust 15, 2024AP75
Universal screening is an essential component of a Multi-Tiered Support System (MTSS) for maths and...
book
Learning Lessons. The future of small-group tutoring
Trisha JhaJuly 25, 2024AP73
Student data from national and international testing shows a large minority of students are not...
maths
The Science of Maths and How to Apply It
Siobhan MerloJuly 11, 2024AP71

Introduction Australian students’ results on international tests of mathematics (TIMMS) and numeracy (PISA) lag behind...

maths warning
Screening That Counts: Why Australia Needs Universal Early Numeracy Screening
Kelly NorrisJune 20, 2024RR49

Executive summary Better early identification of students struggling with mathematics is a critical step in...

Sharpening teacher tools: Creating an evidence-based standard for quality instructional materials
Jarrod CarterMay 23, 2024AP69

Executive summary Every Australian classroom and school rely on the support of instructional materials in...

Reimagining Teacher Professionalism. Why standards must be part of ITE reform
Rebecca BirchMarch 21, 2024AP64

1. Executive Summary The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Standards) do not adequately outline what...

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 NAPLAN Reporting Review 2019
Blaise Joseph, Jennifer Buckingham OAMMarch 18, 2019

NAPLAN is a key element of government transparency and accountability There is very little evidence...

Submission to the Senate Education and Employment Committee Inquiry into The Australian Education Amendment Bill 2017
Blaise JosephMay 24, 2017CIS Submission
Productivity Commission Inquiry Into Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice into Human Services: Submission in response to issues paper
Trisha JhaJuly 1, 2016CIS Submission

The Human Services Inquiry is ‘examining policy options in the human services sector that incorporate...

Productivity Commission Inquiry into the National Education Evidence Base: Submission in response to the draft report
Jennifer Buckingham OAMMay 1, 2016CIS Submission

The Review of Education Evidence (Draft Report)—the ‘Draft Report’—provides a useful, up-to-date overview of the...

Submission to the Parliament of NSW Standing Committee on State Development: Inquiry into economic development in Aboriginal communities
Sara HudsonFebruary 12, 2016CIS Submission

In seeking to improve Indigenous economic development outcomes it is important to recognise that high...

Submission to the National Commission of Audit
Alexander Philipatos, Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Jeremy Sammut, Robert Carling, Simon Cowan, Stephen Kirchner, Trisha JhaApril 1, 2014T30.08

The federal government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) was established in 2013 to review the performance...

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