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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.

Knowledge is a costly affair
July 3, 2001The Australian Financial Review

The Knowledge Nation Taskforce’s comprehensive agenda for upskilling Australia was widely welcomed yesterday. But the...

State of the Nation 2001: A Century of Change (CD ROM)
Jennifer Buckingham OAMApril 5, 2001SP04CD

A CD version of a major report that finds Australia is in the midst of profound...

State of the Nation 2001: A Century of Change
Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Lucy Sullivan, Helen HughesApril 5, 2001SP04

The first edition of State of the Nation in 1997 showed in graphs and statistics,...

A Fair Go for all Schools
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJanuary 24, 2001The Herald Sun

It is possible to deceive people without telling lies. In support of their campaign against...

Pass the Bucks
January 12, 2001The Courier Mail

The idea that Australia’s universities are dumbing down is gaining currency. The latest argument is...

Homework Needed on School Funding
Jennifer Buckingham OAMOctober 13, 2000The Newcastle Herald

The fracas over federal government school funding documented by the media in the past few...

A shorter path to teaching: Exploring one-year postgraduate qualifications
A shorter path to teaching: Exploring one-year postgraduate qualifications
Rob JosephDecember 7, 2022PP48

A shorter path to teaching: Exploring one-year postgraduate qualifications – Executive Summary Australia faces major...

Katharine Birbalsingh: How progressive teaching is failing students
Katharine BirbalsinghNovember 15, 2022OP192

Katharine Birbalsingh has been described as ‘Britain’s meanest headmistress’ because of her use of detentions...

Myths That Undermine Maths Teaching
Sarah Powell, Elizabeth M. Hughes, Corey PeltierAugust 11, 2022AP38

Myths about learning and teaching maths continue to plague classroom practice despite consistent lack of...

Teaching National Shame: History and citizenship in the school curriculum
Joanna WilliamsJuly 28, 2022OP189
This paper examines the impact of changing approaches to teaching history and citizenship on the...
Expand University Places without Blowing Out Budgets: The 1/1 Policy for Undergraduate Reform
Salvatore BabonesMarch 28, 2022OP186
As Australia heads to the polls in 2022, higher education is, as usual, a question...
AP34 Image maths skills
Setting the preschool foundation for success in Mathematics
David C. GearyMarch 24, 2022AP34
Children’s mathematical competencies in school impact on their long-term outcomes at work and in general...
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...

Outsmart Your Brain | Daniel Willingham | Glenn Fahey
Glenn Fahey, Mr Daniel WillinghamMay 8, 2023
Outsmart Your Brain...
2023 NSW State Election: Education Debate
Sarah Mitchell, Prue Car, Glenn FaheyMarch 16, 2023
CIS welcomed NSW Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell and NSW Shadow Education Minister, Prue Car for...
Emily Hanford: Sold A Story
Emily Hanford, Glenn FaheyFebruary 3, 2023
We welcomed Investigative education reporter and host of the ground-breaking Sold a Story podcast, Emily...
Building world-class schools in Australia
Katharine Birbalsingh, Alan Tudge, Glenn Fahey, Manisha GazulaNovember 7, 2022
CIS Education program director Glenn Fahey is joined for a discussion on improving schools in...
katharine birbalsingh event at CIS on schools
The Michaela Way
Katharine BirbalsinghOctober 27, 2022

It’s no secret that Australian schools’ performance has been in decline for many years. That’s...

Debunking Maths Myths
Sarah Powell, Oliver Lovell, Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Glenn FaheySeptember 29, 2022
Leading mathematics teaching experts Sarah Powell and Ollie Lovell sat down with Glenn Fahey to...
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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