Become a Member Donate Now

• 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.

Spelling tricky for kids, so good phonics programs are vital
Jennifer Buckingham OAMDecember 8, 2015The Australian

Ten years ago today, the report of the national inquiry into the teaching of literacy...

Employment, not justice reinvestment, is the ‘panacea’ for high Indigenous incarceration rate
Sara HudsonDecember 4, 2015Online Opinion

The Australian Medical Association’s Report Card on Indigenous Health correctly links particular health issues —...

Childcare tantrum over hourly fees
November 27, 2015Ideas@TheCentre

That wailing sound you heard coming from childcare centres this week was not from upset...

Flexibility key to reforming childcare sector
November 24, 2015Courier-Mail

Australian families are crying out for more childcare places that suit their working needs and...

Decoding fact and fiction in coding
November 20, 2015Ideas@TheCentre

We’re seeing an increasingly apparent borderline obsession with getting primary school age kids to learn...

Poor smokers should not get burnt for Gonski
Jennifer Buckingham OAMNovember 13, 2015Ideas@TheCentre

Thanks to a concerted and well-resourced campaign from teachers unions and vocal support from NSW...

Implementing the Science of Learning: teacher experiences
February 22, 2024RR47

Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Background and policy context A pathway for advancing the...

science of learning, learning, education, learning styles,
What is the Science of Learning?
February 15, 2024AP63

Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Politics, philosophy and education Progressive education versus modern evidence...

Degree Inflation: Undermining the value of higher education
Steven SchwartzMay 18, 2023AP48

Degree Inflation: Undermining the value of higher education — Executive Summary The past 20 years...

ATAR changes
ATAR’s rising relevance: admission standards and completion rates
Rob JosephFebruary 27, 2023AP44

Join us on Wednesday, 27 March, as we welcome Sarah Powell to CIS to discuss...

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...

We’ve spent the money, now what about the results?
February 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
January 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
December 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
October 28, 2025EDUCATIONHQ

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

No Videos Available
Submission to the Senate Education and Employment Committee Inquiry into The Australian Education Amendment Bill 2017
May 24, 2017CIS Submission
Productivity Commission Inquiry Into Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice into Human Services: Submission in response to issues paper
July 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...

No Podcasts Available

• Subscribe

Subscribe now and stay in the loop with our giving appeals, event alerts, newsletters and research updates.

We are always pleased to hear from you. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact us here:

+61 2 9438 4377
CIS Office
cis@cis.org.au
CIS Media
kpincott@cis.org.au