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• Curriculum

Education policy should be based on evidence and worthwhile goals, not on borrowed fads
Fiona MuellerAugust 31, 2019The Australian

This week has seen the annual commotion around Australia’s standardised testing regime, the National Assessment...

We’ve set lower bars, not raised the results
Blaise JosephAugust 28, 2019The Australian

It’s the ongoing national dis­appointment. Results haven’t ­consistently improved since NAP­LAN began in 2008, while...

Yes, Ministers – collaboration is the answer
Fiona MuellerAugust 9, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

Public confidence in Australian school education may be low, but no one could complain about...

Overcoming the Odds 2: Where are the top-performing disadvantaged secondary schools?
Blaise JosephJuly 23, 2019PP21

Students from disadvantaged social backgrounds perform worse academically on average than more advantaged students. However,...

Evidence will provide education solutions
Fiona MuellerJuly 19, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

It is the duty of the State to educate, and the right of the people...

Modelling the language of mercy
Fiona MuellerJune 21, 2019Quadrant Online

A federal election throws up the good, the bad and the ugly as individuals compete...

One School Does Not Fit All
Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Trisha JhaJanuary 31, 2016Research Report 9

Australia has a relatively large degree of choice between schools, a product of historical private...

Free to Choose Charter Schools: How charter and for-profit schools can boost public education
Trisha Jha, Jennifer Buckingham OAMAugust 31, 2015Research Report 6

Charter schools and free schools – publicly-funded, privately-managed schools – have been introduced in several...

The Right to the Good Life: Improving Educational Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children
Marcia LangtonOctober 1, 2013OP133

Education is a key ideological battleground in debates about how to address Indigenous disadvantage. Yet,...

The future of education — a structural perspective
Jennifer Buckingham OAMAugust 22, 2013

AISNSW Executive Conference, Killcare NSW Thursday 22 August 2013 The Centre for Independent Studies For...

Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Helen Hughes, Sara HudsonNovember 18, 2011

Australia has a serious problem in low participation in higher education by students from low...

Indigenous Education 2010
Helen HughesApril 20, 2010PM110

The 2009 NAPLAN results for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students again show high rates...

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...
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...

If we catch them young, kids will solve our numeracy crisis
Glenn FaheyOctober 23, 2025SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
How do we fix the alarming decline in numeracy among young Australians? The answer is...
How not to waste Gonski school funding
Trisha JhaFebruary 19, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
Additional federal money may unfortunately extend and expand inefficient and ineffective practices rather than lift...
maths, anxiety, maths anxiety, policy, education
Do the maths or we’ll never be a STEM superpower
Glenn FaheyDecember 12, 2024THE AUSTRALIAN

Calls for Australia to become a STEM superpower will never be answered unless our students...

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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 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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