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• Teaching

Our research into teaching focuses on the quality of the teacher workforce, teacher training and ways to improve student outcomes through better teaching methods.

Curriculum a juggling act in the classroom
Jennifer Buckingham OAMNovember 18, 2018The Herald

By far the educational issue that gets most public and political attention is funding for...

Teachers’ union stance wrong on reading
Private: Julie MavlianOctober 5, 2018Ideas@TheCentre

I have been a member of teachers’ unions since I began teaching 30 years ago....

Phonics science vs the ‘feels’
Jennifer Buckingham OAMAugust 3, 2018Ideas@TheCentre

The phonics debate co-hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies and the Australian College of...

Synthetic phonics and learning to read
Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Rob Stokes, Anne Castles, Troy Verey, Robyn Ewing, Kathy Rushton, Mark Diamond, Natasha RobinsonJuly 31, 2018

A key point of contention in the ‘reading wars’ is the best way to teach...

Simple solution to STEM teacher shortage
Blaise JosephJuly 20, 2018Ideas@TheCentre

Faced with the shortage of qualified teachers for science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subjects,...

The fight for phonics in early years reading
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJuly 10, 2018ResearchED

There is extensive research on how children learn to read and how best to teach...

Knowledge is power: What do teachers believe about learning?
Trisha JhaOctober 30, 2025AP92

Executive Summary This report presents findings from literature about what teachers believe about how students...

Sex and maths success: myths and interventions
David C. GearyJuly 17, 2025AP83

Executive summary Mathematical competencies at the completion of secondary school influence later educational and occupational...

Early Numbers, Big Ideas. Fostering Number Sense in Young Children
Nancy C. Jordan, Nancy DysonJuly 10, 2025AP82

Introduction Numbers are an integral part of our daily lives, both inside and outside of...

Fractions Minus the Friction. A guide to four teaching practices
Leanne R. Ketterlin-Geller, Allison McClure, Cassandra HatfieldDecember 12, 2024AP78

Introduction Understanding fractions has a significant impact on both individuals and society. Fractions are an...

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...
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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...
Bob Carr’s genocide claims are dangerous for social cohesion
Peter KurtiJuly 29, 2025AFR

Labor’s Friends of Israel group has made this point forcefully. They call for principled criticism,...

Government’s spending surge a threat to productivity
Simon Cowan, Robert CarlingJuly 26, 2025CANBERRA TIMES
As we get closer to the productivity roundtable that the government hopes will solve all...
Labor’s path to joining the worst welfare states
Robert CarlingJuly 23, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
Jim Chalmers’ economic reform roundtable must confront Australia’s entitlement mindset – which governments have fostered....
The 3 intergenerational challenges Chalmers’ roundtable must fix
Trisha JhaJuly 18, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
The government’s upcoming Productivity Roundtable risks being yet another fest of short-term electoral thinking....
We’ve been here before. This time it’s serious
Greg LindsayJuly 16, 2025SPECTATOR

With the current Treasurer jumping on the tax reform bandwagon, assuring the public that reform...

Back the plan and save Australia from hatred
Peter KurtiJuly 14, 2025DAILY TELEGRAPH
Our Jewish neighbours, colleagues and friends are facing harassment, threats and exclusion in ways this...
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Submission to the Productivity Commission 5 year productivity review: Increasing Australia’s Future Prosperity
Michael PotterDecember 15, 2016CIS Submission

The submission by CIS Research Fellow Michael Potter argues: An excellent productivity boosting agenda is...

Submission to the Productivity Commission on the Preliminary Findings Report: Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice into Human Services: Identifying Sectors for Reform
Sara HudsonOctober 27, 2016CIS Submission

To improve Indigenous outcomes, there needs to be better management of overall funding and a...

Submission to Senate Inquiry on Treasury Laws Amendment (Enterprise Tax Plan) Bill 2016
Michael PotterOctober 3, 2016CIS Submission

The submission by CIS Research Fellow Michael Potter provides a detailed case for a reduction...

Submission to the Senate Inquiry into Enterprise Tax Plan Bill 2016
Michael PotterSeptember 30, 2016CIS Submission

The growing company tax burden contrasts with the state of the economy, which is showing...

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...

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