Become a Member Donate Now

• 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.

Overcoming the Odds: A study of Australia’s top-performing disadvantaged schools
Blaise JosephMarch 18, 2019RR39

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

New CIS research: How disadvantaged schools have become top performers
Blaise JosephMarch 15, 2019MEDIA RELEASE

Ground-breaking new research from The Centre for Independent Studies has identified the common policies and...

Paying kids to learn?
Kerrie WrattenFebruary 22, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

Few people would disagree with the idea of investigating ways to improve student motivation. But...

Misreading the data will not help the teachers
Jennifer Buckingham OAMFebruary 9, 2019The Australian

Outdated teaching methods based on disproved theories remain widespread despite the abundance of good and...

Enquiry-based learning isn’t evidence-based
Blaise JosephFebruary 1, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

You have to wonder how many times something has to be tried before people stop...

Make universities pay for picking poorly prepared students
Steven SchwartzJanuary 24, 2019The Australian

Universities have drastically dropped their entry requirements for teaching degrees, resulting in a hit on...

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...
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...
AP32 Image critical thinking
Some Critical Thoughts about Critical and Creative Thinking
John SwellerFebruary 7, 2022AP32
Developing creative and critical thinking is a major priority of educators and policymakers. This is...
Initial Teacher Education in mathematics
Failing to teach the teacher: An analysis of mathematics Initial Teacher Education
Glenn Fahey, Jordan O’Sullivan, Jared BussellNovember 25, 2021AP29

Policymakers have increasingly looked to improvements in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) as key to overcoming...

The mental health system may be making us sicker
Steven SchwartzApril 6, 2026CANBERRA TIMES

Australia has a mental health crisis, but not the one we think. Despite decades of...

Housing negative gearing tax
Reducing the discount would likely not have any lasting impact in lowering house prices
Robert Carling, Michael StutchburyMarch 21, 2026CANBERRA TIMES

Anyone watching the smoke signals from Canberra knows that moves are afoot to try and...

Alarm bells ringing on more interest rate pain
Michael StutchburyMarch 18, 2026DAILY TELEGRAPH
Australians were losing faith that the combination of Labor’s economic policies and the RBA monetary...
Labor’s capital gains tax myths need busting
Robert CarlingMarch 11, 2026DAILY TELEGRAPH

Labor has long held an axe over the capital gains tax 50% discount and negative...

Measuring affordability in time, not dollars paints a different inflation picture
Marian L. TupyMarch 9, 2026CANBERRA TIMES

Even before new Middle East conflict sparked concern about petrol prices, Australia’s latest CPI release...

Blame diagnostic inflation for the NDIS’ $10b Autism bill
Steven SchwartzMarch 5, 2026AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW

As recently reported in The Australian Financial Review, autism costs the National Disability Insurance Scheme...

No Videos Available
Submission to the Warracknabeal Energy Park Inquiry
September 30, 2025

The Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Warracknabeal Energy...

Submission to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM)
Peter KurtiSeptember 25, 2025

Submission to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM) Review of the definition of a...

Submission to Hunter Transmission Project
September 24, 2025

Claims of delivering affordable electricity are unsubstantiated The EIS repeatedly claims the project will “deliver...

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...

CIS Submission to the NEM Review
September 18, 2025

THEME 1: ENSURING EFFECTIVE OPERATION OF THE SPOT MARKET Recommendation 1: Maintain the real-time regional...

Submission to Ausgrid Trial Waiver Application Consultation
September 16, 2025

  1 What Ausgrid is proposing and the waiver it seeks Ausgrid has applied to...

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