School Education
11 February 2018
The Commonwealth’s role in improving schools
The Commonwealth should not use the extra money it is spending on schools as an excuse to intervene in school education. The danger is that the ‘Gonski 2.0 Review’ could be used as a platform for Commonwealth interventions that sound good, but don’t actually help on the ground.
26 November 2017
Towards an adaptive education system in Australia
Australia’s school education system is not fit for purpose, and we need to rethink the way we teach students, support teachers and run schools. To halt the decline, we should make the system more adaptive.
5 February 2017
Engaging students: creating classrooms that improve learning
Forty per cent of Australian school students are unproductive in a given year. The education system needs comprehensive reform to tackle widespread student disengagement in class.
27 November 2016
Circuit breaker: a new compact on school funding
A new deal among governments and school systems can end Australia’s toxic school funding debate and transform teaching and learning in schools, without costing the Commonwealth more money.
14 June 2016
Orange Book 2016: priorities for the next Commonwealth Government
Australia faces many domestic policy challenges as the election looms. Yet a survey of seven years of Grattan Institute reports and policy proposals shows that a government prepared to forcefully articulate the public interest could win public support for a brave and powerful reform agenda.
21 March 2016
Widening gaps: what NAPLAN tells us about student progress
Learning gaps between Australian students of different backgrounds are too wide, and grow wider as students move through school.
26 July 2015
Targeted teaching: how better use of data can improve student learning
School systems must give teachers the time, tools and training to collect the best evidence about what students need to learn next and use it as the basis of their teaching.
14 March 2014
Making time for great teaching
To arrest our slide in global school rankings, Australian schools need to make time for proper teacher development. Most are struggling to do so. This report shows how it can be done.
21 February 2014
Turning around schools: it can be done
Some of Australia’s most troubled schools are turning around their performance. They are a model for low-performing schools across the country.
10 July 2013
The myth of markets in school education
Australia has led the world in giving schools more autonomy and trying to increase school competition. But these policies are not the best way to lift student performance.