A knowledge-rich curriculum is a common feature of educationally high-performing countries and an important step towards achieving Australia’s education goals. It provides the foundation for excellence and equity in the education system by prioritising and explicitly outlining the essential knowledge and related skills students should be taught and develop at each stage of their schooling.

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) was commissioned by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to provide an overview of the evidence regarding a knowledge-rich curriculum. This report also outlines the key design features and enablers to effectively enact a knowledge-rich curriculum in schools and addresses some of the prevailing myths and misconceptions about a knowledge-rich curriculum.

The report is organised into 4 parts:

• Part 1 provides background and describes why a knowledge-rich curriculum is an essential step towards meeting Australia’s education goals of excellence, equity and lifelong learning.
• Part 2 outlines the cognitive science evidence for how students learn and how this underpins the design of a knowledge-rich curriculum.
• Part 3 describes the key design features of a knowledge-rich curriculum, namely that it is selective, coherent, carefully sequenced and clear.
• Part 4 identifies the enabling factors required for schools and teachers to effectively enact a knowledge-rich curriculum.