This review examines the spectrum of evidence on the impact of school autonomy on student academic achievement, and the features of autonomy that improve or constrain achievement, and discusses the implications of these findings for future policy.

Policymakers are undoubtedly watching developments overseas with interest. But how much can we learn from systems that are so different from our own, asks Dahle Suggett.

ALTHOUGH the controversy about NAPLAN testing has aired the pros and cons of public data on student and school performance, the tests’ potential to reveal differences among state education systems hasn’t appeared on the radar. In Inside Story, Chris Bonnor has highlighted the value of the My School website and NAPLAN testing in opening up...