This research amplifies the voices of First Nations and migrant learners who have disengaged from foundation skills courses. By understanding their goals, experiences, and recommendations, ways to better support their completion are identified. It explores how these learners first encountered the courses, their motivations for enrolling, the supports available, and the barriers they continue to...

The strategy sets a shared direction for Commonwealth, state and territory governments for adult foundation skills nationally over the next decade. Reflecting a shared commitment to build foundation skills levels among Australian adults, the strategy is designed to enhance the lives of those who face daily struggles in reading, writing, mathematics or computer use.

Surveying a cross section of Australian businesses every two years to learn more about skills and workforce challenges across the economy, this report finds the impacts of low levels of literacy and numeracy result in time wasted, poor completion of work documents and reports, teamwork and communications problems, and staff lacking confidence and willingness to...

This study links National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy data with records from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth to better understand the association between students’ early academic performance and their schooling outcomes. The study finds that a position of socioeconomic advantage alone does not translate to academic success. Instead, strong reading and numeracy skills...

Universal maths screening using curriculum-based measurement (CBM) provides the basis for greater efficiency in primary school teaching, with targeted intervention to improve outcomes, according to this paper. Although screening and intervention processes associated with multi-tiered support system models are only beginning to be used systematically in Australia, it has gained substantial support in the US...