The kids call it “a shit school,” shorthand for their parents’ opinion of the local secondary school. These kids will go to a private, or a “good,” public school. Anywhere but their local secondary school, the one I call Pariah College. Pariah Colleges can crop up anywhere. They are the schools that miss out in...

The report looks at whether school characteristics can influence the emotional and cognitive engagement of 15-year-olds with school. It finds that at age 15 school characteristics, such as school sector and demographics, resourcing, competition and academic orientation, school leadership and teacher quality, and overall school climate, have very little impact on engagement levels. School characteristics...

This is a transcript of an address given by Productivity Commission Chairman, Gary Banks, to the ANZSOG conference, 'Schooling in the 21st Century: Unlocking Human Potential', 28 and 29 September 2005, Sydney.