Despite initially being envisaged as a temporary program in response to COVID-19 pandemic school closures, small-group tutoring has attracted a great deal of attention from various policymakers as a potential solution to Australia’s student achievement problem. However, while the appeal of small-group tutoring as a permanent feature of Australian education is understandable, policymakers should carefully...

Australian students’ results on international tests of mathematics (TIMMS) and numeracy (PISA) lag behind many comparable countries and have stagnated or declined compared to previous years. Policy responses to address disappointing educational outcomes have enjoyed limited overall success. The author of this paper argues that this is because a piece of practice and policy has...

This technical report presents the findings from a study that uses large-scale data to examine how specific aspects of quality in early childhood education and care relate to learning and development outcomes for children in Australia.

The Victorian government has invested $1.2 billion in the Tutor Learning Initiative. This statewide program funds schools to employ tutors to deliver targeted small group learning support to students who need it most. This audit examines if the initiative has improved learning and engagement outcomes for participating students in government schools.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) administration of national standards and frameworks. The audit finds that by improving its strategic planning and assurance, AITSL would be better positioned to determine whether national standards and frameworks are having the intended impact on...