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.

This report is based on a comparative analysis of primary school curricula in the areas of mathematics, science and English (the intended curriculum) across all Australian education systems as well as a selected number of overseas countries to identify the characteristics of those education systems that perform best in international tests such as the TIMSS...

The mark of a school's success is how effectively it causes growth for students and not just how many students it helps over a particular 'proficiency hurdle,' according to Gage Kingsbury. Professor Kingsbury is critical of the approaches taken by systems such as the US No Child Left Behind, which relies on proficiency tests and...

Tertiary study is a largely positive experience for the vast majority of first year students, according to this report. A large majority of students reported that they liked being a student (94 per cent), tertiary student life suited them (87 per cent), they enjoyed the atmosphere on campus (88 per cent) and they had made...

This paper briefly examines the current discourse about child protection, data describing peer abuse and statistical information in relation to documented child abuse, and discusses the appropriateness of proposed interventions. Professional issues related to mandatory notification and the implementation of child protection legislative provisions are then explored as a means of addressing peer abuse on...