This report presents examples of good practice in student engagement and achievement. The examples come from a sample of secondary schools, rated decile 5 or below with rolls of 200 students or more, who had better outcomes for students than other similar schools. ERO visited seven of these schools to find out the secret to...

Are local schools the beating heart of our communities? Or are they underutilised public assets, closed out of school hours and off limits to local residents? • A new discussion paper on the extended use of schools released by New South Wales Labor asks these questions and raises a significant national issue. Australia has more...

This report presents four propositions to accelerate transformation in Australia’s schools. Summary In November 2013, the Mitchell Institute hosted a policy forum titled New approaches to persistent problems attended by approximately 100 of Australia’s leading educators, researchers, policy makers and leaders. The discussion was chaired by Mark Burford, Executive Director of the Mitchell Institute and...

This report analyses school funding growth trends and proposes eight ideas for reducing spending and improving productivity. Summary Government expenditure on schools has more than doubled in real terms in the last 25 years, while student numbers have only grown by 18%. Funding for school education was 3.1% of GDP in 2012–13, and is projected...

This review of 112 papers from 1979-2014 suggests that smaller class sizes in the first four years of school can have an important and lasting impact on student achievement, especially for children from culturally, linguistically and economically disenfranchised communities.