Education Commons^™

Education Out Loud Case Study: School For Life, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Jolanda Butler

International Education Research

Children living in remote rural parts of Ghana experience inequality in basic education, in terms of both access and outcomes. This issue is particularly acute in the north of the country and for girls. For example, 30 percent of children in the north have no school nearby and 20 percent will never enroll. Furthermore, transparency and accountability within Ghana’s education system is weak. Generally, information is not disseminated in a way that is accessible to most citizens (for example it is not produced in a local language), which means they are denied the opportunity to understand and engage with the …

School Improvement Tool Elaborations: Student Engagement And Wellbeing. Background Report And Literature Review, Fabienne Van Der Kleij, Pauline Taylor-Guy, Tanya Vaughan, Marijne Medhurst, Christina Rogers

School and system improvement

This literature review outlines the evidence that underpins the development of a set of evidence-informed elaborations, or specific practices, that support student engagement and wellbeing across the 9 domains of the National School Improvement Tool (NSIT). These observable, measurable practices to support student engagement and wellbeing have been developed from a review of relevant literature in the areas of socio-emotional learning (SEL), health and wellbeing, student engagement and a sense of belonging, and motivations for engagement. They also take account of commissioned research reports by the Queensland Department of Education and the Department's (2018) approach to student learning and wellbeing …

Professional Learning Conversations: Adaptive Expertise For Schools. Supplementary Digital Materials, Helen Timperley

Educational leadership

School leaders face complex challenges, that typically have multiple causes and often persist despite everyone’s best attempts to address them. Addressing complex challenges requires juggling both the big picture, and the specific parts of the challenge. Without a roadmap, this process is fraught and unlikely to succeed in improving outcomes. In order to make a difference, schools need adaptive expertise; a skill which can be learnt through professional conversations and inquiry. In Leading professional conversations, Emeritus Professor Helen Timperley deftly outlines the key enablers for effective professional conversations – relationships, resources, processes, knowledge and culture – which support teachers to …

School Improvement Tool, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

School and system improvement

Research shows the powerful impact that school leadership teams can have in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Effective leaders create cultures of high expectations, provide clarity about what teachers are to teach and students are to learn, establish strong professional learning communities, and lead ongoing school-wide efforts to improve teaching practices. The School Improvement Tool describes the practices of highly effective schools and school leaders. The SIT assists schools to review and reflect on their strategies to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning. It supports school-wide conversations – including with families, school governing bodies, local communities, …

School Improvement Tool: A Summary Of The Underpinning Research, Christina Rogers, Fabienne Van Der Kleij, Pauline Taylor-Guy

School and system improvement

In 2023, ACER published the School Improvement Tool (SIT), the second iteration of the National School Improvement Tool (NSIT). A comprehensive review of international research was undertaken to inform the development of the SIT which consists of nine inter-related domains that describe the practices of highly effective schools and leaders. This document provides a summary of research evidence that underpins each of the nine domains of the SIT. Acknowledging interdependencies between domains, it presents a narrative of key evidence and research-based considerations for each domain. Further detail about the evidence for each domain can be found in the School Improvement …

School Improvement Tool: Literature Review, Fabienne Van Der Kleij, Pauline Taylor-Guy, Christina Rogers

School and system improvement

The School Improvement Tool identifies practices of highly effective schools and schools which have undergone substantial improvement, based on evidence from the international literature. It is made up of nine inter-related domains, or areas of practice. This literature review presents a thematic synthesis of the research evidence across the nine domains of the School Improvement Tool. This review underpinned the development of the School Improvement Tool, as the Second iteration of the National School Improvement Tool.

Building A World-Class Learning System, Geoff N. Masters

School and system improvement

This study sought to understand how five jurisdictions – British Columbia, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong and South Korea, which have all performed unusually well in international achievement surveys over the past two decades – are approaching school education and its transformation. Geoff Masters describes key aspects of the learning systems these jurisdictions have established, comments on how they are now redesigning their learning systems for the future, and discusses insights into what may be required for any jurisdiction to perform well on measures of the kind currently used in international surveys.

School Improvement Tool Elaborations: Student Engagement And Wellbeing, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer), Queensland Department Of Education

School and system improvement

What happens in schools can have a great and lasting impact on the future wellbeing and outcomes for young people. Schools therefore play an important role in supporting students’ engagement and wellbeing. These elaborations are intended to support the work of schools by providing further specificity about the practices in each of the nine domains of the School Improvement Tool (previously National School Improvement Tool) that optimise student engagement and wellbeing and, in turn, impact on achievement. Commissioned by the Queensland Department of Education, the elaborations provide an evidence-based framework to guide practice by teachers, school leaders and education systems …

Timor-Leste: Policy Insights From A Multi-Year Teaching And Learning Study Series, Jennie Chainey, Elizabeth Cassity

Education Analytics Service

The Australian Government is supporting significant education reforms in Timor-Leste. This policy note summarises findings on primary school teacher practice and student learning outcomes during the phased introduction of major curriculum changes. Key areas identified for action include the need to promote inclusive classroom practices and address capacity gaps in this area. In addition, establish measures to ensure effective school leadership and school practices continue once the Apoiu Lideransa liuhosi Mentoria no Aprendizajen (ALMA) program support ceases or there are institutional changes. Part of a multi-year study, the Education Analytics Service is investigating how ALMA is making a difference to …

Infographic: My Eighth Teacher Alphabet, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

What do you need information on? Strategies for implementing school improvement? Resources for building cultural responsiveness? Ideas for online excursions? The eighth Teacher alphabet brings you quick links to popular content that you might find useful.

Resourcesmart Schools And Wellbeing. Main Study, Katherine Dix, Toby Carslake, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Shani Sniedze

Wellbeing

This report presents the findings of a study into the wellbeing impacts of the ResourceSmart Schools (RSS) program in Victoria, Australia. The findings are based on a literature review and a state-wide survey of program schools to inform the development of the ResourceSmart Schools wellbeing evaluation framework, as a first step in the ongoing monitoring of the program’s wellbeing impacts in RSS schools.

Nurturing Wonder And Igniting Passion. Designs For A New School Curriculum: Nsw Curriculum Review, Geoff N. Masters

NSW Curriculum Review

This Review of the New South Wales school curriculum has concluded that change is required. The changes recommended by the Review are far-reaching and amount to the introduction of a new curriculum for NSW schools, from Kindergarten to Year 12. The syllabuses of this new curriculum are designed to ensure every student learns with understanding, builds skills in applying knowledge, and makes excellent ongoing progress in their learning. The goal is to provide every student, in each phase of their learning, with strong foundations for what comes next. Detailed planning, piloting and implementation of the new curriculum will be required …

Nurturing Wonder And Igniting Passion: Designs For A Future School Curriculum. Nsw Curriculum Review Interim Report, Geoff N. Masters

NSW Curriculum Review

This report is an interim report of the New South Wales Curriculum Review. This review has concluded that change is required. The changes proposed by the Review are significant. They relate to the amount and nature of syllabus content, the overall structure of the curriculum, and the focus of learning in the senior years of school. It has been produced as a progress report and a basis for consultation on the broad directions it identifies.

Wii-Ma-Li (Light The Fire): The Impact Of The Connected Communities Strategy On Hillvue Public School, Chris Shaw

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Hillvue Public School has an enrolment of approximately 300 students, 80 per cent of whom identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. The school, located in Tamworth, is one of 15 Connected Communities schools in New South Wales. The Connected Communities Strategy is about developing an inclusive culture in a school and providing an environment that maximises student learning with an emphasis on high expectations, engagement and achievement. Globally, there have been significant changes to the ways that children learn and teachers teach. Our school environment and the world in which our students grow and function continues to change in …

Educational Reform – Scottish Style!, David Leng

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The government in Scotland has made education their defining mission, setting out a clear framework for improvement based on four key aims as articulated in the National Improvement Framework (2015). One improvement driver is Assessing Children’s Progress. This new approach to assessment has been developed to integrate curriculum, assessment (particularly classroom assessment) and pedagogy. Teacher professional judgement has been central to this, and national initiatives have focused on supporting and strengthening it. In this context, the Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSA) was launched in 2017, and is a national assessment tool to support improvement in classroom practice while still providing …

Evidence-Based Approaches To School Improvement: The Kimberley Schools Project, Bill Louden

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Despite a great deal of goodwill, effort and funding, student achievement in the Kimberley region of Western Australia has shown little improvement in the last decade. Governments have intervened in a range of ways: tying funding to evidence that schools are closing the gap; improving conditions for teachers and principals working with remote communities; funding a bewildering range of attendance and engagement strategies; and supporting cultural relevance though a range of short-term skill and enrichment programs. This paper describes the Kimberley Schools Project, which is an alternative approach funded by the Western Australian Government through the Royalties for Regions program. …

Karmel Oration: Leading Schools And School Systems In Times Of Change: A Paradox And A Quest, Toby Greany

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The ‘paradox’ in this title refers to a set of contradictions that sit at the heart of education policy in many school systems. Policymakers in these systems want things that, if not inherently at odds, are nevertheless in tension— such as a tightly defined set of national standards and a broad and balanced curriculum; academic stretch for the most able and a closing of the gap between high and low performers; choice and diversity and equity; and so on. The ‘quest’ is for leaders and leadership to resolve these tensions in practice. School autonomy policies have placed huge power in …

Leadership That Transforms Schools And School Systems, Brian Caldwell

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This paper will report on the findings of four international research projects on leadership in high-performing school systems around the world. The paper will focus on building the capacity of school leaders to exercise professional autonomy and how different levels of government achieve strategic alignment among policies in their efforts to lift performance. The paper will summarise findings reported in The Autonomy Premium published in 2016 by ACER Press, along with the findings of a national survey of principals in Australia. The major part of this presentation is devoted to comparing Australia on 15 benchmarks derived from international studies in …

Science Of Learning Network Of Schools: The Science Of Communities Of Practice, Andrew Jones, Frank Vetere

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Frameworks referencing synthesised bodies of prominent research adorn education improvement policy like curiously named pieces of Ikea furniture—peculiar in their assemblage, ostensibly contemporary, and striking in their modular convenience. Amid this, most pundits still agree that we have an education advancement issue in this country. Despite significant increases in funding from successive federal and state governments, we simply haven’t been able to shift the needle. What we can ascertain is that compliance-based improvement approaches don’t work. They are unable to influence the cognitive maps, beliefs and understandings of the educator to the extent necessary to effectively improve outcomes for students …

Leading Empowered Evaluations To Develop Trust And Improve Learning: Insights From Qualitative Research, Peter Mcclenaghan, Kerrie Ikin

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

What does ‘empowering teachers-as-evaluators’ mean in whole-school strategic planning and evaluation? Our work seeks to develop and empower teachers as whole-of-school evaluators to embrace ownership of the school’s plan and directions, build communities of practice, create transparency, openness and trust, and ultimately improve student learning outcomes. Our previous research in whole-school qualitative empowerment evaluation showed that principals who were fully engaged in their schools’ evaluations were more likely to be influenced by the evaluation process, use the evaluation results and build evaluation capacity than those who merely participated as a guest. They engaged in double-loop learning. We further found that …

Developing Evaluative Thinking And Evidence-Based Practice: A Synthetic Case Study, Tim Wyatt

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The NSW Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan, which operated from 2012 to 2016, provided $261 millon to improve literacy and numeracy learning in 448 the most disadvantaged and lowest performing schools across the three education sectors in NSW. A key objective of the Action Plan was to enhance teacher and school leader capacity, including the ability to apply evidence-based practices and evaluative thinking to planning and programming for teaching and learning at a classroom level, and to planning and decision-making at a whole-school level. The concept and terminology of ‘evidence-based practice’ is in common parlance in Australian schools; however, in …

Courageous And Coherent Leadership Required For Excellent And Equitable Outcomes, Linda Bendikson

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The paper illustrates the complexity of leadership work, using data on the varying perspectives of middle and senior leaders about their own goals; the seriousness of the problems that they face in reaching those goals; and the perceived effectiveness of the senior leadership team. The findings from these studies indicate that the basic leadership skills of problem analysis, focused goalsetting and close monitoring of progress towards goals are lacking in many leadership teams in secondary schools. These findings highlight the importance of a team of middle and senior leaders being aligned in their goal pursuit, being active problem-solvers and being …

Acer Research Conference Proceedings (2017), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Educational leaders play a crucial role in setting directions for improvement and innovation. Leaders – whether or not they are in formal leadership roles – create the tone of an institution, set priorities and directions for change, build coherence and shared commitment across the community and maintain a sharp focus on measurable improvements in student outcomes. Effective leaders take a deep interest in the quality of teaching and learning. They closely monitor indicators of student achievement and wellbeing and promote institution-wide conversations and professional learning focused on improving teaching and learning processes and student outcomes. They also form partnerships with …

Assessment Online: Informing Teaching And Learning, Geoff N. Masters Ao

Teacher columnist – Geoff Masters

Online assessments are capable of providing significantly improved feedback to teaching and learning. Experience in schools is demonstrating the potential of online assessment – provided the foundations are right.

Assessment Online: Informing Teaching And Learning, Geoff N. Masters

Teacher columnist – Geoff Masters

Online assessments are capable of providing significantly improved feedback to teaching and learning. Experience in schools is demonstrating the potential of online assessment – provided the foundations are right.

The advantages of online assessment are often described in terms of its administrative convenience, efficiency and lower costs. However, well-constructed online assessments also are capable of providing more timely, more instructionally useful feedback to teaching and learning. For a number of years ACER has been investigating ways to enhance the educational value of online assessments.

How Well Are We Learning From Naplan?, Geoff N. Masters Ao

Teacher columnist – Geoff Masters

Some Australian schools and school systems have seen greater improvements in NAPLAN results than others. How well do we understand where improvements are occurring and why? Professor Geoff Masters AO discusses.

Promoting Long-Term Learning Progress, Geoff N. Masters Ao

Teacher columnist – Geoff Masters

How well do we help students recognise and reflect on the long-term progress they make at school? Could progress in school mathematics learning be more like progress in music learning? Professor Geoff Masters AO discusses.

Focus On The Larger Purpose Of Schooling And Improvement May Follow, Geoff N. Masters Ao

Teacher columnist – Geoff Masters

Success in schools may best be achieved not by pursuing it directly, but as a ‘side-effect’ of an unwavering dedication to the larger educational purpose, writes Professor Geoff Masters AO.

Using Data, Conversations And Observations For School Improvement, Kathryn Moyle

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

Conversations and observations about school-based data and individual improvements in classroom practices can form some of the more powerful parts of a school’s overall approach to professional learning deliberately aimed at gaining improvements. The success of such strategies depends on the development of a school culture of trust, and the use of effective communication strategies. In this paper Professor Kathryn Moyle outlines the steps school leadership can take in establishing a basis for conversations and observations, conducting coaching and mentoring conversations and building a culture of trust. The focus in this paper is on the professional learning purposes of using …

Schools As Learning Organisations, Geoff N. Masters

Excellence in Professional Practice Conference

From 1 January 2017 every school in Australia will be required to have a school improvement plan. But what is a school improvement plan? Is it different from the strategic plans that most schools already have? This presentation will define school improvement as the process of changing school practices in ways that lead to better student outcomes. A school improvement plan is developed by the school community to make improvements to current school practices and thus student outcomes. It embodies a collaborative commitment to the rigorous, systematic investigation of specific improvement strategies. Key steps in the development and implementation of …