An opinion piece from AERO's CEO, Dr Jenny Donovan.
Each new school year brings with it a fresh opportunity — and an obligation — to ensure every child is equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and fully engaged members of our community.
As the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) approaches its fifth anniversary, it has become increasingly evident that a quality education rests on three essential pillars:
- What is taught — the content set out in the curriculum and delivered in every classroom.
- How it is taught — using teaching methods and practices that are proven effective by evidence.
- Who teaches it — a workforce of professional educators who are well-trained and supported by ongoing, high-quality professional development.
When all these factors align, our education system is well placed to help young Australians reach their academic potential.
In recent years, we’ve seen positive changes in schools across the country, with a greater focus on what genuinely works in the classroom. Policy and strategic decisions by both government and non-government sectors have encouraged educators to draw on the latest evidence and insights into how students learn, making teaching more effective for learners and satisfying for teachers.
The appetite for knowledge about effective teaching practices is unmistakable and views across AERO’s website have increased by nearly 70 per cent over the past 12 months. We recently surveyed more than 700 educators on their engagement with AERO, confirming they were commonly motivated by wanting to improve teaching and student outcomes.
We’ve seen an increasing volume of teachers searching for information about explicit instruction — a structured, sequenced and supportive approach to teaching new knowledge and skills that is effective because it reduces unnecessary cognitive load and allows students to focus, practise, and commit what is learned to long-term memory.
AERO’s own collaboration with more than 50 Australian schools via our Learning Partner project has shown how explicit teaching has boosted both student engagement and academic outcomes, supporting students to become independent, capable learners.
Yet, while this trend is promising, we cannot fall into complacency.
The 2025 NAPLAN results reported progress in some educational domains and age groups, with improvements in reading and numeracy across years 5, 7 and 9.
Yet, about one-third of year 3 students remain behind in both areas. In some states, regions, and equity groups — including among Indigenous students — the learning gap is higher still. This is a call to action.
AERO’s research underscores the critical need for early intervention. Fewer than one in five students who are behind in year 3 manages to catch up and stay caught up in later years. This tells us that students falling behind in the early years need more dedicated support than they currently receive.
If we are serious about equity and excellence, we must double down on what we know works.
That means policymakers, education systems and school leaders must maintain a clear focus on embedding evidence-based practices in every classroom. Teachers, as lifelong learners, play a vital role by engaging with evidence and continually reflecting on their practice to ensure it aligns with how students learn best. This commitment is a hallmark of our professionalism.
Schools must also adopt a knowledge-rich curriculum so that all students — regardless of background or starting point — have access to shared foundational knowledge. A school curriculum that is rich in knowledge is a feature of the world’s highest-performing education systems and serves as a powerful lever for both equity and excellence.
Finally, schools and teachers must disregard the naysayers.
For many years, certain educational philosophies that were not supported by quality evidence have shaped education policy, influenced university teacher training, and made their way into classrooms. Although appealing in theory, the cost has been widespread declining student achievement.
Now, as the influence of these approaches is fading, it is understandable that those who have supported them are resisting the change.
The road to educational excellence is ongoing, and it demands resilience and resolve from us all.
Every student deserves access to high-quality teaching and an education that both challenges and supports them.
By staying committed to evidence-based approaches, we can create an education system that is both equitable and high-performing — one where every child, no matter their circumstances, can truly thrive.
This article was first published in The Australian.