ACT Alliance for Evidence-Based Education

The dog ate my homework: Education’s evidence-excuses echo-chamber I am not the first to write about the fact that education has a fraught and not very pretty history when it comes to generating, critiquing, and applying rigorous evidence in order to maximise student academic and wellbeing outcomes. Recent examples of this commentary can be found here and here. Way...

Explicit instruction: what works, what doesn’t, and why it matters Explicit instruction has become a familiar term in Australian education. But as the saying goes, familiarity can breed contempt.

Greg Ashman (@gregashman) Using inquiry learning to teach early literacy or numeracy is educational malpractice. The evidence is clear that novices need explicit guidance, fully worked examples, guided and scaffolded practice. Only once these are embedded will children successfully use these tools to complete more open-ended...

The many years of advocacy from many members of our Alliance is finally showing improvement in ACT Public School education. ✅👏👏👏

Vive la révolution: School resourcing review cements the long overdue ACT schools shake-up | Region Canberra It's taken a long time for the ACT Government and Education Minister Yvette Berry to accept and come to grips…

ACT public schools to lose autonomy in generational overhaul of dysfunctional system | Region Canberra Time has officially run out for the ACT’s failing autonomous public school model. An independent review into public school resourcing…

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-27/act-public-school-significant-reform-unify-system-review/106724774?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link

ACT public school system to be unified in 'generational shift' The ACT's public education system will be significantly reformed after a review of resourcing found schools operated much like "independent small businesses".

“The days of ACT school autonomy and independence are over as a review highlights how the lack of a cohesive public school system has led to inequity and an inability to cater to student needs.

A review into public school resourcing was commissioned by the government after 77 out of 92 schools were expected to be over budget in July 2025. This increased to 80 schools by the end of the year.

The report finds schools are trying to respond to increased student needs, especially for students with disabilities or when English is their second language, but funding for these students has not increased at the same rate.

Each school is in charge of more administration and regulatory tasks, such as operating preschools, yearly maintenance or procuring education platforms which would be more efficient if run by the directorate, the report said.

While on paper the directorate says schools are fully staffed, on the ground teachers are not where they are needed most, the report said. Existing processes to move teachers between schools are not trusted.” - read more 👇

How an 'inequitable' system is failing the ACT students who need it most Students need more support but the system is not keeping up.