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Australian Council for Educational Research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is an independent, not-for-profit research organisation that has been supporting the transformation of the education sector for more than 90 years. Our mission is to create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that can be used to improve learning across the life span.

An international leader in educational research, ACER specialises in collecting and interpreting information to shape strategic decision-making, from the early years to post-compulsory education. We develop high quality assessment and reporting tools and services, and support professionals to develop their capabilities to improve learner outcomes. Our evidence-based publications and resources focus on understanding and addressing the needs of individuals, promoting quality teaching and leadership, and supporting organisational improvement.

We have more than 430 staff located in our 10 offices in Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Displaying 21 - 38 of 38 articles

Should universities ditch the ATAR and use other ways to select students onto courses? from www.shutterstock.com

Should we scrap the ATAR? What are the alternative options? Experts comment

The ATAR system is cheap and efficient, but it means students are selected to go to university on the basis of a single score which some have claimed is too simplisitc. Is it time for a new system?
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott with kindergarden kids at Yirrkala in the Northern Territory. Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in the NT have the nation’s lowest retention rate, so it’s time to try more creative ways to fix that. AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy

Keeping Indigenous teens in school by reinventing the lessons

Tony Abbott is spending this week in North-East Arnhem Land, part of his long-held hope “to be not just the Prime Minister but the Prime Minister for Aboriginal Affairs”. We asked our experts: what stories…
Teacher education and recruitment in Australia lags behind other nations, meaning we don’t get the same results, or the same respect. AAP

Why we don’t have the world’s best, or most respected, teachers

Barely a day goes by when people aren’t bemoaning the state of teacher education in Australia. Australian students’ results are declining, entry requirements for teachers aren’t high enough, teaching courses…
Grading students together based on age doesn’t really give enough information about students’ progress. Shutterstock

Why A to E grades don’t tell the whole story

Commonly used A to E grades in schools may not be serving all students well, or telling the whole story of progress. It’s time to review how we measure students’ learning - that doesn’t mean abandoning…
Efforts to improve Indigenous students’ academic results aren’t working. AAP

Indigenous education results show need for needs-based funding

Results from the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students has remained the same for the last decade. PISA 2012: How Australia…
Australian results from international tests in maths, science and reading are on the decline. Class image from www.shutterstock.com

New PISA results show education decline – it’s time to stop the slide

New international test results in reading, science and maths show that Australian education is going backwards – a declining trend that has been going on for the past decade. The 2012 Program for International…
Around 20% of people are maths anxious. To decrease this figure, we need to bust some stereotypes. Tom Lin :3=

To overcome fear of maths, let’s confront the myths

We all know someone who gets the jitters when they have to make a speech, or breaks out in a cold sweat at the mere thought of being in an enclosed space. That person might even be you. But do you know…
Australia aims to be ranked among the top five countries in the world by 2025 for student performance in reading, science and maths literacy. AAP Image/Dan Peled

Pay teachers according to expertise: report

Governments should invest in postgraduate school teacher education and primary-level specialist teachers in maths and science, according to a new green paper released today by the Melbourne Graduate School…
The traditional grading system is now obsolete. ABCDE image from www.shutterstock.com

Testing times: making the case for new school assessment

When we were growing up, my father occasionally stood each of us against the back door and marked our height on the door in pencil. He wrote our initials and the date alongside each mark. For us, it was…
The PM has zoned in on education policy this election year, but maybe education needs less political attention, not more. AAP Image/Alan Porritt

The election crusade? Schools will come second to politics in 2013

Today, as part of an Australian Education Union (AEU) campaign, academics, business and political leaders have signed a letter urging state and federal governments to move on the Gonski reforms to school…
It’s time we looked at the idea of for-profit education in Australia. EPA/Guillaume Horcajuleo

Do we want for-profit schools in Australia?

For-profit education is something that really doesn’t exist in Australia… yet. But in many other countries around the world it has become a normal part of education and there are now many companies providing…
The latest results of international testing in maths, science and reading means Australia’s education outlook does not look good. Test image from www.shutterstock.com

Latest tests show PM’s 2025 education goal is in doubt

Prime Minister Julia Gillard in September set an ambitious goal for Australian education: to be ranked as a top-five country in reading, mathematics and science by 2025. Clearly she is hoping to lift Australia…

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