The growing use of artificial intelligence in education extends and intensifies technologies of governing, including datafication, performativity and accountability. In this article, we outline how the use of AI and data science has the disruptive potential to create new norms in education policy and governance. We report on an ethnographic…

Understanding the effective implementation of evidence-based practices in schools is a critical step to maximising educational outcomes for all students. The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has been working closely with a small number of schools on the Learning Partner project to learn about implementation in their settings and…

In 2023, Education Ministers asked that the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) include wellbeing on its 2024 Research Agenda. In 2024, AERO reviewed and expanded on 2 reports that collated evidence for various wellbeing strategies and interventions. These 2 reports (henceforth, the 'initial reports') were: (1) "High Impact…

This special issue examines how relationships between research and policy in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) can be strengthened. Our contribution draws on three cases from outside the ESE space to analyse policymakers' perspectives on using evidence to inform decision-making, and to show that government-based policymakers develop…

Over past decades, the term 'evidence-based policy' has come to dominate policy discussions. This is true across Australia and internationally, in education policy as well as other policy areas. In education, there is often talk of getting evidence into early childhood education and care (ECEC) services and schools, such as making practitioners…

Student bullying behaviours are a significant social issue in schools worldwide. Whilst school staff have access to quality bullying prevention interventions, schools can face significant challenges implementing the whole-school approach required to address the complexity of these behaviours. This study aimed to understand how schools' capacity to…

This paper presents findings from a review of 19 national curriculum policy frameworks (NCPFs) across the globe and discusses dominant and culturally specific discourses that shape early childhood education (ECE). We combine two frameworks of developmental universality and specificity and culturally contextualised pedagogy to explore whether and…

This document summarises key findings from research on how to better support students who enter secondary school with gaps in their foundational literacy and numeracy skills. It includes: (1) a national survey of secondary school staff -- accompanied by in-depth interviews -- which explores the support currently offered to these students, and…

A need for the successful and sustained implementation of positive and proactive approaches to behaviour support has been widely acknowledged in Australia. School-wide positive behavioural interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is one approach that has been increasingly adopted across Australia to meet the social and behavioural needs of all…

Biomedical engineering is critical in improving people's lives through innovative solutions to biological and medical challenges. In the face of today's rapidly evolving climate, the field of biomedical engineering encounters numerous pressures that demand up-to-date skills and competencies. The (re-)development of curricula aligning with industry…

The paper studies the rise of neuroscience in initial teacher education, paying attention to the relatively recent Australian Government (2023) report titled 'Strong Beginnings'. In taking up a critical policy sociology lens, we focus on the first priority within the reforms, which is mandating brain science and the 'brain and learning' as core…

An equitable early childhood education and care (ECEC) system in Australia relies on the availability of quality services that meet the needs of all children and families. However, availability can be limited in thin markets, such as those in unserved and underserved areas in regional and remote areas. This report sets out the findings of a…

This article compares and contrasts two versions of the Education Endowment Foundation's (EEF) Teaching and Learning Toolkit ('Toolkit'), a web-based summary of international evidence on teaching 3-18 year-olds. The Toolkit has localised versions in six different languages in Australia, Cameroon, Chile, Jordan and Spain. The initial Toolkit,…

The National Snapshot provides a baseline of how evidence is used by teachers and leaders across Australian schools. Better use of evidence is proven to lift student outcomes, so it's important to understand and advance its use in schools. The National Snapshot helps to do this by bringing together new and existing information to see a more…

Racialized descriptions are a constant practice in our societies and a fundamental aspect of racial discourses. This paper uses conversation analytic tools within a Foucauldian perspective on discourse to investigate how discourses of race are (re)produced, and consequently navigated, in talk-in-interaction among speakers of Chinese. Four…