National School Reform Agreement

• This review examines Governments’ initiatives to lift student outcomes under the National School Reform Agreement (NSRA).
  • The Commission has been asked to assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of the national reform initiatives in the NSRA and to make recommendations for the design of the next agreement.
  • Public interest in schools reform has increased over the life of the NSRA, spurred in part by concerns that, despite the large increase in public funding since 2018, student outcomes have stagnated.
• Although some initiatives have been delivered, others appear stalled.
  • Governments appear to have lost their collective commitment to delivering a national unique student identifier (USI) and the formative assessment tool.
  • Despite mounting concerns about teacher shortages, little progress seems to have been made in developing the data and evidence needed for an effective national workforce strategy.
• Realising the ambitions of the NSRA will require Governments to resolve some thorny issues:
  • agreeing on the design and privacy protections of the USI. If parties cannot deliver a national USI, they should, at a minimum, explain why the project has failed
  • developing the national online formative assessment tool in a way that allows jurisdictions to adapt it to their specific needs and preferences (including integrating content and features from existing state-based tools)
  • developing a national model of the teacher workforce to identify future risks and guide workforce planning.
• The next intergovernmental agreement should focus on a small number of reforms that will directly lift student outcomes. Governments should select reforms that are best delivered through a co-ordinated national approach to help sustain long-term commitment by all parties. Contenders include:
  • enabling quality teaching: Governments need to create the time, support and resources for effective teaching. Priorities could include reducing high workloads and out-of-field teaching, professional development at critical points (such as induction and support for early career teachers) and fostering best practice teaching through networks, collaboration and technology
  • making minimum standards the minimum: all jurisdictions need to find effective ways to assist the 5 to 9 per cent of students struggling to meet minimum standards
  • tailored strategies for students from each priority equity cohort. Many students in the NSRA’s priority equity cohorts and students in other cohorts (such as students in out-of-home care or with English as an additional language or dialect) face significant challenges. New approaches, developed and implemented in consultation with students, parents and communities, are needed
  • supporting wellbeing to support learning. Many children and young people suffer from poor wellbeing because of experiences in and outside their schools. Schools and teachers need more support to help students overcome these circumstances and achieve their potential.
• Addressing these challenges will require a mix of co-ordinated national effort and flexible state-based programs tailored to individual and local needs. Jurisdictions’ need for flexibility should be recognised but tied to more transparency and accountability for results. The next agreement should be tight in its commitments and its reporting of performance, but not bind Governments to one-size-fits-all solutions.
  • The community could reasonably expect to see an improvement in student outcomes over the course of the next five years — funding will remain at all-time highs, current initiatives will have had time to mature, and a new generation of reforms will be underway.

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