Thinking back to your own school years, it’s likely there were key friends you relied on for support. But it’s not just close friends who make a difference. New research from South Australia suggests that, when it comes to building resilience among adolescents, being part of larger peer groups is just as important.

As a teacher, what can you learn about your students from a good assessment? How can a good assessment support your understanding of individual students and help you plan for the next steps in teaching and learning? We’ve called on our ACER colleague, Dr Dara Ramalingam, Research Director of Assessment Development, to unpack these questions.

Dr Kay Oddone and Kasey L Garrison published research in the Australian Journal of Education that examines when and how information literacy skills are introduced to students. In this article for Teacher, they draw on that paper and further highlight the need for teachers to have the support of qualified teacher librarians to introduce and build students’ capacity to use information critically and ethically.

Recorded live at the National Education Summit in Melbourne, Dominique Beech sits down with Professor Miriam Tanti from La Trobe University to find out about the research she and her colleagues have been conducting into the science of learning and Generative AI which has culminated in a free, practical guide for secondary school teachers. 

‘The most formidable change we have seen so far is consistency in AI use. Along with staff, students from years 5 to 12 are now working off the same scale and AI use is thought about before a task is set, not discussed after.’ In this article, Jill Fitzsimons, Director of Teaching and Learning at Loreto Toorak shares how staff and students have been supported to use AI, and how the impact of AI is shaping assessment.

Day one of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) National Conference 2026 has kicked off in Perth with keynotes and presentations on the theme of Bold Leadership: New Frontiers in Education. Presented in partnership with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), the conference has drawn delegates from around the world to explore complex leadership, the future of learning and the evolving role of educators.

Recorded live at the National Education Summit in Melbourne, Teacher’s Deputy Editor Rebecca Vukovic is joined by Jonathan Heard, a Research Fellow at the Australian Council for Educational Research for this School Improvement episode. They discuss the importance of having a shared definition on what critical thinking is, the connection between critical thinking and information literacy, and provide some key takeaways for teachers, teacher librarians and school leaders.

Following the release of the PISA 2025 results last week, Dominique Beech is joined by Dr Jonas Bertling, Research Director of ACER Implementation and Reporting and co-author of the report sharing Australia’s PISA 2025 results, to unpack the 2025 findings and the implications for educators.

The transition from being a 'good' teacher to an 'exceptional' one often requires more than just experience; it can be enabled by a deliberate, evidence-informed space for reflection and inquiry. This is the core mission of the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership, whose flagship Teaching Excellence Program and Teaching Impact Fellowships are reshaping the professional landscape. Find out more in today’s article.

In this episode Dominique Beech is joined by Dr Rebecca Collie who shares the findings from a new study that captured annual snapshots of teachers’ wellbeing over 6 years since COVID-19. She also reflects on some of her prior research into teacher wellbeing and shares practical tips for school leaders supporting teachers through future education disruptions.