‘Supporting principals is not an end in itself: it is an investment in the schools they lead and the communities they serve.’ A new report has taken a closer look at who school leaders across the OECD are, what makes them valued, why this matters, and how to best to support them.

Careful planning and preparation lay the foundation for strong teaching and learning, positive school culture, and sustained improvement throughout the year. Anthony Hockey, Principal of St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Williamstown, Victoria, shares how his school prepares for a successful start to each new year. From welcoming new students, inducting staff and completing essential maintenance, to refining improvement priorities – the work begins well before the first bell rings.

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.

Teacher magazine is delighted to welcome Lisa Rodgers – CEO of ACER – as a columnist. In this first article, she offers a different story about PISA that is built around 5 ideas – position, direction, distribution, resolution and ambition.

Absent students miss more than just lesson content; they miss the opportunities to build the habits and skills to succeed at school and in life. New OECD research shows ‘school attendance problems are no longer a marginal issue; they have become a challenge affecting classrooms in nearly every country’.

The results from the second cycle of the OECD’s Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS 2025) have just been released. Here we share more about the focus and innovative assessment design of IELS, and an overview of the findings on how children are faring at the very start of their learning journeys.

Although often associated with a new school year, transitions occur throughout the school day and across each term. Anna Brady – principal at autism-specific school Aspect Vern Barnett School – shares how each term begins with a deliberate re‑establishment of routines, expectations and supports, and the positive impact on students.

‘If we equip the next generation with the foundational literacies to understand how AI works, the creative confidence to build with it, and the critical judgement to know when and how it should be used, the possibilities are extraordinary.’ In this Q&A, Andrew Sliwinski, Vice President and Head of Product Experience at LEGO® Education, answers questions about computer science and artificial intelligence instruction in the classroom, and what we can do now to empower student agency in a changing world.

In School Improvement Episode 66, St Columba Anglican School Principal Allan Guihot and Director of Professional Learning Chris Delaney join Jo Earp to talk about the award-winning Teaching School Hubs program, including how the model works in the day-to-day, and benefits for both the trainees preparing to enter the profession and mentor teachers at the host school.

In today’s episode Dominique Russell speaks with the 2 recipients of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching – Paula Taylor from the ACT and Matt Dodds from NSW. They share the lesson activities that are a hit in their science classrooms, the teachers that had an impact on them, and how they’re sharing their knowledge with other educators.