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.

In ‘Teaching Strategies in the 21st Century, Where to Now?’ Dr Loretta Bowshall-Freeman, Dr Rozi Binte Rahmat and Michael Colbung discuss the complex challenges faced by pre-service and early career teachers. This exclusive extract for Teacher readers shares strategies for preparing for a new teaching role.

‘Community collaboration does not need to begin with a new program or excursion. Often, the simplest starting point is creating a small, clear role for an organisation within something your school already does.’ Churchill Fellowship recipient Dr Luke Steller, Questacon Regional Leader for the NT, shares 6 practical ways educators can build stronger school-community partnerships.

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.

‘PILNA helps countries see not only whether students are meeting expected levels, but also the conditions that support or constrain learning.’ The latest results from the Pacific’s largest regional education assessment point to encouraging signs of recovery in student learning, while also identifying key areas where further improvement is needed.

While the term ‘middle leadership’ can mean different things in different school contexts, we know the role of middle leaders is important in supporting both student outcomes and teacher practice. In today’s article, we share 5 open-access resources on the topic of middle leadership.  

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.

Jo Earp sits down with Brad Gaynor to talk about leadership burnout. It's a timely topic – it’s R U OK? Day in Australia today. Brad's book From Burnout to Breakthrough: The Leadership Reset, looks at the growing pressure on school leaders and how it can impact wellbeing. He also shares his own lived experience of burnout.