Literacy

New research has found that 36% of children and young people said they enjoyed reading in their free time either ‘very much’ or ‘quite a lot’. Participants were also asked if they agree with various statements about how reading in their free time helps them. We share the results in this infographic. 

We know that early literacy development is not uniform. Understanding students’ strengths and identifying gaps to plan for the next steps, including targeted support where needed – and doing this as early as possible – is a challenge for teachers. A new assessment program from ACER aims to spot literacy difficulties before children fall behind and these gaps widen.

Indigenous Literacy Day, founded by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, offers teachers the opportunity to help students discover the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, cultures and languages. Read on to find out how you and your students can get involved.

Earlier this year, our podcast with Mandy Nayton – Educational and Developmental Psychologist and CEO of the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation – explored ways to support students of all ages to read successfully. In the first of 3 follow-up articles, ACU Professor Genevieve McArthur – Director of Research Translation at the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation – shares how reading difficulties can impact student wellbeing.

Recently the winner of the Global Schools Prize was announced – chosen from over 3,000 nominations. Excitingly, Australia’s Larrakeyah Primary School in Darwin were named as a finalist for the prize. In this episode, Dominique Beech is joined by Fathma Mauger to hear all about the custom-built AI writing platform they were recognised for. 

A UK study involving over 125,000 children and young people has shown an uptick in enjoyment of reading and daily reading habits. Latest findings also include gender differences for reading habits, and insights into what encourages young people to read for pleasure.

A new report has revealed the most popular ebook genres for K-12 students. The results were calculated by analysing 2025 data from all schools serving students in K-12 across Australia that use the Sora student reading app. Here, we share the most popular genres by state and territory. 

Last month, the OECD released findings from the 2025 International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS). In today's episode, Dr Dan Cloney, Senior Research Fellow at ACER and Lead Researcher for IELS, unpacks some of the key findings from the study, explores what made the assessment design unique, and discusses why it's so important to ensure every child arrives at school with the strongest possible foundations.

‘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 our latest reader survey you let us know that you’d like more content on the topic of curriculum implementation. We’ve been hard at work having a look at this in the first few months of 2026, and in this episode of Teacher Staffroom, we take you through some highlights.