Long reads

‘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.

‘We are, as our staff and students say, building a culture of excellence where every learner can thrive, and this year we have the data to prove it.’ In today’s article, Jo Jolly – Principal at Parkhill Primary School in Melbourne, Victoria – shares details of the journey the school has been on for the past 3 years to shift culture and improve student outcomes. 

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.

To complement the widely adopted Driving School Improvement books by Pamela Macklin and Vic Zbar, the new Driving School Improvement Workbook offers school leaders a practical framework for turning improvement plans into action. This extract for Teacher readers is taken from a chapter on knowing you are making a difference.

‘Our research shows aspirations for school community engagement in the design of school outdoor spaces are high. … And yet, for many re-designs to schoolyards, engagement does not happen.’  In this article, Hannah Richardson from the University of Canberra shares 3 simple activities for engaging students in schoolyard design.  

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.

The latest OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results have just been released. In his latest Teacher column, OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher shares some of the early data and insights, including the changing landscape of reading performance and translating scientific talent into scientific ambition.

Australia’s 15-year-old students continue to perform above the OECD average across science, reading, and mathematics, the latest OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results show. In today’s article we share more about Australia’s performance and explore how it compares internationally.

‘Every time we speak about teachers with respect, invest in their expertise, hold high expectations, protect their time for the things that matter most, celebrate their impact, listen to their professional voice and support them to grow, we tell a different story about teaching.’ In her latest Teacher column, Rachael Lehr explores what it means to truly value teachers, and why how we lead them matters just as much.

‘Alongside asking, “What do students need to know and be able to do?”, we might ask, “Where will students need to stop an immediate response in order to learn successfully, and how can we help them get better at doing that?”’ In his latest Teacher column, Professor Martin Westwell, Chief Executive of the South Australian Department for Education, argues self-regulation is a powerful yet underused contributor to successful learning.