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.

The release of the results of the latest cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) made headlines around the world. More than 760,000 students assessed internationally, representing around 33 million 15-year-olds from 91 countries and economies. But the initial data are just the beginning.

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.

In this episode of School Assembly, Teacher editor Jo Earp catches up with the leaders from all 3 series – Dan McShea from Notre Dame P-12 College in Queensland, Jo Camozzato from Bemin Secondary College in Victoria, and Dr Ray Boyd and Rachael Lehr from Dayton Primary School in Western Australia – to hear all about the progress made at their schools since we last spoke.

Part of the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024, the Teacher Knowledge Survey is the first large-scale study providing internationally comparable measures of general pedagogical knowledge (GPK). Findings suggest it may contribute to improving students’ and teachers’ outcomes.

‘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.

Research involving over 110,000 children and young people has examined their audiobook listening habits in their spare time. Findings suggest that audiobooks can be a potential pathway into reading for students. We speak to the report’s lead author to find out more. 

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. 

Spending time outside supports student wellbeing and physical health. New research has examined teachers’ experiences of enabling outdoor play during the school day with the aim to understand how their autonomy, competence, and relatedness interact to shape decision making. We speak to researcher Dr Brendon Hyndman to find out more.