National affairs
7 August 2025
Successful overseas systems are no panacea for Australia’s problems, but they can help us think more clearly about the options
National affairs
26 August 2024
NAPLAN’s scorecard has been back in the news, but could those test results be hiding a more important failure?
National affairs
3 May 2024
Before federal MPs vote on a new national schools agreement they should look at what’s happened to the schools they once attended
National affairs
18 August 2023
Successive reviews of school education have promised a brighter future, but how many of them have gone back to see what went wrong last time?
National affairs
7 February 2023
The rising number of selective government schools is harming other students. But could those schools become part of a better solution?
National affairs
18 February 2021
Good intentions won’t solve the problem of Australia’s increasingly segregated school system
National affairs
1 February 2019
Focusing on local schools is the first step to restoring equity in education
Books & arts
16 August 2018
Books | As Gabbie Stroud’s memoir shows, reformers will get nowhere if they don’t take teachers with them
National affairs
20 April 2018
The second Gonski report has been presented to the federal government, and will soon to be made public. Will it back innovative ideas to improve schools — and if it does, will…
National affairs
28 March 2018
By promising special funding deals for Catholic schools, Labor is reviving the earliest deal-making in the “state aid” battle. What did that compromise actually achieve?
National affairs
19 February 2018
Rising averages mask deepening inequalities in Indigenous education
National affairs
12 October 2017
Gonski 2.0 is a chance to influence school policy for the better, but the window closes soon
National affairs
1 July 2017
A tribute to the influential educationalist and Inside Story contributor Bernie Shepherd
National affairs
11 February 2014
A new analysis of schools data shows why we mustn’t walk away from the promise of Gonski, writes Chris Bonnor
National affairs
28 November 2012
In a forthcoming paper for the Centre for Policy Development, Chris Bonnor describes a worsening school equity problem that will persist for decades to come
National affairs
12 July 2012
Creating better schools is a long and often tortuous process, writes Chris Bonnor. The first step is to focus on policies that can actually work
National affairs
29 February 2012
The Gonski report has brought together an enormous body of evidence to show why equity must be at the centre of school policy, writes Chris Bonnor, and has decisively…
National affairs
11 May 2011
Do schools determine the performance of students, or do students determine the performance of schools? Chris Bonnor investigates
National affairs
8 March 2011
My School 2.0 promised improvements, but how much better is this latest version? Chris Bonnor assesses the evidence
National affairs
23 April 2010
While My School says very little about the effectiveness of any school, it does offer some tantalising information about Australia’s school system in general, writes…
National affairs
24 February 2010
My School promises to compare like with like, but a close look at thirty-six “average” schools reveals the limitations of this way of measuring achievement, writes…
National affairs
5 November 2009
Doubts about New York’s system-wide educational reforms are intensifying, reports Chris Bonnor
National affairs
9 September 2009
School league tables will reinforce mistaken ideas about why some schools seem to perform better than others, writes Chris Bonnor
National affairs
14 December 2008
Competition has taught schools a golden rule of business: your reputation is enhanced if you have greater control over the inputs – in this case, students. Chris …
Essays & reportage
27 October 2008
Why are some rural government schools doing so well? Because they reflect the old idea that schools should serve all the students in their community, writes Chris Bonnor