The Federal Government has unveiled plans to establish the Australian School Performance Institute (ASPI), which will be tasked with collating school performance data and helping develop a system to improve overall results.

School Education Minister Peter Garrett said the ASPI is one of the key proposals in the plan currently being negotiated with education authorities.

It would:

  • Lead the development of a new National Data Program to collect a stronger evidence base about how our schools are performing. This new data collection will include information on student results, school and system performance, and the teaching workforce
  • Evaluate the data so we get a clear picture of schools that are performing well or are improving, and coordinate and conduct new research to better understand what makes a difference in these schools
  • Share information on successful programs and policies with every school in Australia through a new online portal. Schools and education systems would be encouraged to share information about what is working and implement school improvement strategies in their schools. 

“At the moment there is not a strong enough focus on how schools are improving their results and what makes the biggest difference in the classroom. We’ve put in place NAPLAN testing, school by school reporting through My School, and the introduction of the National Curriculum, but we can still do more as a country to monitor and improve school performance,” Mr Garrett said.

“There is no single place for school leaders, system authorities and individual teachers to go if they need this information or advice on what works.”

Mr Garrett said the Commonwealth will continue to discuss the establishment of ASPI in the lead-up to the Council of Australian Governments meeting next week.