Publications & resources

Opinion

The NAPLAN fine print we missed: the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students is growing

Last week’s NAPLAN results landed with their usual media splash. There were headlines worrying about the significant proportions of students below certain benchmarks and specific questions about maths results for…
Media release

New research shows gap between advantaged & disadvantaged students is growing

Drawing on 17 years of NAPLAN data, new research from the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University shows clear, consistent and growing gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students in Australia.
Report

Years apart: Australia’s growing educational inequality

How is Australia tracking in meeting its educational goals of excellence and equity? How well are our school systems supporting schools to meet the needs of disadvantaged students?
Report

Unequal from the start: The achievement gap & the early years

Disadvantaged children who perform well at a very young age are overtaken by their peers from more advantaged backgrounds as they move towards school age.
Media release

New research shows the disadvantage ‘achievement gap’ starts before preschool

Disadvantaged children who perform well at a very young age are overtaken by their peers from more advantaged backgrounds as they move towards school age.
Report

Educational Opportunity 2020: landmark study reveals entrenched educational inequality

Australia’s education system is failing up to one in three children and young people, according to a major study.
News

$5.5 million project to tackle disadvantage in Melbourne’s west

Victoria University received a $5.5 million grant to fund a new community-based research program aimed at improving education opportunities and health of children and young people in lower socioeconomic communities.
Report

Impact of learning from home for disadvantaged children

Most schools across Australia were completely unprepared for the coronavirus (COVID-19) and for moving to virtual learning.
Submission

Universal access to preschool: achievements & gaps

The primary objective of the Universal Access National Partnership is ‘to facilitate children’s early learning and development and transition to school.
Opinion

Indigenous education: Why ‘big data’ tells only part of the story

Statistics on Indigenous achievement can be one of the most challenging aspects of creating large data studies of Australian education.
Fact sheet

Socio-economic disadvantage & educational opportunity persistently linked

A student’s family background still plays an unacceptably large role in determining his or her educational pathway.
Fact sheet

Middle years: Achievement gaps widen at Year 7

The middle years of schooling are an important stage for students to develop the capabilities and confidence for future learning and academic achievement.
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