1. Get assistance with this website
  2. Skip to navigation
  3. Skip to content
  4. Skip to sidebar
  5. Skip to footer

National Key Reform Projects

Smarter Schools – National Key Reform Projects

As part of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships, six areas were identified as being of national importance in progressing the reform agenda.  All states and territories are working together to reform these areas. 

Funding of $450,000 from the Strategic Initiatives component under Smarter Schools National Partnerships for Literacy and Numeracy has been allocated for each of the six projects. The National Key Reform Projects are:

School Performance Improvement Framework Project

This project provides jurisdictions with an opportunity to collaborate on effective approaches to enhancing school performance and improvement frameworks, with regard to a range of differing circumstances and contexts. The project will provide a better understanding of the professional learning and systemic support which assist in implementing school performance and improvement frameworks.

For further information and reports see: School Performance Improvement Frameworks

Lead state: QLD
Participating states: WA, NT, VIC, SA, ACT

Innovative Strategies for Small and Remote Schools Project

This project focuses on identifying and sharing successful strategies that address the challenges that small and remote schools face.  Some of these challenges are curriculum options and delivery, high staff turnover and high student mobility in Indigenous and non-Indigenous school communities, poor school attendance and limited community engagement.

  • Executive Summary of the Innovative Strategies for Small and Remote Schools Project report (PDF 482KB | DOCX 466KB)

Lead states: WA and SA
Participating states: QLD, NT, NSW, VIC, ACT

For further information see the Innovative Strategies for Small and Remote Schools Project

Parental Engagement in Schooling in Low SES Communities Project

This project  identifies and promotes best practice strategies that improve knowledge, attitudes and behaviours with respect to the engagement of parents, caregivers and communities in the education of their children.  This project has a focus on low SES and Indigenous communities.

For further information see Parental Engagement.

Lead state: SA
Participating states: NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, NSW, NT, WA

Extended Service School Model Project

This project explores schools that work in partnership with government, local providers and community members to offer extended services to students, their families and the local community.  Extended services can include child care, access to community activities, parenting and family support, as well as targeted and specialist support services. This project will identify key drivers, obstacles, key strategies and best practice models to inform a common approach that may be suitable in an Australian context.

Lead state: WA
Participating states: NSW, SA, VIC, ACT, QLD, NT

For further information see Extended School Service Models.

National Literacy and Numeracy Diagnostic Tools Project

This project is trialling and evaluating a number of computer-based diagnostic tools to support teaching and learning in the early, primary and middle years of schooling.  It will advise on the cost benefit and potential role of these tools to support national improvements in using diagnostic information to identify and target students’ learning needs.

For further information see National Literacy and Numeracy Diagnostic Tools Project.

Lead state: NT
Participating states: NSW, QLD, SA, ACT, WA, VIC, TAS

School Leadership Development Strategies Project

On 24 June 2010, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria entered into a Funding Agreement with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to develop a Project to facilitate one of the six reform areas under the National Partnerships, that is, the School Leadership Development Strategies.

The Project is to develop a national approach to enhancing the leadership capacity of current and aspiring school leaders as the strategic leadership capacity of current and future school leaders will be critical to support many of the reforms that are being driven by the National Partnerships. This Project will support the implementation of the National Partnerships by developing the necessary and explicit alignment between strategic leadership capability and professional learning, performance management and recruitment.

Lead state: VIC
Participating states: NSW, QLD, SA, TAS