Enhancing inclusive learning environments and positive life trajectories through innovative approaches to educational research and evaluation.

What we do

Education is often seen as the basis to build the best possible future for an individual, regardless of background or personal circumstances. At ISSR, we are at the forefront of advanced quantitative research and innovation that investigates the key factors that influence learning outcomes across different educational stages, enabling all individuals to achieve their full potential.

With a key focus on educational equity, we undertake pioneering statistical and data analytic approaches to understand and design interventions across a wide spectrum – spanning aspirations and participation, achievement and attainment, and student and parental engagement across primary and secondary schools through to higher education. Through rigorous evaluation and intervention trials, our research uncovers both barriers and enablers to success, and fosters inclusive learning environments and approaches to support learners from diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds.

Objectives

• Investigate factors influencing educational outcomes, including aspirations, participation, and attainment, across diverse educational settings.
• Explore strategies to enhance student and parental engagement, aiming to promote positive learning experiences and academic achievement.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of educational initiatives and interventions, with a focus on promoting equity and addressing barriers to educational success among diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
• Provide partners, stakeholders, and communities with actionable, evidence-based learnings and recommendations to support educational equity.

Project examples

• Student Equity in Higher Education Evaluation Framework
  Australian Government Department of Education, Skills, and Employment
   
• Targeted Review of Student Equity in Higher Education Programs and System Level Policy Levers
  Australian Government Department of Education
   
• Who is left behind? Responding to the Educational Needs of Students Experiencing Disadvantage in the COVID-19 Recovery
  Paul Ramsay Foundation
   
• School-to-work Pathways: A Longitudinal Analysis of Linked Administrative Data
  New South Wales Department of Education
   
• FamilyLinQ Evaluation Framework and Plan
  Queensland Department of Education and the Bryan Foundation