Australian schools now have access to a new set of implementation resources from the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), aimed at helping school leaders move from knowing which teaching practices work to embedding them in daily classroom routines.
AERO is Australia's independent education evidence body, established in 2021 and funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.
The new resources, announced last week, include practice guides, videos, professional learning modules and modelling and coaching checklists, according to AERO. The materials are designed to help school leaders and implementation teams take a deliberate and structured approach to implementation, drawing on insights from AERO's Learning Partner project.
AERO CEO Dr Jenny Donovan said the resources responded to demand for more implementation support.
"Knowing what the evidence says will work in the classroom is the easier part," Dr Donovan said.
"Schools and school leaders are consistently telling us they need more support to turn that evidence into everyday practice in a way that can have lasting impact.
"These resources are designed to meet schools wherever they may be in the implementation process, whether they are just starting or have been working on implementation for some time and are wanting to enhance or strengthen that work."
What the new resources cover
The release includes a "How Ready Are We?" checklist, which helps leaders and implementation teams weigh factors such as competing priorities and staff willingness and capacity before starting an implementation effort. New guides also address the role of principals in creating conditions that support implementation, along with monitoring implementation outcomes to keep efforts on track.
Six new knowledge-building modules cover evidence-based teaching practices, and a companion guide is intended to help schools run ongoing professional learning cycles rather than one-off sessions. One module, "Monitoring Progress," walks school staff through checking student understanding during lessons, identifying learning gaps and adjusting instruction accordingly.
The resources build on AERO's Learning Partner project, in which the organization works alongside school leaders and regional system teams on implementation, and were developed with school leaders, implementation teams and principals in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Since launching in 2023, the Learning Partner project has involved 53 schools across four states, in both metropolitan and regional areas, with each school receiving direct support to strengthen implementation leadership and sustain evidence-based practices.
"As the national evidence body for education, our job is to make sure schools aren't left to work out the implementation puzzle on their own," Dr Donovan said. "Evidence-based teaching practices only improve outcomes for students when they are implemented well."
Dr Donovan said the aim is to help schools turn effort into real results for students.
"These resources give school leaders and their teams practical, ready-made support, so the effort they put into embedding evidence-based practice actually leads to better outcomes for students."
Part of a broader push on implementation
The release adds to a series of implementation-focused resources AERO has issued over the past two years. A separate AERO discussion paper drawing on the Learning Partner project has said successful schools take a deliberate and structured approach, aligning practices with school priorities, avoiding rushed early stages, sustaining support for teachers over time and monitoring how practice shifts in classrooms.
Dr Donovan has previously noted that implementation needs differ by school size. In smaller schools, leaders wear many hats, so implementation teams must tailor implementation to what's feasible and consider involving staff beyond the leadership team, while larger schools face the challenge of getting everyone involved simultaneously, according to Dr Donovan.
All of the new implementation resources are available free on AERO's website.