Autonomous schools pay education dividend

Overseas research by Ludger Woessmann and Eric Hanusek also concludes that autonomy, diversity and choice in education are the characteristics of stronger performing education systems – as measured by international tests like the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

In a 2010 paper commissioned by the European based 'Institute for the Study of Labor' Woessmann and Hunusek conclude that "evidence from both within and across countries points to the positive impact of competition across schools, of accountability and student testing, and of local school autonomy in decision making".

In a more recent paper, titled 'Does School Autonomy Make Any Sense Anywhere?' the two authors suggest that "Our central finding is that autonomy reforms improve student achievement in developed countries" and, contrary to what critics like the AEU argue, suggest that school autonomy does not exacerbate educational inequality.

In the context of the Commonwealth commissioned school funding review, chaired by David Gonski, it is also significant that research suggests that one of the characteristics off stronger performing education systems is the existence of publicly funded non-government schools.

As agued many years ago by the late Milton Friedman, instead of lowering standards or increasing disadvantage a more market driven approach to education, best characterised by diversity, autonomy and choice, leads to stronger outcomes, especially amongst at-risk students suffering disadvantage.