Priority Thought Papers
Over the past two years, we’ve been working collectively alongside young people, educators, NGOs, systems change specialists, and government on three key priorities for a more equitable education system. We’ve pulled all this thinking and learning and visioning together, combined it with existing evidence and policy, to produce three thought papers.
On 30 July 2026 we convened the Achieving Education Equity Gathering, bringing together over 200 students, teachers, school leaders, service providers, philanthropy and government to test the thought papers learnings and to come to clear next steps. The contributions of those who attended has been included as an additional appendix at the end of each paper.
Visions of an Equitable Education System for Low-SES School Communities
Priority 1:
We brought together approximately 100 stakeholders to collaborate — students and young people, educators, NGOs, philanthropists, academics, and government — using the Three Horizons methodology (developed by Bill Sharpe and the International Futures Forum) to navigate complexity, consider long-term change, and identify the innovations required to enable education equity.
This paper takes you on a journey through the three horizons as articulated by participants so as to provide a sense of the potential pathways, and your own role within them, towards a more equitable future.
.png)
Strengthening Coordination of Low-SES School Supports
Priority 2:
.png)
There is a well-known and persistent gap in outcomes for students in low-SES communities, visible across multiple fronts: learning, wellbeing, and engagement. Students in high-needs communities can face multiple, compounding barriers and limited access to early and ongoing supports.
This paper lays out the work that could address this, including: the persistent challenge of coordinating the right supports to the right children, young people and communities; a co-designed ideal pathway for more coordinated delivery; and the system conditions that must shift to ensure this pathway can occur.
Strengthening Student–Teacher Relationships
Priority 3:
At its core, teaching is relational work. The relationships that come from it are something that both students and teachers benefit from. In their absence, both students and teachers lose.
This paper examines the most commonly reported patterns or "feedback loops" affecting student-teacher relationships across low-SES Victorian schools, highlighting how this is a systemic rather than an individual issue.
.png)
We would like to acknowledge The Community Bank Clifton Hill–North Fitzroy, our community partner, and thank them for their support bringing the Achieving Education Equity Gathering to life.
