Lesson with commentary
Implementing a systematic phonics programme (opens in a new tab)
Research Schools Network · Early primary · UK
How a school puts a systematic phonics programme in place.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Implementation and change
Implementation
How to introduce a practice so it lasts, and how to know it is working. Here you'll find guides, webinars and podcast episodes on implementation in schools, from implementation teams and staged rollout to de-implementation and checking it is working.
Practices in this area:Staged implementationEnablers and barriersFidelityMonitoring outcomesImplementation teams
Watch 1
Learn 22
Webinar
Transforming the way we teach reading: Lessons learnt from Churchill Primary (opens in a new tab)
Grattan Institute · About 1 hour · Australia
A Grattan Institute webinar on changing the way reading is taught, drawing on lessons learnt at Churchill Primary. Suits leaders planning a similar shift.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
School story
Building and operating an effective implementation team at Mount Hutton Public School (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Australia
Leaders at Mount Hutton Public School in NSW describe the team that led explicit instruction in maths and writing, with its defined roles, weekly meeting, staff surveys on barriers and classroom observation data.
FreeOpens at edresearch.edu.au
School story
Using professional learning cycles to strengthen implementation at Maffra Secondary College (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Australia
Leaders at Maffra Secondary College in Victoria explain how they embed explicit teaching through repeated professional learning cycles of knowledge building, planning time, modelling and coaching.
FreeOpens at edresearch.edu.au
Explainer
A School's Guide to Implementation: Video overview (opens in a new tab)
Education Endowment Foundation · 3:46 · F-12 · UK
The Education Endowment Foundation's video overview of its guidance report A School's Guide to Implementation. Handy for opening a leadership discussion about a planned change.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
Leading explicit teaching: Information session (opens in a new tab)
NSW Department of Education · 30 minutes · 2024 · Australia
Jarrad Cox from the department's curriculum team walks leaders through the explicit teaching workshops, strategy modules and technique guides, and the thinking behind how to roll them out.
FreeOpens at education.nsw.gov.au
Webinar
Introduction to MTSS in Practice: Building Strong Tier 1 Instruction and Aligned Tier 2 Support (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Stephanie Dehghani, Templestowe Heights Primary School · 30 to 60 minutes · 2026 · Australia
Assistant principal Stephanie Dehghani describes how Templestowe Heights Primary built strong Tier 1 teaching, aligned Tier 2 as an extra dose of core instruction and used data to decide support.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Show 16 more
Webinar
The Maths Guarantee: How to Implement Great Primary Maths Teaching (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Amy Haywood and Nick Parkinson, Grattan Institute · About 70 minutes · 2025 · Australia
Grattan Institute's Amy Haywood and Nick Parkinson summarise the evidence on primary maths teaching and share lessons from seven case study schools that put it into practice.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Principal as Lead Learner Series: Jacquie Burrows, Rhys Coulson, Sarah Asome and Steve Capp (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Jacquie Burrows, Rhys Coulson, Sarah Asome and Steve Capp · About 1 hour · 2025 · Australia
Four Victorian primary principals, from Churchill, Templestowe Heights, Bentleigh West and Chelsea Heights, discuss leading curriculum and instructional change and modelling professional learning themselves.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Implementing MTSS in Secondary Schools: Challenges and Strategies (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Jessica Colleu Terradas · About 50 minutes · 2026 · Australia
Jessica Colleu-Terradas draws on her Churchill Fellowship and intervention work at Como Secondary College to set out the essentials for making MTSS work in a secondary school.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Beyond Adoption: Building Sustainable MTSS in Schools (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Karina Stocker · About 70 minutes · 2026 · Australia
Karina Stocker shares research on what helps MTSS last in Victorian schools and what quietly undermines it, giving leaders a way to diagnose their own implementation.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
The Evolution of MTSS: What We've Learned, What's Changed, and What Barriers Still Exist (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Amanda VanDerHeyden · 30 to 60 minutes · 2026 · USA
Dr Amanda VanDerHeyden reflects on two decades of MTSS, why results vary so widely between schools and how aligning data, instruction and decisions improves impact.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
Principals' Forum: Marsden Road Public School, with Manisha Gazula (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Manisha Gazula, Marsden Road Public School · About 75 minutes · 2023 · Australia
Principal Manisha Gazula describes how Marsden Road Public School in NSW used evidence and explicit teaching of foundational literacy and numeracy to lift student results.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Live Coaching Workshop (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Nathaniel Swain and Brendan Lee · 30 to 60 minutes · 2023 · Australia
Teachers bring real problems they have met putting the science of learning into practice, and Nathaniel Swain and Brendan Lee coach them towards evidence-informed solutions.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Catalyst, an evidence-based approach to learning and teaching for classroom, school and system improvement (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Ross Fox, Catholic Education Canberra-Goulburn · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · Australia
Ross Fox shares how Catholic Education Canberra-Goulburn has led Catalyst, a system-wide shift to evidence-based reading and teaching practice across its schools, and what the change involved.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Principals' Forum: St Mary's Primary School in Myrtleford (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Kitty Hancock, St Mary's Primary School Myrtleford · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · Australia
Principal Kitty Hancock tells how St Mary's Primary in Myrtleford turned around poor results over five years using the science of reading and learning, including mistakes to avoid.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Harnessing the Science of Learning (opens in a new tab)
Think Forward Educators, with Nathaniel Swain · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · Australia
Nathaniel Swain introduces his book Harnessing the Science of Learning, using its school case studies to show how small changes in teaching, literacy, maths and curriculum add up.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Successful implementation, with Professor Jonathan Sharples (opens in a new tab)
Ark Curriculum Plus, with Jonathan Sharples · About 1 hour · UK
Professor Jonathan Sharples speaks about successful implementation in a webinar from Ark Curriculum Plus. Useful for leadership teams planning a change.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
The mechanisms of effective professional development (opens in a new tab)
Evidence for Learning · About 1 hour · Australia
An Evidence for Learning webinar on the mechanisms of effective professional development. Useful for leaders and coaches reviewing how their school's professional learning is designed.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Talk
Multi-tiered system of supports in schools, Part 1: A rationale for change (opens in a new tab)
Kate de Bruin · About 20 minutes · Australia
Dr Kate de Bruin's short presentation, recorded for the ACT Inclusive Education Community of Practice, on why schools should move to a multi-tiered system of supports.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Interview
Building an effective MTSS team (opens in a new tab)
AERO · 4:52 · Secondary · Australia
Educators from several Australian schools explain how they staff and train the team that runs their multi-tiered system of supports.
FreeOpens at edresearch.edu.au
Webinar
How to transform maths teaching: Lessons from The Entrance (opens in a new tab)
Grattan Institute · About 1 hour · Australia
A Grattan Institute webinar on transforming maths teaching, drawing on lessons from The Entrance. Suits leaders thinking about maths teaching across a school.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Interview
MTSS timetabling and intensity decision-making (opens in a new tab)
AERO · 4:35 · Secondary · Australia
Teachers and leaders from five schools show how they timetable intervention and decide how intensive each student's support should be.
FreeOpens at edresearch.edu.au
Listen 13
The knowing-doing gap
S04E09 Bridging the Knowing Doing Gap (opens in a new tab)
Knowledge for Teachers · with Stuart Kime
Stuart Kime of Evidence Based Education discusses the Great Teaching Toolkit and why knowing the research does not automatically change what teachers do.
FreeOpens at knowledgeforteachers.podbean.com
096 Literacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Education Research Reading Room · with Jennifer Buckingham
Jennifer Buckingham compares literacy instruction and policy in the UK, Ireland and Australia, including curriculum, teacher education, assessment and inspection, and how these affect results.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Implementing a new program
S4 E5 The Key to Successfully Implementing a New Program in Your School (opens in a new tab)
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer works through the elements of rolling out a new teaching program in a school, from careful planning to execution.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
System approaches to primary maths
104 System-Level Approaches to Improving Primary Mathematics (opens in a new tab)
Education Research Reading Room · with Amy Haywood and Nick Parkinson
Amy Haywood and Nick Parkinson from the Grattan Institute discuss their research on primary maths and what systems need to do to improve it.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Implementing MTSS
S04E10 6 Common Mistakes Schools Make When Implementing MTSS (opens in a new tab)
Knowledge for Teachers · with Sarah Brown and Stephanie Stollar
Sarah Brown and Stephanie Stollar work through six common mistakes schools make when implementing multi-tiered systems of support, and what to do instead.
FreeOpens at knowledgeforteachers.podbean.com
A whole-school case study
075 The Challis Way (opens in a new tab)
Education Research Reading Room · with Musumeci, McClements and Plunkett
Principal Lee Musumeci and deputies Mark McClements and Kelly Plunkett describe the approach behind Challis Community Primary School in Armadale, Western Australia.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Show 7 more
Alex Quigley, Kirsten Mould and guests discuss the EEF's updated implementation guidance and what good implementation looks like in practice in schools.
FreeOpens at evidenceintoaction.podbean.com
FreeOpens at teachermagazine.com
Implementation
S02E15 Implementation in Schools (opens in a new tab)
Knowledge for Teachers · with Jonathan Sharples
Jonathan Sharples unpacks the EEF's updated A School's Guide to Implementation, explaining what changed, why, and what each key element involves.
FreeOpens at knowledgeforteachers.podbean.com
Implementation
097 Implementation in Education (opens in a new tab)
Education Research Reading Room · with Jonathan Sharples
Jonathan Sharples of the Education Endowment Foundation gives practical advice on implementation, helping programs and initiatives have the greatest effect in a school.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Sustaining improvement
S7 E11 What Does It Really Take to Make School Improvement Last? (opens in a new tab)
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer discusses a new AERO guidance report on why most professional development does not work and what makes school improvement last.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Teachers' experience of science of learning reform
S02E09 Teacher experiences in implementing the science of learning (opens in a new tab)
Knowledge for Teachers · with Trisha Jha
Trisha Jha of the Centre for Independent Studies unpacks her reports on what the science of learning is and teachers' experiences implementing it.
FreeOpens at knowledgeforteachers.podbean.com
De-implementation
087 Making Room for Impact (De-implementation) (opens in a new tab)
Education Research Reading Room · with Arran Hamilton and Dylan Wiliam
Arran Hamilton and Dylan Wiliam discuss Making Room for Impact and de-implementation, the work of deciding what schools should stop doing to free time for what matters.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Read 23
When cognitive science becomes a checklist: The problem with generic lesson structures (opens in a new tab)
Haili Hughes · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Hughes explains how well-meant whole-school lesson structures built from cognitive science can become rigid checklists, and why subject knowledge and teacher judgement must shape how principles are used.
FreeOpens at hailihughes.substack.com
Practice implementation: Topic page (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Explainers and papers · Australia
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Explicit teaching in Victoria (opens in a new tab)
Trisha Jha (Publican Policy) · Substack · 2024 · Australia
Asks whether Victorian government schools really treat explicit teaching as a core component, comparing official documents and guidance with the Catholic sector's science of learning position.
FreeOpens at publicanpolicy.substack.com
Insights into implementation in schools in 2024 (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Discussion paper · Australia
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
On how to make any teacher an expert in writing (opens in a new tab)
Rebecca Birch (On Education) · Substack · 2025 · Australia
Birch describes implementing a whole-school writing approach in a secondary school, including the tools used and how to support teachers who feel unsure about teaching writing in their subject.
FreeOpens at rebeccabirch.substack.com
Taking an evidence-informed approach to implementation (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Explainer · Australia
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Show 17 more
A summary of the EEF's 2024 School Guide to Implementation (opens in a new tab)
InnerDrive · Blog summary · UK
Opens at innerdrive.co.uk
Implementation in schools: A deliberate and structured approach (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Explainers and papers · 2024 · Australia
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Teacher resources: Unpacking evidence-based implementation (opens in a new tab)
Teacher magazine (ACER) · Article · Australia
Opens at teachermagazine.com
What Works Best 2025 illustration of practice: Explicit teaching at Doonside Technology High School (opens in a new tab)
Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (NSW) · Illustration of practice · Australia
Opens at education.nsw.gov.au
The flow of ideas on the road to sustained, nuanced impact (opens in a new tab)
Tom Sherrington · Substack · 2026 · UK
Sherrington describes a predictable pattern when ideas such as retrieval practice spread, from scattered pockets to mass adoption that loses nuance, then to deeper, better practice, and why leaders should expect it.
FreeOpens at tomsherrington.substack.com
From principle to practice: Lessons I have learnt about implementing lesson principles well (opens in a new tab)
Haili Hughes · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Hughes reflects on a year implementing research-informed lesson principles across a trust, sharing what helps principles move from a published document to consistent, thoughtful practice in classrooms.
FreeOpens at hailihughes.substack.com
Dosage: The Essential Missing Component in Science of Reading Conversations (opens in a new tab)
Karen Vaites (The Curriculum Insight Project) · Substack · 2025 · USA
Vaites argues that science of reading discussions overlook how much time each component of literacy actually gets, and why well-designed curriculum matters for getting the balance right.
FreeOpens at curriculuminsightproject.substack.com
Stronger beginnings - just not yet (opens in a new tab)
Trisha Jha (Publican Policy) · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Checks progress on Australian reforms to initial teacher education, including core content on reading and learning, and asks how far universities have actually changed.
FreeOpens at publicanpolicy.substack.com
Explicit Destruction: The Real Death by Slides (opens in a new tab)
Kylie Hoey · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Warns that many schools claiming explicit instruction deliver little more than slide-heavy lessons, and explains what the approach actually involves when it is done well.
FreeOpens at kyliehoey.substack.com
A 6 Week Professional Development Cycle: A Model for Great PD Training (opens in a new tab)
Ben Cooper (WAGOLL Teaching) · Substack · 2025 · UK
Describes a six-week professional development cycle for embedding one teaching strategy at a time, with modelling, practice and follow-up to avoid lethal mutations.
FreeOpens at wagollteaching.com
Using a staged approach to implementation (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Explainer · Australia
Second of five AERO explainers. Sets out the stages a school moves through when adopting an evidence-based practice, so leaders can judge where they are and plan next steps.
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Ten Lethal Mutations of Educational Research (opens in a new tab)
Haili Hughes · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Hughes names ten ways research gets distorted on its way into schools, such as slogans and rigid rules, and suggests how leaders can keep the nuance of the original evidence.
FreeOpens at hailihughes.substack.com
On the five big risks to reform (opens in a new tab)
Rebecca Birch (On Education) · Substack · 2025 · Australia
Birch welcomes Australia's shift towards explicit teaching but names five risks to the reform, including rushed rollout, thin resources and unclear messaging, and how leaders can avoid another pendulum swing.
FreeOpens at rebeccabirch.substack.com
Using implementation strategies (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Explainer · Australia
Fourth of five AERO explainers. Helps leadership teams choose and prioritise the actions that support staff to take up a practice, matched to their own barriers and enablers.
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Addressing enablers and barriers to implementation (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Explainer · Australia
Third of five AERO explainers. Shows leaders how to identify the local conditions that will help or hinder a new practice, and why to deal with them early.
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
The future of small-group tutoring in Australia (opens in a new tab)
Trisha Jha (Publican Policy) · Substack · 2024 · Australia
A summary of research on small-group tutoring in Australia after COVID, covering what makes tutoring effective and what systems and schools should do next.
FreeOpens at publicanpolicy.substack.com
Monitoring implementation outcomes (opens in a new tab)
AERO · Explainer · Australia
Fifth of five AERO explainers. Describes which implementation outcomes to track, how to gather the data, and how to use it to check a practice is being used well.
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Research 7
A School's Guide to Implementation (opens in a new tab)
Education Endowment Foundation · 2024 · Guidance report
Opens at educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk
Putting Evidence to Work: A School's Guide to Implementation (opens in a new tab)
Evidence for Learning · Guidance report
Opens at evidenceforlearning.org.au
Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature (opens in a new tab)
Fixsen and colleagues · 2005 · Synthesis
Opens at nirn.fpg.unc.edu
Insights into implementation in schools in 2026 (opens in a new tab)
AERO · 2026 · Insights paper
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Evidence-informed implementation in schools (opens in a new tab)
AERO · 2025 · Discussion paper
AERO discussion paper explaining why implementation matters and how its deliberate, structured approach was developed and refined with schools and regional teams. Comes with an A3 summary.
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Supporting students significantly behind in literacy and numeracy (opens in a new tab)
AERO (Kate de Bruin and colleagues) · 2023 · Research report
An AERO review of reviews on helping Years 7 to 9 students who are well behind in literacy and numeracy. It finds good grounds for multi-tiered support and looks at screening, progress monitoring and interventions.
FreeOpens at edresearch.edu.au
Making best use of teaching assistants: Guidance report (opens in a new tab)
Evidence for Learning · Guidance report · 2019 · Australia
Seven recommendations to help principals and leadership teams in primary and secondary schools make the best use of teaching assistants. The full report and a one-page poster are free to download.
FreeOpens at evidenceforlearning.org.au
Voices 3
Brendan Lee (opens in a new tab)
Substack and podcast · Australia
Opens at knowledgeforteachers.substack.com
Teacher magazine (ACER) (opens in a new tab)
Magazine · Australia
Opens at teachermagazine.com
Evidence for Learning (opens in a new tab)
Guidance reports · Australia
Opens at evidenceforlearning.org.au