As Australian schools continue to record diminishing performances even as education budgets soar, what should be key decisions are being based on speculation and wishful thinking. There is little agreement regarding the nature of the skills to be imparted and even less on how to measure students’ progress from basic to complex levels of competence

With her recently bestowed Order of Australian garland in the Queen's Birthday honours list, Jane Caro might reasonably be expected to set an example for young Australians. Given her coarse, truculent and contemptuous election night tweeting, kids should probably look elsewhere for inspiration