The Children We Leave Behind

“This book lifts the lid on how our approach to assessment of students in school is failing. It presents a compelling argument for change. For many students assessment is having a negative impact on student engagement, on student learning, and on progression and growth. The evidence is strong for the case for change to a model of assessment which enables every child to flourish and grow.”

• Helen Drennen, Chair of the International Baccalaureate Board of Governors

“The Children We Leave Behind speaks powerfully to officials, educators, students, and parents who know, with certainty, that the current model of schooling has not and cannot meet the needs of each young person’s learning to enable their growth and development. In proposing ‘how school could be done differently’, Masters lays out with remarkable foresight and precision (not prescription) redesigned learning environments capable of operating ecosystemically — transforming our learning systems and providing a new grammar of schooling. Inspiring and motivating for all committed to the new definitions of excellence and equity we so desperately need.”

• Anthony Mackay AM, Board Co-Chair, National Center on Education & the Economy, Washington DC, Learning Creates Australia, Melbourne

“Schooling is in crisis, with up to fifty per cent of students not engaged emotionally or intellectually. Our communities are looking for leadership on how to address this crisis. Well, here it is – in one small, readable, professionally researched volume by an expert in the field. The author distils the critical issues, writes about them in non-technical language and offers alternative ways forward from his research about good practice from around the world.”

• David Loader, 32 years’ experience as a school principal, and author of two school-focused books, The Inner Principal and Jousting for the New Generation

“A deeply insightful and humane book that challenges the very machinery of schooling. Masters combines rigorous evidence with real stories to show what’s possible when we design systems around growth, not failure.”

• Brad Gaynor, Education Performance Improvement Leader

Geoff Masters was head of the Australian Council for Educational Research from 1998 to 2024. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contributions to Education. In 2023, he led a study of high-performing school systems for the US National Center on Education and the Economy.