ACER India (Australian Council for Educational Research, India) recently launched Outstanding Schools, an innovative school improvement tool for wellbeing & future readiness, at an event supported and hosted by the Australian High Commission in India.
Outstanding Schools is a comprehensive, evidence-based improvement initiative that helps schools strengthen teaching quality, enhance student wellbeing, and prepare learners for the future. Built on ACER’s internationally recognised School Improvement Tool (SIT) and adapted for the Indian context, the initiative supports schools in moving beyond compliance, rankings, and recognition towards a culture of continuous improvement and sustained excellence.
Grounded in decades of research on effective schools and leadership, the SIT was originally developed in collaboration with the Queensland Department of Education and has been implemented and refined across diverse international contexts. It provides a structured framework for schools to reflect on their practices, identify priorities for improvement, and strengthen learner outcomes through a focus on wellbeing, leadership, teaching quality, and evidence-informed decision-making.
The India edition of the SIT retains the tool’s robust research-based architecture while aligning it with the priorities of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The adaptation ensures strong alignment with India’s education reform agenda, including competency-based learning, foundational literacy and numeracy, teacher professional development, inclusive education, and strengthened school leadership.
In his inaugural address, Trade Commissioner, Austrade India, reaffirmed the strong educational partnership between Australia and India and applauded ACER India’s efforts to bring proven, research-based innovations that contribute to improving the quality of education.
In her opening remark, Dr. Priyanka Sharma, CEO, ACER India, said, “Without context, we never know where we truly stand; that is what benchmarking tools such as SIT give school leaders. This tool is not about a race to reach somewhere; it is about helping every school understand where it is on its own journey to becoming outstanding and how it can get there. That is the culture we hope to build in schools across the country.”
Dr. Ashok Pandey, Chair, Council for Global Citizenship Foundation, engaged in a deeper dialogue with guests and reflected, “True excellence has never been about rising above others; it is about every school, every teacher, and every learner striving to reach their own highest possible potential. That is the spirit that Outstanding (Utkrisht) Schools brings to life.”
