What Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) does

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) is Australia's independent, ministerial-owned national education evidence body, jointly funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Melbourne with staff distributed across every Australian state and territory, AERO generates, synthesizes, and translates education research into practical resources for educators and education systems spanning early childhood education and care (ECEC), primary, secondary, senior secondary, and outside school hours care (OSHC). Its mandate covers foundational literacy and numeracy, tiered interventions (MTSS), writing instruction (SWIF), inclusive education for students with disability and diverse needs, First Nations education, and culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

AERO operates a web-based platform (edresearch.edu.au) delivering 294+ guides and resources, 69+ research outputs, 13 curated resource collections, 75+ videos, and 5 professional learning courses, all free under Creative Commons BY 4.0. Core intellectual property includes the Model of Learning and Teaching, the School Writing Instruction Framework (SWIF), a deliberate and structured approach to implementation, and the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy in Australia (LLANIA) linked national dataset. The organization maintains an Interactive Evidence Decision-Making Tool and partners with bodies such as Ochre Education, MultiLit, ACER, DSF, and ALNF to extend its reach.

AERO's business model is non-commercial: it charges no fees and generates no product revenue, instead relying entirely on government appropriations. Its go-to-market is content-led and partnership-driven, with distribution through the website, a newsletter, webinars, YouTube content, professional learning courses, conference presentations, and direct engagement with education ministers, school implementation teams, and the Learning Partner Project with selected schools. Customer segments are split across primary personas (teachers and educators, school and system leaders) and education settings (ECEC, primary, secondary, OSHC), with specialist cohorts including First Nations students, students with disability, and CALD learners.

Name

Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)

Legal name

Australian Education Research Organisation

Website

https://edresearch.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) is Australia's ministerial-owned national education evidence body, jointly funded by all governments to generate and freely disseminate evidence-based teaching resources, research, and implementation frameworks for educators across ECEC, primary, secondary, and specialist cohorts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

akta.pro primary industry

Education & Instructional Practice Reference (Pedagogy, Curriculum Methods for Educators) (EDAGAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education & Instructional Practice Professional Development (EDAGANAL), Formative & Benchmark Assessment Content (K–12) (EDAGADAH)

Keywords

• Education research services
• Evidence-based teaching
• Professional learning resources
• Education policy analysis
• School improvement support

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne, VIC

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: AERO is jointly funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments as a ministerial-owned company. This is the primary funding source that enables the organization to generate and disseminate free education evidence resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AERO generates, synthesises and translates education research evidence into practical resources for Australian educators. It publishes free practice guides, frameworks, professional learning courses and research reports designed to support evidence-based teaching and school improvement across Australian schools and education systems.

Product overview

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) is Australia's independent education evidence body that offers a comprehensive suite of evidence-based resources, research, and professional development tools for educators. The portfolio includes core offerings such as Practice Guides, Practice Resources (worksheets, templates, checklists), Videos demonstrating evidence-based teaching practices, Professional Learning Courses, and curated Resource Collections organized by theme. AERO also provides Research products including Research Reports, Analytical Insights Papers, Discussion Papers, Technical Reports, Research Summaries, and Explainers. Key frameworks include the Model of Learning and Teaching, the School Writing Instruction Framework (SWIF), and the Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS). In partnership with Ochre Education, AERO offers additional lesson planning templates and facilitation guides. The organization also maintains major research datasets including the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy in Australia (LLANIA) Dataset, and provides interactive tools like the Evidence Decision-Making Tool. All content is freely available under Creative Commons BY 4.0 license.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Practice Guides Free, evidence-based practice guides that translate education research into actionable classroom and school-level strategies for teachers, school leaders and education systems.
• Frameworks Structured frameworks that synthesise research evidence into guidance for school improvement, teaching practice and education decision-making.
• Professional Learning Courses Free online courses that support Australian educators in applying evidence-based practices in their teaching and school contexts.
• Research Reports Synthesised research reports summarising the evidence base on priority education topics for Australian educators, policymakers and system leaders.
• Email Newsletter Regular email newsletter delivering AERO's latest evidence summaries, resources and updates to Australian educators and stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Resources available free to all Australian educators and education systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• Ochre EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2021, AERO partnered with Ochre Education to create a comprehensive collection of resources for teachers. The resources support the use of effective, evidence-based practices and address the learning expected in the Australian Curriculum. Ochre provides structured lesson resources including video guides, quizzes, worksheets, and other materials developed for specific curriculum stages.
• MultiLitkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERO partnered with MultiLit to develop practice guides helping teachers refine or refresh their understanding and practice of supporting students with diverse needs. The partnership focuses on communication needs, emotional regulation, planning, and collaborating with support networks for students with diverse learning needs.
• Institute of Special EducatorskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERO partnered with the Institute of Special Educators alongside MultiLit to develop resources supporting students with diverse needs. The partnership provides expertise in special education to develop comprehensive guides for inclusive education practices.
• ALNF (Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERO partnered with ALNF to conduct research on peer mentoring for professional learning. The study explored the effectiveness of a peer mentoring approach for delivering professional learning to educators and teachers in early childhood education and care services.
• DSF (DSF Literacy Services)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERO partnered with DSF on a series of guidance created for secondary reading support, specifically addressing why some secondary students struggle with reading and evidence-based intervention approaches.
• NOSHSA (National Outside School Hours Services Alliance)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERO partnered with NOSHSA to support continuity of learning and development for school-aged children as they move between out of school hours care services and school, improving transitions between these settings.
• AISWA (Association of Independent Schools Western Australia)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERO conducted a study in partnership with AISWA on how teachers can implement and maintain practice changes after professional learning, evaluating the effectiveness of 'booster' interventions.
• Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerACER conducted an online survey and interviews as part of AERO's project on implementing effective tiered interventions in secondary schools, focusing on students in Years 7 to 9 lacking foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
• Centre for International Research on Education Systems (CIRES) at Victoria UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIRES conducted a review of remote and online learning experiences during COVID-19, administered by AERO, examining how schools and ECEC services adapted to remote learning during the pandemic.
• Education Ministers (Commonwealth, State and Territory)coreOthersAERO is jointly funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments. Education Ministers commissioned AERO to investigate student attendance in Australian schools and receive guidance reports on leveraging evidence for system support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Learning Forward: Professional association focused on evidence-based professional learning for educators. Overlaps with AERO's professional learning courses (e.g., Achieving Lasting Change microcourse) and emphasis on implementation support, but operates as a membership/professional body rather than a research funder.
• National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE): US-based non-profit that commissions and disseminates research on education systems, standards, and workforce readiness. Comparable to AERO in producing reports that translate evidence into system-level recommendations, though with a US policy lens.

Direct peers

• Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): The UK's Education Endowment Foundation is the closest international analogue: an independent, government-commissioned body that generates, synthesises, and disseminates evidence-based teaching and learning resources to educators. Like AERO, it funds research, publishes practice guidance, and partners with schools for implementation.
• Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER): ACER is Australia's major independent education research organisation, producing research reports, assessments, and policy analysis. ACER is already a documented AERO partner on secondary tiered-intervention research and competes for the same policy-research commissions.
• Evidence for Learning (E4L): An Australian evidence intermediary translating education research into actionable resources for teachers and schools. Direct overlap with AERO on purpose, audience (Australian educators), and product format (guides, summaries, implementation tools).
• What Works Clearinghouse (Institute of Education Sciences): The US Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse produces evidence reviews and practice guides on education interventions. Comparable to AERO in producing educator-facing evidence syntheses, systematic reviews, and topic-area practice guides for K-12 settings.

Regional players

• Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE): NSW Department of Education's CESE was the predecessor body whose work AERO's CEO helped build. CESE continues to produce data-driven evidence reports for NSW schools and overlaps directly with AERO's evidence-translation function, but is jurisdictionally limited to NSW.

Broad incumbents

• Grattan Institute (School Education Program): Australian policy think tank with a substantial School Education program publishing evidence-based reports and policy recommendations. Broader in scope than AERO (covers economics, energy) but overlaps materially on education evidence and policy guidance for ministers.
• OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI): OECD's CERI conducts international education research and produces influential cross-national reports on teaching, learning, and innovation. Comparable in mission (rigorous educational R&D to inform policy) but operates globally rather than nationally.
• RAND Corporation (Education Research): RAND's Education division conducts large-scale, policy-oriented education research and evaluations for governments and foundations. Comparable in research methodology and policy-translation mission, though RAND's portfolio extends well beyond K-12 schooling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edresearchau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)