The Children We Leave Behind with Dr. Geoff Masters AO

The education system is sending kids the wrong message about learning, ability, and success - and it’s leaving far too many behind. Dr. Geoff Masters reveals why age-based schooling, narrow assessment, and one-size-fits-all teaching are failing students, and what a smarter redesign could look like. Geoff is the former head of the Australian Council for Educational Research, explains the hidden lessons schools teach children: that learning is for pleasing others, that the body is separate from the mind, that learning happens alone, and that progress is just a sequence of disconnected content chunks. He shows how those assumptions shape disengagement, frustration, and the belief that some kids are simply “good” or “bad” learners.

You’ll discover:

Why 40 to 50 percent of students are disengaged in the middle years

Why the top 10 percent in a year level can be five to six years ahead of the bottom 10 percent

Why that makes the current model nearly impossible for one teacher to meet.

Geoff also breaks down how assessment should change from “how well did you learn what I just taught?” to “where are you up to now, and what comes next?

“We also unpack what schools can borrow from Finland, Hong Kong, and Wales, including multi-year learning spans, progression steps, and greater teacher autonomy. Geoff and I explore why scripted lessons and rigid standardisation often backfire, how teacher expectations shape student outcomes, and why rebuilding self-efficacy starts with showing children the progress they are already making.

Key Takeaways

00:30 - From science teacher to educational research leader

01:27 - How educational research shapes policy and school systems

02:18 - Why The Children We Leave Behind was written

04:39 - What the system teaches students about learning