STEP UP: What Works in Education?
About
The 2025 STEP UP “What Works in Education?” Conference brought together researchers from Australia and internationally for two days of discussion on the policies, institutions and individual circumstances that shaped educational opportunity.
The program explored a diverse set of issues spanning the education lifecycle, including how interventions translated across different settings, participation and statistical power in program evaluation, university fees and field-of-study choices, links between vocational education and industry, the effects of out-of-home care on children’s schooling, and the role of time constraints in shaping outcomes. Two exceptionally insightful keynotes broadened the discussion to two major challenges for education policy: building student interest in economics, with Tanya Livermore from the Reserve Bank of Australia, and inequality in US education, with Professor Sue Dynarski from Harvard University.
Keynote
Professor Susan Dynarski is the Patricia Albjerg Graham Professor of Education at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. A leading economist and education policy expert, she is widely recognized for her commitment to improving student outcomes and her pioneering research on inequality in education, tackling issues such as college affordability, student debt, and the design of financial aid systems.
Prior to Harvard, she held joint appointments in economics, public policy and education at the University of Michigan, where she co-directed the Education Policy Initiative. A faculty research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a 2020 Carnegie Fellow, Professor Dynarski has also advised federal agencies and testified before Congress, helping shape national conversations around evidence-based reform.
In her keynote, Perspectives on Inequality in US Education, she will explore how research can help us in building a more inclusive and effective education system, combining rigorous data analysis with a deep concern for equity to highlight the systemic barriers that hinder access and success for underserved communities. Read more here.
Keynote
Tanya Livermore, is the Senior Manager of Public Education at the Reserve Bank of Australia, where she leads national efforts to improve economic literacy for a broader and more diverse range of students. With a background in policy, research and strategic outreach, Tanya is passionate about making economics inclusive, relatable, and engaging, especially for young Australians.
Holding a Master in Economics from the London School of Economics, Tanya has led research into declining economics enrolments, gender and equity gaps. Her work, including co-authored studies such as “Why Study (or Not Study) Economics?”, explores not just the barriers to participation but what works in economics education, highlighting the need for targeted outreach, support for teachers and early exposure to economics.
In her keynote address, Tanya Livermore will explore the decline in economics enrolments and student diversity in Australia, highlighting the broader implications for national economic literacy and inclusive policymaking. Tanya will discuss how the role of early exposure to economic concepts can boost awareness, interest, and participation in economics among a more diverse student population.
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Help STEP UP reach more students and schools, improve economic and financial literacy and create lasting opportunities for communities experiencing disadvantage. Philanthropic support allows us to expand our programs, test what works and turn research into meaningful outcomes for young people.
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Contribute to an interdisciplinary research agenda combining theory, empirical analysis and randomised controlled trials. We invite researchers to reach out and work with our network across UNSW and the wider community to design, test and share new approaches to education.