Jennifer Buckingham

Jennifer Buckingham has been at the forefront of the national debate on education for more than two decades, with a particular focus on improving literacy through effective evidence-based teaching practices in schools. After completing a PhD on reading instruction and intervention, Jennifer decided to devote her career to bridging the research-to-practice gap and reduce preventable illiteracy. She started the Five from Five project in 2015 at The Centre for Independent Studies to provide free literacy resources to teachers and parents and to provide a platform to promote better policy. Jennifer continues to direct the Five from Five project with the support of MultiLit, where she is Director of Strategy and Senior Research Fellow. Five from Five has delivered free professional learning to thousands of teachers and attracts tens of thousands of visitors to its website and social media channels each month. Jennifer provides advice on policy and curriculum to federal and state governments and education agencies, and works closely with a number of systems and schools to develop high impact literacy teaching and assessment. She regularly speaks at international and national conferences and has published through peer-reviewed journals, education periodicals, book chapters, reports and mainstream media. Jennifer is a board member of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and The Centre for Independent Studies, an affiliate member of the La Trobe University Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab, and an expert member of the Educational Excellence Standing Committee of the National Catholic Education Commission. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW and a member of several professional organisations. Jennifer looks forward to the day when all students graduate from school as proficient readers, enabling them to have a high quality of life and to fully participate in society.