The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) was established in 2010 by a Ministerial Council comprising the Minister for Education for the Commonwealth of Australia and all eight of the State and territory Education ministers. AITSL's remit is "to provide national leadership for Commonwealth, state and territory governments in promoting excellence in the profession of teaching and school leadership¹". To this end, AITSL has developed and achieved Ministerial endorsement of and is implementing National Professional Standards for Teachers; the National Professional Standard for Principals; national accreditation of initial teacher education programs; and nationally consistent registration of teachers. During 2012 new national policy and procedures are being developed for the certification of Highly Accomplished and Lead teachers, and for teachers' performance development.

One of AITSL's operating principles, which guide all of the organisation's work, is "Building and using an evidence base²". For both policy makers and researchers, this principle has strong relevance in all countries. To support the application of this principle, AITSL has developed a Research, Innovation and Evaluation Strategy that describes how the organisation will use research, innovation and evaluation to achieve improved teaching and learning for all young people through its work; develop and provide credible and authoritative advice to influence national education policy and practice; contribute to, and engage with, national and international education research; and evaluate the impact of its own work.

This paper provides an overview of the Institute's Research, Innovation and Evaluation Strategy and of how the organisation draws on existing research as well as commissioning original research to provide an evidence base that informs the national policy development undertaken. It provides specific examples of research informing the teacher quality policy agenda driven by AITSL.

The main focus of the paper is the empirical testing of the validity of the National Professional Standards and the National Professional Standard for Principals, and of their applicability in a wide range of teaching contexts. These contexts include different levels of schooling and different school systems, as well as a range of geographic and demographic contexts such as urban, rural, remote, Indigenous. The paper builds on the use of research evidence in the initial development of the Standards.

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (n.d.). Objectives. In Objectives: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. Retrieved 13 January 2012 from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/about-us/objectives.html Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (n.d.). Operating Principles. In Operating Principles: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. Retrieved 13 January 2012 from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/about-us/operating-principles.html Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (n.d.). National Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved 24 January 2012 from http://www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/Static/docs/aitsl_national_professional_standards_for_teachers_240611.pdf Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (n.d.). National Professional Standard for Principals. Retrieved 24 January 2012 from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/NationalProfessionalStandardForPrincipals_July25.pdf