The Rudd Government's education revolution is all talk and very little action, education commentator Brian Caldwell says.
The professor and former dean of education at the University of Melbourne said Australia risked ending up with one of the most centralised and bureaucratically organised systems of education in the world.
Also, the $16billion spent on Building the Education Revolution would largely be seen as squandered.
A year since he co-wrote the book Why Not the Best Schools?, based on workshops he conducted across more than 4000 schools in 11 countries, Professor Caldwell will deliver a blunt assessment today, rating the Rudd Government a failure in overall educational reform.
''When it comes to changing education, the Rudd Government is faltering. We've been through all the areas they are tackling in education and on 10 key criteria, we can only score it 43 out of 100 at best. A number of education policies can only be described as missing in action,'' he said.
Professor Caldwell gave moves towards a long-overdue national curriculum the top score of eight out of 10, noting Australia was just one of three nations in the Asia-Pacific region that didn't already have one.
On the massive infrastructure boost to schools, Professor Caldwell scored it seven out of 10.
''There is no doubt the Rudd Government deserves praise for the school rebuilding program after years of neglect.
''The problem is the initiative is short term. It's clear from other countries the program needs to be planned over at least a decade.
''The haste is resulting in a focus on multi-purpose halls and libraries for primary schools [but] the top priority should be modernising learning spaces in all schools.'' On the issue of national testing and the threat of league tables, Professor Caldwell warned ''we are definitely heading for disappointment when it comes to the national testing program unless the current strategy is dramatically altered.
''Compulsory national tests have to go. Ministers should honour their promises to release results in a way that won't create invalid and arguably fraudulent league tables of school performance. For this type of behaviour ... the Rudd Government gets a four out of 10.''
And he gave just two out of 10 for the way public schools were treated when it came to autonomy. He said Australian school principals needed the capacity to select their staff and to become more accountable for their results.
He delivered a score of just one out of 10 to the Rudd Government for its lack of imagination in designing ''innovative approaches to governance in our systems of Government schools''.
Noting the rise of publicly funded, no-fee, privately operated charter schools in the United States, Professor Caldwell said Education Minister Julia Gillard was ''backing the wrong horse choosing school report cards over charter schools''.
He said while it was not too late to shift course, ''it ought to trouble the nation that the education revolution whose intent we support is drifting off course''.
Professor Caldwell also praised Tasmania for its innovative approach to providing vocational training courses in a split college system something the ACT is considering adopting.
Professor Caldwell said there were huge benefits in offering students who were not keen on an academic path in life a chance to undertake high quality vocational courses.
''The ACT has always been innovative in the field of education so I hope they follow that through,'' he said.