Labor has proposed a $280 million independent education institute to investigate the functioning of Australian schools.

The proposed Evidence Institute for Schools would “put an end to decades of ideological battles about school education … [and] take politics out of the classroom,” according to opposition education spokesperson Tanya Plibersek.

The institute would commission research, assess school programs and summarise the evidence of best teaching practice for staff and administrators.

The institute “will help improve schools by ensuring teachers and parents have high-quality research at their fingertips,” Ms Plibersek said.

“Armed with the best and latest evidence in digestible, easily applicable formats, teachers will be able to exercise their professional judgement about how to best help their students,” she said.

“The institute will be independent of government. Politicians shouldn’t tell teachers how to do their jobs, or be using schools as ideological battlegrounds.”

The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) proposed a school evidence institute to the second Gonski review, and has welcomed Labor’s verison of the plan.

The APPA says similar work is already done by the private, not-for-profit Australian Council for Educational Research, but it charges for programs and research.