The federal government's planned $24 billion boost to school funding over the next decade should focus on three key evidence-based changes or risk being a waste of money, according to a new report from the Centre for Independent Studies.

In a new report Getting the most out of Gonski 2.0, education policy analyst Blaise Joseph says the investment should be made in literacy and numeracy for young children, reducing class time for teachers so they can develop and improve their teaching, and give teachers more training in classroom management.