Applications are invited for full-time PhD studentships (DEL Awards) to be located within the Centre for Effective Education. Studentships will be for three years and will commence in October 2013. Each studentship will cover university fees and will provide an annual maintenance grant. The deadline for submission of applications is 1 February 2013. The Centre currently has nine full-time PhD students and provides a rich and vibrant research culture that places a strong emphasis on supporting the development of doctoral research. Click here for more information on the studentships.

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A recent launch of the CEE report evaluating the Doodle Den literacy programme in Dublin has been welcomed with a wave of media attention. The positive findings of the evaluation were reported in the Irish Examiner (“Calls to roll out literacy scheme nationwide”), Irish Mirror (“Calls to help literacy with extra classes”) and the Irish Times online (“Programme ‘helped child literacy’”).

Doodle Den was independently evaluated by researchers from the Centre for Effective Education through a randomised controlled trial and a process evaluation. It is an after-school literacy programme aimed at 5 and 6 year olds and operated in six schools in Tallaght West, Dublin.

The three year evaluation followed three different year cohorts of children and showed the programme succeeded in its initial aims of making moderate improvements in the children’s literacy. Not only was the programme shown to improve children’s overall literacy ability, there was also evidence to suggest that it had a positive impact on improving concentration and reducing problem behaviours in school, family library activity and the child’s reading at home.

Commenting on the results, Dr Andy Biggart who led the research team said: “These results are very encouraging, especially given the fact that literacy is such an important gateway subject and demonstrates that a well-designed and structured literacy after-school programme can be effective in improving children’s literacy in disadvantaged areas. We are pleased to see the programme has received further funding to continue in Tallaght West as well as its expansion to three schools in Limerick under the School Completion Programme.”

The CEE has been awarded further funding to follow the children over a further two years to assess the longer-term benefits of the programme.

A copy of the full report of the evaluation can be found by clicking the image below.

  For further information on the evaluation contact .

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The Child Development Initiative will be launching the evaluation of the Doodle Den After-school Literacy Programme in Dublin in early November. The Doodle Den After-school Progamme was evaluated through a randomised control trial design by a team from within the CEE. The Doodle Den pilot progamme aimed to make moderate improvements among 5 and 6 year old children who were struggling early readers in Tallaght West, Dublin. The three year evaluation, led by Dr Andy Biggart, followed three different year cohorts of children and showed the programme succeeded in its initial aims. Not only was the programme shown to improve children’s overall literacy ability, there was also evidence to suggest that it had a positive impact on improving concentration and reducing problem behaviours in school.

There has been a great deal of  interest in the success of the programme, which has received further funding to continue in Tallaght West and although the findings of the trial are just being released  it is already being rolled out to other struggling readers in Limerick

The evaluation report will be launched by RTE’s John Murray at Buswells Hotel, Dublin at 4pm on Tuesday 6th November.

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The Centre for Effective Education is delighted to announce that Dr Allen Thurston has been appointed to a professorship in the School of Education and will take over the role of the Director for the Centre for Effective Education. The Centre has been developing an international reputation for its conduct of high quality evaluations of educational programmes particularly through the use of randomised control trials. Allen is currently at Durham University will take up his post as Director early in the New Year and will lead the Centre in the next stage of its development.

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The School of Education is looking for a highly motivated and visionary Professor of Education who will be based within the Centre for Effective Education. The successful candidate will lead and develop research and teaching activities within the area of educational effectiveness research and will be Director of the School’s Centre for Effective Education for five years in the first instance, with the opportunity for renewal.

Since it was established in 2006, the Centre has attracted external research income of over £6m. The Centre currently has 15 academic staff associated with it as well as a core staff of 11 full-time researchers and administrators. The Centre is home to the international peer-reviewed journal, Effective Education (Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis), and also has a number of well-established international links, including with the Campbell Collaboration.

This post represents an outstanding opportunity to shape the further development and future direction of the Centre and make a major contribution to the field of educational effectiveness research. For further details of the post, please click here

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The Campbell Collaboration Education Group has announced that it will provide eight grants to support the development and publication of systematic reviews that address pressing education public policy issues.

The Education Group will be accepting applications from researchers interested in studying one of the following issues:

1. Effectiveness of Charter/Free Schools such as KIPP

2. Impact of Pay for Performance for Teachers and Students

3. Impact of Alternative Certification

4. Effectiveness of State Takeovers of Failing Schools

5. Impacts of High School Restructuring

6. Usefulness of Support Services used in No Child Left Behind

7. Impacts of Exit Exams on Student Achievement and Persistence

8. Impact of Well Known School Reform Models

9. Benefits of Particular Early Interventions

10. Programs to Enhance Overall Well Being

The grants are worth up to $12,000 (US). For each accepted proposal, the authors must go through the typical Campbell editorial process by submitting a title registration, a protocol, and a full review.

The protocol and review both go through an external peer review process.

Further information can be found at: The Campbell Collaboration  

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