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 2011. Each studentship will cover university fees and will provide an annual maintenance grant. The deadline for submission of applications is 14 February 2011. The Centre currently has five 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 major new social and emotional learning programme – the Roots of Empathy – was launched at a special event at Belfast City Hall today. The programme is aimed at preschool children and involves a structured programme of activities with children organized around visits to the school by a mother and her baby.

The Centre for Effective Education is leading an interdisciplinary research team that is seeking to evaluate the impact of the programme on outcomes in children. The team is being led by CEE Director, Professor Paul Connolly, and includes colleagues from the CEE as well as the Centre for Public Health and the School of Psychology at Queen’s and from the University of York.

For this first year, the research team is conducting a pilot in a small number of primary schools that are delivering the programme. The team is seeking to secure funding for the full evaluation, comprising a cluster randomized trial of 60 primary schools, that will take place during the 20011/12 school year.

A short news item on the programme that was featured on the regional news programme UTV Live can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/an2Zx8.  Further information on the Roots of Empathy programme is available at: http://www.rootsofempathy.org/

For further information on the research please contact: Dr Sarah Miller

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The second series of the popular children's television series, Sesame Tree, was launched today at a premier screening at the Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast. The series - the Northern Ireland version of the internationally award-winning Sesame Street - was written and produced locally. The Centre for Effective Education undertook the formative research for the series and provided curriculum support.

Sesame Tree is the first locally-produced children's television series that is to be broadcast nationally on CBeebies, the number one children's television channel within the UK. It will begin broadcast from 22 November 2010 and is aligned with the Northern Ireland Revised Curriculum. Produced by Sixteen South and Sesame Workshop, the not-for-profit organisation behind Sesame Street, the series aims to help those working with young children in Northern Ireland to encourage personal and mutual understanding.

The launch was attended by Peter Robinson, the First Minister, and Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. In his address, Peter Robinson particularly praised the high level of skill and talent locally that worked together to produce the series and made particular reference to the Centre for Effective Education. The research team was led by Dr Emma Larkin and included Professor Paul Connolly, Dr Susan Kehoe, Dr Karen Orr (all from the CEE) and Dr Glenda Walsh from Stranmillis University College.

Further information on Sesame Tree can be found on the BBC's website. For further details please contact Dr Emma Larkin.

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Trisha Forbes, Research Assistant at the Centre for Effective Education, recently gave a poster presentation on exploring the phenomenon of youth suicide clusters at the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) Annual Research Day in St. James’ Hospital, Dublin.  The event, that took place on 8 September, was aimed at the younger members of the CAMH community engaged in important pieces of ‘advancement’ work, and was designed to attract inter-disciplinary submissions.

The poster presentation reported the emerging findings from a wider research project that the Centre for Effective Education is conducting in partnership with Contact Youth. This wider project, led by Dr Sarah Miller and Dr Caryl Sibbett, seeks to produce, through a number of research components, a comprehensive exploration of the phenomenon of youth suicide clusters in Northern Ireland. Furthermore it will also consider the implications of the findings and emerging logic model for developing an effective intervention, involving schools, aimed at reducing the risk of suicide clusters. This project is part of a wider portfolio of work being undertaken by the CEE in relation to pupils’ emotional health and wellbeing.

The projects presented at the Research Day in Dublin focused on a broad spectrum of CAMH issues including Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Anorexia Nervosa, screening for suicidal behaviour of children, Cyber-Bullying and the role of Solution-Focused Brief Thinking as an intervention for adolescents with school phobia.

For further information please contact Trisha Forbes at: t.forbes@qub.ac.uk.

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 A team from the Centre for Effective Education recently presented a Keynote Symposium at the 32nd International Schools Psychology Association Conference in Dublin on the 21st of July 2010. 

This keynote symposium highlighted the distinctive approach that the Centre for Effective Education at Queen’s University Belfast has taken in recent years to education research. The symposium began with a general overview presentation from Dr Sarah Miller that sought to situate the work of the Centre within the current state of education research. It was argued that there is a need for a much greater emphasis on the use of research evidence to inform the design, delivery and evaluation of social and educational programmes. Such an emphasis is key to enhancing the effectiveness of education in improving social and educational outcomes.

There was also a closer look at some of the Centre’s research projects that illustrate the outcomes-focused approach being advocated:

• Dr Liam O’Hare presented an epidemiological study (n=800) of the needs of black and minority Ethnic children in the southern area of Northern Ireland and related the research to design of children’s services.
• Dr Angela Eakin presented the methodology of a cluster randomised controlled trial evaluation of the effects of the Media Initiative for Children Respecting Difference Programme on 3-4 Year old children’s attitudes towards diversity and the Republic of Ireland (74 preschool settings, 1,181 children).
• Dr Sarah Miller presented the results of a randomised controlled trial evaluation of the ‘Time to Read’ pupil mentoring scheme among 9-10 Year Olds (50 schools, 800 children).

Professor Carol McGuinness (School of Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast) acted as a discussant for the symposium.

More information is available from http://www.ispaconference.info/ and from Dr Liam O’Hare l.ohare@qub.ac.uk.

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CEE researchers presented three separate papers at a recent conference held in Leuven, Belgium. The conference was the Second Biennial Meeting of the Educational Effectiveness Special Interest Group of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction. The papers presented the findings of three separate randomised controlled trials completed during the last year by the Centre:

• A randomised controlled trial evaluation of a school-based volunteer mentoring programme aimed at increasing reading skills amongst 8-9 year olds (Sarah Miller & Paul Connolly)
• A cluster randomised controlled trial evaluation of the effects of the Media Initiative for Children Respecting Difference preschool programme on the cultural attitudes and awareness of 3-4 year olds (Paul Connolly, Angela Eakin & Sarah Miller)
• A cluster randomised controlled trial evaluation of the effects of watching the children's television series Sesame Tree on young children's attitudes and awareness (Emma Larkin, Paul Connolly & Susan Kehoe)
  

Speaking of the conference, the Centre Director, Professor Paul Connolly said: "we are delighted to have had such a strong presence at this key educational conference. The Special Interest Group attracts some of the leading international researchers in the field of educational effectiveness and evaluation. The three papers were received very favourably by participants at the conference. The fact that we were able to present the findings of three separate randomised trials is testament to the leading role we are playing in this field in relation to educational research in the UK and Ireland."

More information on the conference can be found at: http://ppw.kuleuven.be/sigee2010/ For further information on the papers please contact Dr Sarah Miller s.j.miller@qub.ac.uk

 

 

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Professor Paul Connolly, Director of the Centre for Effective Education, took part in a seminar in Olso last week hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. The seminar, organized by the Campbell Collaboration, focused on how to make better use of evidence in education.

Professor Connolly’s presentation focused on the work that the CEE has been undertaking in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, particularly in relation to the much wider use of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programmes. There was much interest in the presentation from attendees at the seminar, especially in the fact that such trials have been run successfully with the support of schools, educational providers and other key stakeholders.

The presentation can be downloaded by clicking here. For further information please contact Professor Connolly at: paul.connolly@qub.ac.uk

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An exciting opportunity exist for a full-time PhD studentship to be located within the Centre for Effective Education, starting in September 2010. The studentship is for three years with all fees paid and an annual maintenance grant of £13,290. Opportunities will also exist to supplement this income by undertaking paid fieldwork on some of the other CEE research projects.

The successful candidate will as part of a research team to develop and evaluate a volunteer mentoring programme to improve numeracy outcomes in primary school children. Click here for further details on the studentship and how to apply. The deadline for receipt of applications online is 24th March 2010. For more information please contact Dr Sarah Miller on 028 9097 5944 or via email at: s.j.miller@qub.ac.uk

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The website for Una – The Global Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity – is now live and available to view at: www.unaglobal.org. The initiative, led by the Centre for Effective Education, represents a network of over 70 leading international experts from the fields of research and practice from 33 different countries.

Una seeks to reduce racial and ethnic divisions and conflicts and building socially inclusive and respectful communities through the promotion of effective early childhood programmes. It does this through sharing and disseminating existing knowledge and practice and also through supporting the design, development and evaluation of new early childhood programmes around the world. Further details on the initiative are available from the new website.

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This seminar will be led by Professor Timothy Shanahan from the University of Illinois at Chicago. It will take place at 1.00-2.00pm on Friday 19 March 2010 in the Cathcart Room (G13), School of Education, Queen's University Belfast. The seminar has been organised by the Centre for Effective Education in conjunction with the Improving Children's Lives initiative at Queen's. Timothy Shanahan is Professor of Urban Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he is Director of the Center for Literacy. He was director of reading for the Chicago Public Schools. His research emphasizes reading-writing relationships, reading assessment, and improving reading achievement. He is immediate past president of the International Reading Association. In 2006, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Literacy. He was inducted to the Reading Hall of Fame in 2007.

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Professor Paul Connolly, Director of the Centre for Effective Education , has been appointed as Co-Chair of the Campbell Collaboration Education Coordinating Group. The ‘sister organisation’ to the Cochrane Collaboration , the Campbell Collaboration is an international research network that produces systematic reviews of the effects of social and educational interventions.

Campbell currently has five Coordinating Groups: Social Welfare, Crime and Justice, Education, Methods, and the Users group. The Coordinating Groups are responsible for the production, scientific merit, and relevance of our systematic reviews. They provide editorial services and support to review authors. Professor Connolly will co- lead the Education Coordinating Group as well as contribute to the wider strategic direction of the Campbell Collaboration by joining its Steering Group.

Speaking of the appointment, Professor Connolly said: “this is an extremely significant appointment and provides the opportunity to play a leading role internationally in promoting an evidence-based approach to education policy and practice. I am honoured to have been invited to join such a prestigious organization and see this invitation as reflecting the growing reputation that our Centre is developing internationally.”

For more information please contact Professor Paul Connolly.

 

 

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A one-day seminar is to be held at Queen’s University Belfast on Friday 12 March on the theme of: “Respecting Children’s Rights in Service Planning, Provision and Evaluation”. The event is being organised by the Children’s Rights and Advocacy Learning Group of Una: The Global Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity and is being hosted by the Improving Children’s Lives Initiative at Queen’s.

Una is a global, inter-disciplinary network of leading researchers and practitioners committed to reducing racial and ethnic divisions and building socially inclusive communities through the promotion of effective early childhood programmes. Its work is characterized by a commitment to developing programmes that are children’s rights-based, outcomes focused and evidence-informed. Una is Co-Directed by Profs. Paul Connolly and Tony Gallagher of the Centre for Effective Education.

The purpose of the seminar is to share international experiences and perspectives regarding the application of a children’s rights based approach to the planning, provision and evaluation of children’s services and to consider the implications of this for developing early childhood programmes aimed at promoting respect for ethnic diversity.

The seminar is free to attend but pre-registration is essential to secure a place.  Further details, including how to register, are provided in the event flyer: http://bit.ly/93mBv0

For more information please contact David Piekaar on 028 9097 5956 or email at: d.piekaar@qub.ac.uk

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Professor Paul Connolly, Director of the Centre for Effective Education, has been appointed to the position of the Donald Dewar Visiting Chair in Social Justice and Public Policy at the University of Glasgow. The appointment to this prestigious position – established in honour of Donald Dewar (1937 – 2000), the first holder of the office of the First Minister for Scotland – will run from 1 February 2010 for three years.

 

 

Commenting on the appointment, Professor Connolly said: “I am absolutely delighted with this appointment. It is an honour to be recognised by the University of Glasgow in this way. The appointment is very much a reflection of the innovative work we are undertaking at the Centre for Effective Education and testament to the increasing impact we are having nationally and internationally.”

 

 

“We already have good collaborative relationships with colleagues in the Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow and this appointment, that is located in the Department of Educational Studies at Glasgow, will enable us to develop those relationships much further.”

 

 

For more information please contact Professor Paul Connolly.

 

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A workshop entitled: ‘Pupil’s emotional health and wellbeing: Concepts, policy, practice and evaluation’ will take place this Friday 27th January in Stranmillis University College, Belfast.  The workshop will be delivered by Dr Liam O’Hare, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Effective Education and is being organised by the new Division of Educational and Child Psychology in Northern Ireland (DECPNI). The workshop is being aimed primarily at Educational Psychologists from Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The workshop will attempt to help educational psychologists discuss:

• How pupils’ emotional health and wellbeing (PEHAW) is conceptualized and how it links to other related concepts like healthy schools, quality of life, social and emotional learning, self regulation and emotional intelligence?
  
• What potential does PEHAW have to act as a ‘glue’ integrating services for children related to their emotional health?
  
• What effective programmes are available to improve PEHAW in schools?
  
• How can PEHAW programmes in schools be evaluated for effectiveness?

This particular workshop is now fully-booked. However if you are interested in attending future CEE workshops in this area please contact Dr Liam O’Hare at (028) 9097 5973 or l.ohare@qub.ac.uk.

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The findings of a randomised controlled trial of Business in the Community’s literacy intervention programme Time to Read will be launched today (Wednesday 26 January 2011) at the Ulster Museum, Belfast. The trial, undertaken by the Centre for Effective Education, and funded by Business in the Community with the support of Atlantic Philanthropies, involved 512 P5 children (8-9 year olds) selected from 50 primary schools across Northern Ireland

Time to Read involves an adult employee from a local business spending one hour per week reading with two primary school children on a one-to-one basis with the aim of improving children’s reading skills.

Professor Paul Connolly, Director of the Centre for Effective Education said: “This trial is one of the largest evaluations of its type undertaken internationally and the results provide clear evidence that Time to Read is having a positive effective.

“Our evaluation demonstrates that Time to Read is effective in improving particular reading outcomes for children, namely in relation to the foundational reading skills of decoding, reading rate and reading fluency. The effects it is achieving in these areas are comparable to other international literacy programmes that using volunteer mentors.”

“The impact of this programme since its launch in 1999 is significant,” explains Paul Rooney, Chair of Business in the Community. “Our member companies and businesses across Northern Ireland who have participated in Time to Read have supported over 4,600 children.

“In this year alone Business in the Community has involved over 500 volunteers in 120 schools at a cost of some £600k to Northern Ireland business, representing a huge investment by employers and an immense saving for government, particularly in these tough economic times.

“Since the early days of Time to Read we’ve been aware of the impact of the programme on participating children. Now, through support from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the subsequent involvement of the Centre for Effective Education at Queen’s University, the results of this research prove that the Time to Read model is a clear reflection of the extensive positive contribution businesses can make in improving the outcomes for young people.”

If you would like to find out more about Time to Read, please contact Graeme McKimm, Education Manager, Business in the Community, by e-mail at graeme.mckimm@bitcni.org.uk or call (028) 9046 0606. For more information on Business in the Community, visit our website www.bitcni.org.uk

The full evaluation report is available to download from the Centre for Effective Education’s website at: www.qub.ac.uk/cee (see Publications page). For more information on the evaluation please contact Dr Sarah Miller.

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The Centre for Effective Education is about to begin a small-scale exploratory research study focusing on the phenomenon of youth suicide clusters in Northern Ireland. The study has been commissioned by Contact Youth, Northern Ireland’s largest voluntary sector counselling provider, leading the regional Lifeline crisis counselling service, funded by the NI Assembly’s Protect Life suicide prevention strategy. Contact Youth aim to use the findings from this research to provide a strong evidence-based to inform their youth suicide prevention strategy.

The research team will be led by Dr Sarah Miller and Dr Caryl Sibbett drawing together the methodological expertise of the CEE in developing outcomes-focused and evidence-informed approaches to service design with Dr Sibbett’s extensive professional and research expertise in therapy, psychotherapy and counselling.

The team will also draw upon the expertise of an advisory group comprising professionals in health and social care and a young people’s advisory group will also be established alongside the professional advisory group.  Both advisory groups will inform the design, process and interpretation of the all elements of the research. For further information please contact Dr Sarah Miller at: s.j.miller@qub.ac.uk.

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The Centre for Effective Education now has a page on Facebook. The page includes information about CEE and all of the latest news and forthcoming events within the Centre. Become a ‘fan’ of the CEE Facebook page to make sure that you are kept informed of latest developments within the Centre. The CEE page can be accessed through the following link: http://bit.ly/52Zvi8

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