Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the main part of the study involves interviews with approximately 60 children (ages 9-14) and their parents/carers across areas of Northern to explore issues including school admissions, the curriculum experiences of day-to-day school life. The research also comprises analyses of educational data and policy, and interviews with education officials, teachers, and statutory and voluntary sector organisations to examine current provision. The research team’s work is guided by advisory groups of young people from minority ethnic backgrounds and representatives of organisations working with minority ethnic and migrant groups.

This study will contribute significantly to our understanding of education among minority ethnic groups in Northern Ireland, encompassing the diverse experiences of newcomer families and those from established minority communities. The outputs will include recommendations to enhance minority ethnic families’ educational experiences and outcomes and to address inequalities and/or gaps in provision revealed by the research.

The short-term aim of the project is to deconstruct the challenges and opportunities for the preparation of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students on the island of Ireland to teach in culturally diverse settings. The medium-term aim of the project is to co-design an open access MOOC and ECTS module on culturally responsive education for ITE and In-service Teacher Education Providers. The longterm aim of the project is through the provision of high quality training resources for ITE and In-service Teacher Education Programmes, the enhanced inclusion of students with a migration background across the continuum of education. This project is funded by SCoTENS. 

In this book, Dr Cantley uses philosophical analysis to argue that capability is a relational rather than an innate characteristic of an individual, and that there is irreducible uncertainty associated with unmeasured capabilities. The implications of such a conceptualisation of capability for the interpretation of test scores in general are then elucidated before considering its connotations for academic selection. It is suggested that the practice of interpreting and applying validity and reliability as unquestioned criteria for the quality of an educational assessment incurs logical and moral problems that a conscientious educator cannot ignore. The gravity of this moral transgression depends on the purpose and significance of the assessment and, in the case of high stakes tests used for academic selection purposes, it is argued that, not only can the moral wrong be highly significant, but better solutions are within reach.

This project is located in the area of teacher professional development practice and research, with potential benefits for participating teachers and schools in sharing and improving practice; and for researchers in adding to what is known about effective approaches to foster teacher collaboration within Shared Education and emerging features of OLS. The project brings together teachers involved in inter-school Shared Education initiatives across Northern Ireland and the six border counties in the Republic of Ireland. OLS is a professional model where a group of teachers collaborate to research, plan, teach and observe a research lesson with a group of learners, facilitated by an external expert known as a Knowledgeable Other, who guides and extends the teachers’ learning. This project is funded by SCoTENS. 

These modules are part of the EA’s teacher professional learning programme, and aim to increase the effectiveness of shared education in the classroom.  The two modules are Diversity in the Classroom and Making Your Shared Education Partnership Work. The diversity module provides participants with a wide range of practical strategies, resources and useful frameworks for teaching about and dealing with diversity in the classroom. With the shared education module, the Centre provides teachers with a practical guide to the potential of shared education for school improvement and promoting good relations within the school and the wider community. 

Follow the link here for a good overview of shared education and how the Centre for Shared Education is part of a collaboration to mainstream shared education in Northern Ireland schools.  

This work was funded by The Executive Office, Atlantic Philanthropies and the Department of Education, with an overall aim to scale up the level of sharing throughout schools in Northern Ireland by providing financial support to improve the education and reconciliation outcomes in schools working collaboratively.  Over the course of the five years, a series of qualitative case studies with teachers and pupils involved in shared education was undertaken, with the final report published in 2020. 

The Centre is undertaking this work with support from Abraham Initiatives, a non-profit NGO whose mission is to strive for full and equal citizenship and complete equality of social and political rights for Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens. Abraham Initiatives assists teachers with training for and implementation of shared learning- a similar programme to shared education in Northern Ireland.  

The study aims to compare results from interviews with teachers in Israel with a previous study completed by the Centre for Shared Education in Northern Ireland.  

Managed by the Education Authority and Léargas as part of the Peace IV initiative, this programme supports new school collaborations in Northern Ireland and the border counties in the Republic of Ireland. To evaluate the implementation and impact of CASE, the team will conduct a large-scale survey with pupils and a series of case studies with staff and other stakeholders in participating schools. (Funded by the Education Authority.)

This project brings together academics, practitioners, NGOs and policymakers from these countries, and Northern Ireland, to develop contextually-appropriate models of shared education. The project also aims to increase capacity within each jurisdiction to implement and evaluate shared education initiatives. It builds on previous work by Professor Joanne Hughes and colleagues, in collaboration with local NGOs, to develop shared education initiatives in Macedonia. (Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.)

The first phase of this study comprises survey research with pupils to assess the effects of shared education on reconciliation and (soft) educational outcomes. The second phase complements this with in-depth case studies of practice in six school partnerships, exploring how collaboration can generate educational and social improvement.  (Funded by Atlantic Philanthropies.)

The first of these is led by Professor Tony Gallagher, in collaboration with the Centre for Educational Technology in Tel Aviv, and supports partnerships of Jewish, Arab and Bedouin schools in Ramle and the Negev. These partnerships focus on the joint teaching of English, citizenship, and maths and science, and build capacity among teachers to deliver shared education. Professor Gallagher also contributes to a project that brings together school principals from Jerusalem to share learning and experience.

The third initiative involves collaboration between Centre colleagues, led by Professor Joanne Hughes, and the Abraham Fund, an Israeli NGO which has developed a shared education initiative. This pairs an Arab and a Jewish school to deliver a series of 8-10 shared classes on a curriculum topic identified by both schools. All classes are taught by both Arab and Jewish teachers. In 2018-19, 15 pairs of schools are participating in the project.

In the USA, Professor Tony Gallagher is leading work with Loyola Marymount University and The Education Success Project (TESP) to promote collaboration in the Los Angeles Unified School District. This programme seeks to develop networks of charter schools, public schools and private Catholic schools to promote collaboration, school improvement and enhanced achievement among pupils.

First, it explores the potential enablers and barriers to implementing shared education within new national settings, focusing particularly on the social and political context. Second, it analyses the implementation and impact of shared education in countries where programmes have been introduced. (Funded by Atlantic Philanthropies.)

As one of the few longitudinal studies of intergroup contact in the UK, this research will shed new light on intergroup relationships in divided societies. (Funded by Atlantic Philanthropies.)

As the first systematic review on this topic, this study will provide the authoritative source of evidence. (Funded by Atlantic Philanthropies.)

In June and July 2018, researchers from the Centre also led sessions as part of the Education for Transformation International Summer School at Queen’s University Belfast.