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Professor Tony Gallagher
School of Social Sciences, Education and Social WorkTony Gallagher has worked for over 15 years on shared education, which involves collaboration between schools from different communities in divided societies aimed at promoting social cohesion and school improvement. He currently works on projects in Northern Ireland, Israel and Los Angeles. This is part of a career-long focus of work on the role of education in divided societies, including work on minority rights, equality policy, and the role of education in ethnic conflict. He has also led work on the impact of differentiated education systems.
This research has included within Northern Ireland work on shared education has led to significant policy change and the mainstreaming of collaboration within the education system. The model of collaboration is being adapted for use in Israel, involving Jewish and Arab schools, and in Los Angeles, between charter and traditional public schools.
Specific research activities have focused on the pupils’ and teachers’ experience of collaboration, the development of network solutions to education problems, social network analysis as a way of analysing educational change, collaborative leadership, sustainable change in education, and the policy-practice nexus in education
The objective of the research activity is to inform education policy and practice in jurisdictions where the structural arrangements for education reflect wider social and ethnic divisions in society
Research Interests
Open to PhD applications in the field of
- The role of education in divided societies generally
- The relationship between education policy and educational practice
- Collaboration between schools and the role of social networks
- Issues related to educational leadership
Public outreach & key achievements
- www.schoolsworkingtogether.co.uk
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IYoOkDLX5A
- https://theconversation.com/lessons-for-israel-on-how-shared-education-can-bridge-divided-communities-35005
- My work has led to new legislation with the Shared Education Act (2016) making it a requirement on the
Department of Education and Education Authority to promote encourage and facilitate shared education in
Northern Ireland
Research students
PhD Title | Treatment of international students with disabilities or special education needs |
Name | Anne Rowan |
Country | Northern Ireland |
PhD Title | Higher education quality for Angolan Students |
Name | Carla Quieroz |
Country | Angola |
PhD Title | Evaluation of a special education programme in Malaysia |
Name | Aswandi Laman |
Country | Malaysia |
Alumni: Where are they now
PhD Title | Teachers experience of school collaboration |
Name | James Nelson |
Country | Northern Ireland |
Current Position | Lecturer in Queen’s University Belfast |
PhD Title | Social networks |
Name | Gareth Robinson |
Country | Northern Ireland |
Current Position | Researcher in Queen’s University Belfast |
PhD Title | Public achievement and youth empowerment in Palestine |
Name | Tareq AlBakri |
Country | Palestine |
Current Position | Working in an NGO in Qatar |
Discover More
- Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work
- Mitchell Institute