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A Profile of Educate Together Schools

Researchers

Darmody,Merike / McCoy,Selina / Smyth,Emer

Recent years have seen a significant transformation in Irish society. Immigration has resulted in increased religious diversity while the proportion of people of secular beliefs and/or not affiliated to an institutional religion has increased significantly. These changes have implications for the education system. In spite of changes in the religious profile of the population, primary schools are predominantly denominational, chiefly Catholic, in ownership and management. However, there is growing demand for new types of school, centred on offering more inclusive and multi-denominational approaches to education. The multi-denominational Educate Together sector is one such response and has expanded rapidly since the first school was established in 1978. These schools provide a distinctive ethical education curriculum that reflects the culturally inclusive and democratic ethos of the sector. To date, very few empirical studies exist that explicitly deal with variation across school sectors (including Educate Together, Catholic and minority faith schools) in Ireland.

This study by Darmody, McCoy and Smyth, funded by Educate Together, focuses on the social, economic and educational characteristics of students enrolled in different kinds of primary schools, particularly Educate Together schools. In particular, it explores the composition of Educate Together schools, the social and economic background of students enrolled in these schools, prevalence of students with special educational needs, levels of parental involvement and children’s experiences of school.

EQUALSOC - Economic Change, Quality of Life and Social Cohesion - Network of Excellence

Researchers

Whelan, Christopher T / Maitre,Bertrand / O'Connell,Philip J / McGinnity,Frances / Smyth,Emer / Watson,Dorothy / Russell,Helen / Darmody,Merike / Layte,Richard / McCoy,Selina / Byrne,Delma / Calvert,Emma

The EQUALSOC EU Network of Excellence under the Sixth Framework commenced on 1 September 2005 under a five-year grant for integration from the European Commission. The network has thirteen member institutions, including the ESRI, in ten countries. The network is coordinated by Professor Robert Erikson of the Swedish Institute for Social Research. Chris Whelan of is as Chair of the Governing Council and ESRI Coordinator.

The objective is to construct a network of excellence that will mobilise and develop research expertise interdisciplinary expertise across Europe on the implications of economic change for social cohesion and the quality of life. The network will mobilize the expertise of the majority of the leading European researchers in the field, bringing together specialists with complementary knowledge to examine trends in, and the determinants of, social cohesion in the European societies. Drawing upon hitherto distinct research networks, it will create a new inter-disciplinary arena that will facilitate the transfer of knowledge between leading researchers, heighten the international visibility of European research and stimulate new lines of research to strengthen the evidence base available to policy makers.

The network is rooted in and develops the experience of the successful CHANGEQUAL EU Network project. The network will constitute a major resource centre both for the wider research community and for policy makers. Members of the network have a strong commitment to active dissemination of the results of research, as is reflected in their past contributions to both national and EU policy discussions. Dissemination will be a core activity of the network, taking advantage of the increasingly sophisticated nature of website provision to target specific audiences and making provision for workshops for EU policy makers.

Leaving School in Ireland: A Longitudinal Study.

Researchers

McCoy,Selina / Smyth,Emer / Banks,Joanne / Byrne,Delma

This is the first study to be conducted under the Leaving School in Ireland (LSI) programme of research. It is a major project on the post-school experiences of the cohort of young people who took part in the Post-Primary Longitudinal Study (PPLS). These young people, who were first contacted on entry to second-level education in 2002, left school in either 2007 or 2008 (depending on whether they took the Transition Year Programme).

The study commenced in Sept 2009 and the research has two main components.

1. A survey of this cohort of young people in Autumn/Winter 2009, collecting information on their participation in education and training and their labour market experiences.
2. In-depth interviews with 40-50 of these young people in Spring/Summer 2010. This will allow us to explore in much greater detail the influences on young people’s post-school choices and pathways.

The study, unique in the Irish context, will allow us to address a range of central policy questions, including:

1. How do young people make decisions about post-school options? What role do their school experiences play in their choices?
2. Are qualifications the only thing that matters? Or do literacy skills, self-confidence and work experience acquired while at school help in accessing employment?
3. Does second-level education prepare young people for post-school education and training, work and adult life?

For more information visit the LSI Programme page,

Parental views on the transition to senior cycle

Researchers

Smyth,Emer / Byrne,Delma

The longitudinal study of second-level students has indicated the importance of parents in helping students make key educational choices as they move through the post-primary system. However, relatively little is known about the information flow between the school and parents regarding such choices. This study, funded by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, explores parental perspectives on the transition of students to senior cycle. It involves a survey of parents along with in-depth qualitative interviews. It explores parental awareness of different programme and subject options, their perceptions of the adequacy of the information they have received from the school and other sources, and their views on their child’s adjustment to senior cycle education. This study will provide a vital complement to the information provided by the student cohort.

Primary school outcomes: a European study

Researchers

Smyth,Emer / McCoy,Selina / Byrne,Delma

This study examines the impact of primary school factors on student outcomes across a range of European countries. It is designed to inform national and European policy makers about effective practices at system (country), school and classroom level. The three year study will involve a survey of teachers and students within primary schools, focusing on practices relating to mathematics and science. The research is being carried out in Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovenia, and is led by Professor Bert Creemers, an international expert in school effectiveness. As well as contributing to the comparative European study, the Irish team will focus in particular on the impact of school composition on student outcomes. The Irish part of the study is being funded by the IRCHSS under the auspices of the ESF Eurocores Programme.

Religious education in a multicultural society: School and home in comparative context (REMC)

Researchers

Smyth,Emer / Darmody,Merike

The REMC study explores the transmission of religious beliefs and values through the education system and the family across different EU country contexts. The two-year study is funded through the EU Seventh Framework Programme and co-ordinated by the ESRI.

The study uses both primary research and secondary analysis of existing data sources. Secondary analysis is used to identify different models of how religious belief is treated in diverse educational systems. Located within this broad overview, interviews with teachers, parents and students are currently being carried out in primary schools in Belgium (Flanders), Germany, Ireland, Malta, and Scotland, countries with very different religious compositions and educational systems.

This innovative project will contribute to the conceptualisation of religious socialisation within multicultural settings and to policy development in the educational arena by highlighting the role of religion in school choice as well as potential tensions between home and school regarding religious formation and practice.

ESRI researchers Emer Smyth and Merike Darmody lead a team comprising Kathleen Lynch & Maureen Lyons (UCD), Sheila Riddell (University of Edinburgh), Jaap Dronkers (EUI Florence), Ides Nicaise (HIVA, Leuven), Mary Darmanin (University of Malta) and Bert Roebben (Dortmund University).

Second-Level Students: A Longitudinal Study

Researchers

Smyth, Emer / McCoy, Selina / Darmody, Merike / Calvert,Emma / Dunne, Allison

An on-going longitudinal study of second-level students, the first of its kind in the Irish context, explores (changes in) student attitudes to school and school subjects and the way in which their attitudes reflect gender and social background differences as well as differences in school settings. To date, three books have been published on the findings of this research: Moving Up. The Experiences of First-Year Students in Post-Primary Education,  Pathways Through the Junior Cycle and Gearing Up for the Exam.

The study is currently focusing on the factors influencing student transition to senior cycle. The study is being funded by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the Gender Equality Unit of the Department of Education and Science.  

The school of the future

Researchers

Smyth,Emer / Darmody,Merike

Basic school design has remained largely unchanged in spite of significant changes in the curriculum, teaching methods, and use of information technology. The key objective of this project is to assess the implications for primary school building design of current and anticipated future developments in teaching and learning methods, tools and technologies. The project will involve a systematic review of international experience regarding these issues, and interviews with key educational stakeholders as well as with a selection of school principals and teachers. The study is being funded by the Department of Education and Science.