- Read more: Problem Solving in Irish Mathematics Classrooms: Supporting teachers to implement curriculum reform
This paper considers why mathematics curriculum reforms have not translated into changes in classroom practice in Ireland and highlights the systemic barriers teachers face when attempting to incorporate problem solving into their classrooms. We argue for the provision of high-quality, sustained professional development alongside purposefully designed educative curriculum materials (ECMs) to support teachers with enacting…
- Read more: Beyond access: Inclusive work placements and transitions from higher education to employment
Widening access to higher education is only part of the challenge. This paper shows why equitable participation in work placements for students with disabilities requires coordinated action across higher education institutions, employers, professional bodies and policymakers
- Read more: Against the Odds: How Community Education supports Lone Parents to fulfil their potential
Drawing on the experience of 8 community education providers in Ireland, this paper explores the impact of community education on lone parents who often face disproportionate risks of poverty and social exclusion, with recommendations for policy development and service improvements to enable lone parents to take up further education, training and employment.
- Read more: Who Do We Hear? Rethinking Music in Diverse Schools
Drawing on research in significantly diverse Irish classrooms, this paper discusses the role of music in schools to facilitate spaces of belonging, agency and inclusion. It highlights that relational teaching, collaborative pedagogical approaches and sensitive handling of religious and cultural diversity are essential for fostering meaningful participation and school community.
- Read more: The Effects of Investment in Education and Training on Productivity Growth in the European Union
Published in The Review of Income and Wealth, this paper analyzes on-the-job training’s impacts on labor productivity growth. Findings show that investment in job training does improve labor productivity growth, both directly and indirectly. Effects are strongest in industries with strong complementarities with organizational capital.
- Read more: Analysing the Role of Ireland’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Implementing the ‘ESD to 2030’ Policy
This paper examines Ireland’s Second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) – ESD to 2030 – in light of the role played by Irish HEIs in its incorporation and implementation. This paper argues that HEIs can meaningfully contribute in furthering ESD policy objectives as ‘intermediate policymakers’ with the right infrastructure, resources and support…
- Read more: How Universities in Ireland Can Enhance Student Attendance, Attainment, and Belonging
This paper examines why belonging matters in a university context, outlines research findings analysing staff views on improving students’ belonging, and concludes with key policy recommendations.
- Read more: The long-term impact of investing in early life parenting programmes in Ireland
This paper summarises the results from the Age 14 follow-up of Preparing for Life, a prenatal to age 5 home visiting programme operating in Dublin. The results demonstrate sustained programme effects nearly a decade after the intervention ended. Adolescents in the high-treatment group exhibited significantly higher cognitive skills, superior working memory, fewer attention problems, and…
- Read more: Ethnicity and Migration in Children’s School Lives
This policy paper focuses on migration and ethnicity in children’s school lives, the third in a three-part series on Equalities produced from the CSL study. Irish primary schools are becoming increasingly diverse, reflecting wider changes in Irish society. CSL has tracked the impact of this diversity on children’s learner identities, aspirations, engagement, wellbeing, and sense…
- Read more: Wellbeing in Children’s School Lives – The Importance of Belonging
Framed by Seligman’s (2011) PERMA model of wellbeing and OECD indicators (OECD 2019; 2024), this policy brief concentrates on the ‘R’ for Relationships (Belonging) within the PERMA framework. Drawing insights from the comprehensive report, this policy brief underscores the importance of relationships and belonging which emerged as key indicators of wellbeing.
