Centre for Commonwealth Education
The Centre for Commonwealth Education within the Faculty of Education is funded by the Commonwealth Education Trust (the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute). Over the period 2008-2010, the Centre is developing a programme of Leading Learning for School Improvement in the countries of the Commonwealth. The Centre's Director is Mike Younger, the Head of Faculty, and the Projects are directed and coordinated by Professor John MacBeath. The focus of the projects is upon educational leadership, the advancement of primary and secondary education, and teacher education in a range of countries from the Commonwealth of Nations.
Aims
The Centre for Commonwealth Education (CCE) aims to:
- Work with national policy-makers, school leaders and academics to impact directly upon policy and practice in classrooms, schools, networks and policy contexts, to help to develop further the capacity for learning within the countries of the Commonwealth;
- Identify centres of best practice in primary and secondary education in Commonwealth countries, to distil the essence of that practice and to work in collaboration with those centres to disseminate their good practice to others;
- Develop collaborative programmes to enhance educational leadership in Commonwealth countries, and to develop and run courses in educational leadership;
- Build up expertise on educational policy and practice, utilising where appropriate the areas of teaching and research expertise within the Faculty of Education, especially as they relate to the needs of Commonwealth countries;
- Develop policy and practice which is informed by research, and which is context-specific and appropriate for locally-based needs.
The Commonwealth Education Trust and the University have established the Centre within the Faculty to make a vibrant and long-term contribution to primary and secondary education, and to initial and continuing teacher education, throughout the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Education Trust also funds the Commonwealth Professorship of Education and Development, a Chair held within the Faculty of Education by Professor Christopher Colclough. Professor Colclough leads research which examines the impact of education on the lives and livelihoods of people in developing countries. Its purpose is to generate new knowledge to inform education and poverty reduction strategies in these countries.