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Today, the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D., welcomed the members of the first Board of the Educational Research Centre (ERC) at its inaugural meeting.

Minister Bruton said: “Today marks a key milestone for the ERC. I am delighted to welcome this team of educationalists to lead the ERC. The strategic vision of the Board will allow the ERC to maintain its reputation as a centre of excellence in research, assessment and evaluation in education, as well as to uphold the highest standards of governance.”

Minister Bruton added “The launch today by the ERC of a report into performance in English Reading and Mathematics highlights the importance of the work of the ERC to education policy in Ireland. The report will help inform policy-making by my Department in the coming years.”

“One of the three goals prioritised in the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 is to break cycles of disadvantage and ensure that every person has an opportunity to fulfil their potential. Before the end of the year I will publish an Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. Research by the ERC will feed into the development of this Action Plan. The Plan will seek to help DEIS Schools achieve higher skills, better progression and clear pathways. The implementation of such a plan will assist the achievement of the vision for Ireland’s Education and Training system to become the best in Europe over the next decade.”

“The ERC has a key role providing an assessment support service to schools. At the request of the Department, the ERC will be involved in a significant project in the months ahead to modernise the available tests for schools.”

The Minister wished the new Board well in its important role.


Information Note:

The ERC at Saint Patrick’s College Drumcondra was founded in the 1960s and is responsible for conducting research, assessment and evaluation in education. In view of its strategic importance, the Government established the ERC as an independent statutory agency of the Department of Education and Skills in September 2015 under section 54 of the Education Act, 1998.

The ERC carries out research and provides advice and support to several bodies including the Department and Inspectorate, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the State Examinations Commission and the National Council for Special Education.

The main responsibilities of the ERC are to:
· Provide an assessment support service to schools and centres for education (including the development and provision of standardised tests and other assessment instruments) and
· Conduct independent research on all aspects of education and at all levels of the education system including research that will inform policy making and the improvement of educational standards.

The ERC undertakes several major national surveys and international comparative studies on behalf of the Department, such as Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), as well the National Assessments of English Reading and Mathematics.

The ERC is also involved in other major research projects for the Department, including:
· Research project linked to the design of the alternative allocation model for Special Educational Needs (SEN) resources The ERC is providing analysis and support to the Special Education Section of the Department and the National Council for Special Education on the most effective ways in which the needs of schools for SEN resources can be most effectively identified and allocated.
· Evaluations on the effectiveness of the DEIS programme (2016 round). Evaluations by the ERC and the Department’s Inspectorate were included in the DEIS Action Plan since the establishment of DEIS in 2006. The ERC assisted in the original identification of DEIS schools and has ERC conducted baseline and subsequent surveys of achievement in DEIS schools. These have demonstrated sustained improvement in the achievement of pupils in DEIS schools. The most recent round of these surveys, in maths and reading in 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th classes in took place earlier in 2016 and will be analysed and published in 2017.
· The use of standardised tests at school level makes an important contribution to ensuring the progress of students is assessed and reported to parents and improved over time. Research undertaken by the Department’s Inspectorate, to be published shortly, shows that the need to modernise the available tests for schools. This will be one of the significant tasks to be undertaken by the ERC in the months ahead.

The Board members are:
· Dr. Pauric Travers, Chairperson of the Board, is a former President of St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra and Chair of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
· Dr. Denise Burns, deputy Chairperson, currently Senior Researcher, Institute of Education, DCU and a former Principal of Sancta Maria College, Rathfarnham.
· Dr. Jude Cosgrove is currently a Senior Statistical Analyst with the Institute of Public Health and is a former Research Associate at the ERC. She will be serving on the board of the ERC in her personal capacity.
· Prof. Michael Martin is a Research Professor at Lynch School of Education in Boston College, USA.
· Mr. Edward Murtagh is a former head of the schools inspectorate in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and former Assistant Chief Inspector at the Department of Education and Skills.


The ERC is also launching the 2014 National Assessments of English Reading and Mathematics Volume 2: Context Report at this event.