Launched in November 2013, within the University of Glasgow in Scotland, the Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change aims to promote more equitable education and higher education systems through theory-driven, applied research underpinned by a commitment to the principles of social justice and lifelong learning.
The Centre will work with academics and policymakers globally in order to research, develop, and refine policies to improve access, aspiration and achievement of disadvantaged children and students both locally and internationally.
Speaking with the BBC recently, Centre Director Professor Christopher Chapman, an academic with a history of research focused on the interaction between educational policy and practice, said the Centre’s launch was “a significant milestone” and “should be seen as a major step forward in international thinking and best practice.”
The Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change joins a host of existing student equity research focused centres, including the NCSEHE, the Continuum Research Centre based at the University of East London, Equity Alliance in the United States, and the Wales Centre for Equity in Education based at the University of Wales.
Robert Owen (1771-1858) was a visionary social and educational reformer who combined ideas from the enlightenment with his own experiences of the Industrial Revolution to produce a series of essays outlining A New View of Society. Primarily these publications argued for deep social change with a focus on education at its core.
