Making the Case for Change: the Future of Research at LKMco

The LKMco team came together on a hot July afternoon to talk about the future of research at LKMco. We discussed the importance of telling the stories of young people and those who work with them to make the case for change, including those marginalised groups who might otherwise be forgotten. We agreed that polarisation in education rarely benefits anyone and instead want to shine a light on nuance and complexity to bring together those with different points of view and help them move on.

We were excited, if a little daunted, about the topics we want to pursue, for example: children’s equal access to opportunities, such as residentials and cultural enrichment; the opportunities EdTech offers the sector; and the impact of funding cuts and social inequality on marginalised young people. We have an appetite to revisit previous research, such as our SEND and teacher workforce reports, to continue the conversation further, and we want to pursue relationships with a range of partner organisations to broaden our audience. We also talked about how we could equip policymakers and those in education with the tools to make better decisions.

We go forward acknowledging the need to consider what we need to stand for and value, the importance of challenging our own and others’ assumptions and that at the heart of what we do is the drive for social justice.

This is the start of the conversation about what we want to research in the future at LKMco and how we want to do it. If you want to be part of that conversation, please do get in touch by emailing [email protected].