To celebrate Black History Month, throughout October the British Educational Research Association (BERA) will be highlighting a range of noteworthy contributions in our latest work promoting race, diversity, and equity in education. 

Presidential Address: Championing Educational Research

We are pleased to release Dr Marlon Moncrieffe’s inaugural presidential address.

The keynote at BERA Conference 2024 is particularly significant as BERA welcomes Dr Moncrieffe, our first Black president, a milestone in our organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. The presidential address, which highlights key issues in education and research, reflects BERA’s dedication to fostering a more equitable academic environment.

Black History Month Video Series

As part of Black History Month 2024, BERA is releasing a series of three videos, recorded at the 2024 BERA Annual Conference and WERA Focal Meeting, featuring the voices and insights of Black BERA members. These videos address critical issues related to Black colleagues in educational research and represent an important step in our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field.

The question asked in the first video is:

What are the main challenges facing Black colleagues in educational research?

Our colleagues explore systemic barriers, structural inequities, and the day-to-day challenges that continue to affect Black researchers.

The question asked in the second video is:

What progress has been made to celebrate and support Black colleagues’ excellence in Educational Research

Our colleagues explore the strides taken and the work that still needs to be done to create a more inclusive and equitable academic landscape

The question asked in the third video is:

Looking to the future, what are your hopes for Black Educational Researchers?

We invite all members of the educational research community to engage with these videos, reflect on the insights shared, and continue the conversation about how we can collectively support Black researchers. By listening to their experiences and perspectives, we can better understand the work that lies ahead in creating a more equitable and inclusive field.

The BERA Guide to Decolonising the Curriculum

Equity and Inclusion in Educational Research and Practice

Now available to pre-order!

Pre-order from the Emerald Bookstore. BERA members receive a 40% discount. Click here for code.

The call for decolonising curriculum knowledge comes from across public and academic voices and educational organisations. Led by international educationalists across all phases of education, The BERA Guide to Decolonising the Curriculum is a powerful evocation, direction and call to action for epistemological equity in knowledge production, teaching and learning.

The chapters draw on significant international literature from across the fields of decoloniality, race, gender, history, sociology and philosophy, and real-world cases, with multiple examples from international academic leaders, academics and teachers to address concerns about the ideological and political orientation of educational policy discourse bounded by Eurocentric epistemology.

Published in partnership between the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and Emerald Publishing, The BERA Guides are short, research-informed yet accessible introductions to key, interdisciplinary topics impacting education research and practice for a broad academic audience.

As we celebrate Black History Month, we are reminded of the importance of recognizing and amplifying the contributions of Black educators and researchers within the educational community.

Since launching our Race Equality Policy in 2021, we’ve proudly shared annual progress updates with our membership at the BERA AGM. Three years on we will have reviewed and updated the policy tt enure it reflects current standards and demonstrates best practice. This updated policy will soon be presented to Council for approval and unveiled at the AGM on 26th November—marking another step forward in our ongoing commitment to diversity,equity and inclusion.