BERA launched the Education: The State of the Discipline initiative in 2019 to offer a comprehensive account of the state of education as an academic discipline, as a field of practice, and as a pivotal element of social and political policy across the four nations of the UK. By providing stakeholders with research evidence, the initiative aimed to empower them in their advocacy for education research and education researchers.

Drawing on the conclusions of five research projects commissioned by BERA as part of the initiative, this statement offers a BERA view on the strengths of education as an academic discipline, including its outstanding impact and outputs, and the challenges it faces, from significant structural inequalities to a deterioration in working conditions for the majority of education researchers over time.

Solutions to these challenges require collaboration and collective effort from governments, funders, university leadership, educational researchers, and organisations such as BERA. BERA launched this first State of the Discipline initiative as part of its aim to support education researchers, education research and education more generally. BERA is now establishing practical actions to continue the work needed to address these challenges.