Role of the University

University College Cork (UCC) is well placed to co-ordinate Bridging the Gap.The leading role played by UCC makes a critical contribution to Bridging the Gap in a number of important areas, notably:

·          The university provides an overview of research and practice in the educational disadvantage area as a basis for the innovative developments and continuing research within Bridging the Gap

·          UCC has a high level of credibility in the fields of education and community development, both inCorkand nationally

·          The university’s autonomy in the design and implementation of Bridging the Gap enables it to form links with, and add value to, other local and national initiatives and projects, for the benefit of the participating schools

·          The university is uniquely positioned to support and enable education professionals who want to change their practice and improve the experiences of learners in their communities.

The university supports the participating schools and communities by building their capacity to create sustainable approaches to educational inclusion. The supports provided by the university to the project schools include, for example:

·          Focussed advice on strategic planning and goal setting for individual school projects

·          Professional development for teachers and principals

·          Action learning for participants, through peer learning networks

·          Dissemination of best practice models of delivery, based on research findings

·          Guidance for specific research projects