Notes from a small island: Reflecting on the impact of diversity on Irish educational provision in the 21st Century

Notes from a small island: Reflecting on the impact of diversity on Irish educational provision in the 21st Century’

Over the past thirty years, Ireland, like much of Europe, has undergone profound demographic change, with migration, mobility, and shifting cultural identities reshaping the fabric of its schools and communities. Within this evolving context, questions around the definition and measurement of quality in education have assumed increasing importance.

In response, my work has explored how these questions can be reconceptualised through a culturally responsive lens, providing a framework by which educational quality and equity can be assessed in ways that respect and affirm diversity. What began as an exploration of how school systems define and operationalise quality has developed into a focus on how embedding cultural responsiveness within school inspection and evaluation changes how we understand ourselves as educators.

This work has gradually expanded into broader domains, including leadership, initial teacher education, and student voice, reflecting the multiple dimensions of cultural responsivity now recognised as essential to educational provision. These themes, developed and refined over the course of a career spent observing and contributing to Irish education from “a small island,” highlight not only the challenges but also the transformative opportunities diversity has brought to 21st-century schooling.

Joe O’Hara • DCU Institute of Education, Irlanda

Full Professor of Education and is a member of the School of Policy and Practice in the DCU Institute of Education. He is Director of EQI- The Centre for Evaluation, Quality and Inspection and an Affiliate Faculty Member of the Centre for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Joe O’Hara is a Past President of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland and was a member of the Teaching Council of Ireland from 2012-2016. He was was Head of the School of Education Studies, DCU from 2010 to 2016. Joe O’Hara was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Personal Services Overseas (APSO) from 2002-2004 and represented Ireland on the Council of the European Educational Research Association from 2008 to 2013. He was also President of EERA from 2018 -2023. He is a Director and Founding Member of the Irish Evaluation Network and is a member of the Board of the Centre for Talented Youth, Ireland. Joe O’Hara is a President the European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities and is President-Elect of the World Educational Research Association.