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Dr Andrew Townsend

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences

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Biography

Andy Townsend is Associate Professor in Educational Leadership in the School of Education. He is interested in a range of issues of relevance to educational leadership including, but not limited to: educational change; practitioner and institutional development; educational leadership and educational networks. He is especially interested in the participatory features of these aspects of leadership, including interest in participatory approaches to both research and change. He is a member of a number of professional associations including: CARN, the Collaborative Action Research Network (for whom he acted as the Academic Director of the 2006 Annual Conference) and the British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society (BELMAS). He is also one of the editors of the journal Educational Action Research and has previously edited the 2007 CARN bulletin and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) resource packs. His current academic career followed a period of work as an educational consultant supporting, researching and evaluating various educational development initiatives. Over his period as a researcher and evaluator Andrew has worked on sixteen different research projects, seven of which he acted as principal investigator. The interests which have guided his work as a consult and academic are informed by his experience as a teacher of science over a period of nine years.

Research Summary

Andy's research interests cover a range of areas in education. His methodological interests are especially concerned with participatory approaches to research but also in using mixed methods in… read more

Recent Publications

Principal areas of interest for research supervision include:

  • The management and leadership of education.
  • Participatory approaches to change and research including: Action Research, participant voice and practitioner research.
  • Professional, practitioner and institutional networks.
  • Individual and organisational development and change.
  • School improvement.

Current Research

Andy's research interests cover a range of areas in education. His methodological interests are especially concerned with participatory approaches to research but also in using mixed methods in education. He is a member of the Teachers work and Lives subgroup of the Centre for Research in Schools and Communities. His doctoral study, concluded in 2010, was entitled 'Educational Action Research Networks as Participatory Interventions' and was concerned with studying the ways in which schools, which promoted practitioner research, worked together in networks. Some other projects have included:

  • New localism and school collaboration. Funded by the University of Leicester.
  • Evaluation of the Schools Self Review Framework. Funded by Becta.
  • 14-19 Deep Learning? Funded by Becta.
  • Evaluation of teacher postgraduate professional development. Supported with funds from the Teacher Development Agency by the University of Warwick.
  • Establishing the methodology and negotiating the contract for the Evaluation of the Primary Specialist Schools Pilot which was Funded by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.
  • The Evaluation of the Implementation and Effect of the Consistency Management and Cooperative Discipline Initiative.
  • Practitioner Research and Enquiry in Networked Learning Communities. With The University of Cambridge, School of Education. Funded by the National College for School Leadership.
  • The Evaluation of the East Midlands Regional CPD partnership. Funded by the East Midlands Regional CPD Partnership.
  • Leicester Boys Action Research Project. Funded by the Neighborhood Renewal Fund, Leicester City.
  • The Primary Schools Learning Network.
  • Evaluation of the Schools Development Support Agency.
  • TOWNSEND, A, 2010. Why write about action research? Action Researcher in Education. 1
  • TOWNSEND, A., 2010. Leadership and Educational Networks. In: BUSH, T., BELL, L. and MIDDLEWOOD, D., eds., The Principles of Educational Leadership. Sage.
  • TOWNSEND, A., 2010. Action Research. In: HARTAS, D, ed., Educational Research and Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Continuum. 131-145
  • HOBSON, A. and TOWNSEND, A., 2010. Interviews as Research Method(s).. In: HARTAS, D, ed., Educational Research and Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Continuum.. 223-238
  • DAY, C and TOWNSEND, A, 2009. Practitioner Action Research: Building and Sustaining Success Through Networked Learning Communities. In: SOMEKH, B and NOFKE, S, eds., The Sage Handbook of Educational Action Research Sage. 178-189
  • TOWNSEND, A, 2007. Participation and Change, the Common Concerns of Action Research. In: TOWNSEND, A, ed., Differing Perceptions of the Participative Elements of Action Research 12. CARN.. 1-3
  • TOWNSEND, A, 2007. Researching in networks, the views of practitioners. In: MCLAUGHLIN, C, BLACK-HAWKINS, K., MCINTYRE, D, and TOWNSEND, A, eds., Networking Practitioner Research: The Effective Use of Networks in Educational Research Routledge.
  • HARRIS, A and TOWNSEND, A, 2007. Developing leaders for tomorrow: releasing system potential School Leadership and Management. 27(2), 167-177
  • DAY, C and TOWNSEND, A, 2007. Dealing With Ethical Issues for Consultants in Complex Collaborative Action Research Settings: Tensions and Dilemmas. In: CAMPBELL, A and GROUNDWATER-SMITH, S, eds., An Ethical Approach to Practitioner Research Routledge. 42-62

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