About CPELL

History

The Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning was established in 1993 (as the Educational Outcomes Research Unit).  It was created to undertake research into unequal patterns of student achievement and the process underlying these patterns.  From the beginning, the research unit has been concerned both to measure differences in the benefits students gain from school (and fail to gain) and their own perspectives and findings on the experience of school.

There was also a commitment to making an impact on patterns of unequal achievement and to improving the quality of school experience.  Since the late-1990s, the unit has extended its work to include vocational education and training, both school-based and in the tertiary sector and adult education, particularly in the community sector.  In both these settings, the research emphasis has remained on researching benefits, explaining differences in the share of these, and seeking to influence both the quality and the distribution of benefits.  Since 2003, the work of the Centre has been further extended to include econometrical modelling of relationships between student outcomes and resources, school and family characteristics and location and size of schools, and evaluation of equity and access funded programs.

Overall values and Objectives

Research conducted by the group:

• has a strong theoretical base in social science research, identifying and investigating predominant patterns or trends in participation, achievement and destinations
• elucidates and analyses how education and training systems work for different populations
• is policy focussed, providing a guide to formulation and implementation of public policy
• extends across all sectors of education and training in Australia. Projects have international components
• attaches priority to timely dissemination of results to end users. In addition to system reports data are returned to providers in the form of confidential reports

Networks and Collegial Links

CPELL has fostered networks and collegial links with a range of other research centres both in Australia – NCVER, National Institute of Labour Studies, University of Southern Queensland, The University of Canberra -  and internationally.  International centres include:

• Institute of Education, University of London
• Centre for Educational Sociology, University of Edinburgh
• Institut de Recherche en Économie de l'Éducation, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon
• Centre de Sociologie Européenne, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris
• NIFU/STEP, Oslo