Alan Smithers
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Professor Alan Smithers, the distinguished educationist, is best known for his distinctive style of research, which leads to him often being called upon to comment on the issues of the day. His early experience in science led him to the view that educational researchers are wrong in aping the scientific paradigm. While science studies a relatively enduring reality, educational research often aims to capture a fast changing scene when accurate information needs to be got to policymakers and practitioners as quickly as possible. Having published over a hundred papers he came to the view that peer-reviewed journals are not the most appropriate medium for disseminating findings since they are too slow and directed at the wrong audience. He has concentrated on getting out results as quickly as possible through reports and the media. He guards against the bias from prior value positions to which educational research is vulnerable by drawing financial support from a plurality of funders.
Smithers was born in the East End of London on 20 May 1938, the son of a Billingsgate fish porter. He was educated at King's College London and the University of Bradford. Originally a research scientist he became actively involved in the processes of education when in the late 1960s University of London, where he lectured, began introducing modular degrees. This led to a secondment at the newly-elevated University of Bradford. There he re-qualified as a psychologist and progressed rapidly to become Senior Lecturer in Education in 1969. Since then he has successively occupied four chairs: at University of Manchester (1977-96); Brunel University (1996-98); University of Liverpool (where he was Sydney Jones Professor of Education, 1998-2004); and currently at the University of Buckingham (2004 to present).
Smithers’ applied approach and funding base has meant he is regularly directed to the educational issues that are uppermost in people’s minds. Among the areas with which his team have been associated have been physics education, international comparisons of educational achievement, headship, teacher recruitment and retention, the independent/state divide, gender, higher and further education, and qualifications and assessment.
He has published many influential books and reports, often in collaboration with Dr Pamela Robinson, including Physics in Schools and Colleges (2007), School Headship (2007), The Paradox of Single Sex and Coeducational Schooling (2006), England’s Education (2004), Attracting Teachers (2000), Further Education Reformed (2000), The Impact of Double Science (1994), General Studies (1993), Graduates in the Police Service (1990), Increasing Participation in Higher Education (1989), The Growth of Mixed A-Levels (1988), The Progress of Mature Students (1986) and Sandwich Courses: an Integrated Education? (1976).
Two of his reports were featured as Dispatches programmes on Channel 4, Every Child in Britain (1991) and All Our Futures: Britain’s Education Revolution (1993). He been a frequent commentator on the policies of successive governments. His reviews of Blair’s education have appeared in Anthony Seldon’s books, The Blair Effect: The Blair Government 1997-2001 (2001) and The Blair Effect 2001-2005 (2005).
While mainly a hands-on researcher he has served in a number of national roles including advising all three political parties, and the Commons all-party Education and Skills group. He is determinedly apolitical believing that close association with any one party compromises the objectivity of the research. Among others he has been a member of the National Curriculum Council, the Beaumont Review of National Vocational Qualifications and the Royal Society Committee on Teacher Supply.
