Alexandra Lyons

On a mission to use evaluation for good in education. Outreach Eval & Research Manager (Imperial College London), School Gov, Churchill Fellow 23. Views my own

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Team @Wonkhe, I hope you’re ready for an influx of article pitches!

Thanks for a thought-provoking, jam-packed 2 days

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Sad to say goodbye to an excellent #festivalofhe at the lovely @UoLondon

Emerging theme on connections— how can we…
-link access & on-course support?
-ensure data is in service of the important questions?
-help unis connect to communities?
-co-create with students & partners?

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

How can unis prepare students for a changing world? @Wonkhe #FestivalofHE

Shifting focus from deep knowledge to wide, adaptable skills seems uncontroversial in higher ed. However, schools (particularly Ofsted) are still thinking “knowledge rich curriculum”-difficult mismatch

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Should we have a student support excellence framework? Great start to day 2 @Wonkhe #FestivalofHE

Also need to consider how access initiatives can better link to on course support- I can’t wait to dive in to my @ChurchillFship research to see how progs in NZ & USA tackle this

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Great session on the Lifelong Learning Entitlement with @dkernohan & @JackieNjoroge9. How can we regulate when a good outcome is different for every learner? What can we learn from the US transfer system? Real opportunity to rethink outcomes & learner-focused ed #FestivalofHE

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Youell’s Law: the expectations that we have of data double every year.

Great talk on the State of the Data Nation with @AndyYouell at @Wonkhe’s Festival of Higher Ed

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Can’t believe @Wonkhe Festival of Higher Education has already surpassed expectations - festival socks!!

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

“The audience who loves tables is feeling like their question isn’t being answered.”

If your audience wants tables, think again about what they want to get from the data. You can always keep old ways of reporting + add new visuals.

Great live session today with @storywithdata

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

There is still time to apply for a @ChurchillFship!

Fantastic, fully-funded research opportunity for anyone, in any area of work in the UK who has ever noticed a challenge and thought, "I wonder how people in other countries tackle this?"

Deadline 14 Nov https://t.co/9cBIjeYk6d

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Highlights from the Black British Voices survey by @Cambridge_Uni & @TheVoiceNews:
-95% think UK curriculum neglects Black experiences
-41% “definitely” believe discrimination is main barrier to academic attainment for young Black people

Full report: https://t.co/rTRHt4rTe0

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Myth: area-based metrics (eg IMD) are just poor proxies for individual info

Fact: individual data (eg FSM) is still a proxy & doesn't tell the whole story

Disadvantage is complex - family, school & neighbourhood all play a part. A nuanced definition requires a basket of metrics

[Higher Education Policy Institute @HEPI_news]

New Post: Do area-based measures have a place in widening participation activity? https://t.co/W4s57PGLnL

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

I'm looking for a data systems guru to join my team for a year 👇

You'll support #Outreach at Imperial to manage data & access insights about our programmes. It's also a unique chance to dig into CRM development, supporting our shift to a new system

https://t.co/vseM3voWqg

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

71% of parents of state school children in England say they would need help to support their child with a university application.

Interesting results from polling with Public First & the Brilliant Club, with 1,000+ parents surveyed

[The Brilliant Club @BrilliantClub]

Parents’ attitudes to university | We worked with @megcprice and the team at Public First to poll attitudes towards university to better understand the challenges that parents are facing across the UK.🧵https://t.co/PE1P2wsk1e

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Key point from @bakerdphd:

Who do we think of as the DEFAULT student?
Who is CENTRED when we think about dining hall hours, accommodation options, courses, etc?
What does it mean to think about INSTITUTIONS that are ready for STUDENTS, instead of students that are ready for uni?

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

After the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action, what are the big challenges in US university #admissions?

Excellent @HGSE webinar – insightful look at the policy picture across the pond for anyone in #wideningparticipation in the UK

Recording: https://t.co/DeLRxpk9aV

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

"It's important that we understand the purpose behind measuring- what is it? Is it to make the system feel better about what it does? ...Or is it to actually support & improve & move that learner forward?" @tjgolding

Strong parallels between schools/Ofsted & uni access/OfS

[James Mannion @RethinkingJames]

🔥 New episode of #repod 🔥

"We are indoctrinated to seek accreditation and reward and acknowledgement. Is it not just enough to BE?"

Listen to Cat Place (@catrplace) and Ty Golding (@tjgolding) on the Curriculum for Wales: https://t.co/Ta3nsQWZ7l

#podcast #edutwitter

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

@DattaJon @EduDetective @ingram_nicola @JBEgglenton @TheCfEY @suttontrust @FFTEduDatalab @EducEndowFoundn Ah great, thanks for sharing- “maths anxiety” seems like a useful key term here

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Recently read something about white working class boys & #maths, suggesting they're more likely to hide it when they don't understand concepts

Know the source/seen similar?

@EduDetective @ingram_nicola @JBEgglenton @DattaJon @TheCfEY @suttontrust @FFTEduDatalab @EducEndowFoundn

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Enjoyed today's @Bright_Tweets webinar, including reflections on outcomes frameworks, plus insights from @UniofBath on the wave 1 APP process & APP #evaluation ideas from HEAT

Takeaway: drafting an APP or theory of change requires a tricky balance of strategic + operational

[Alexandra Lyons @AlitheLyon]

Highly recommend “Nice White Parents” @serial podcast from @chanajoffewalt

Story of ongoing attempts at reform & equality in NYC schools. Relevant to UK school context- great reminder of the power held, for better or worse, by middle class white parents

https://t.co/1gvFCg35Oc