Originally a primary teacher, Lynn also taught at secondary and higher education levels in Mauritius and Malaysia as well as UK before moving into teacher education. She joined the University of Birmingham in 1985 and became Director of the Centre for International Education and Research in 1996. Key research, teaching and consultancy interests have been in education management internationally, particularly in areas of citizenship, equity, children’s rights and student democracy. She has experience in Angola, Bosnia, the Gambia, Kosovo, Palestine, Malawi and Sri Lanka. She was a trustee of UNICEF UK for 6 years, and also served on their management committee. She has worked closely with UNESCO, conducting a global review of their Associated Schools in 2000 and chairing the UK Associated Schools Steering Group for 5 years.
Currently, Lynn’s key focus is on education and conflict and extremism, and she has published and lectured widely on this. She helped in the development of Sri Lanka’s National Policy on Education for Peace and Social Cohesion, and continues to assist with evaluation of the impact of the policy. In UK, she works with police and local government agencies on preventing violent extremism and on mentoring those at risk of radicalisation. She also works with UNICEF on children’s rights; with British Council as a senior advisor on governance; and with GIZ and European Training Foundation on capacity development in fragile contexts.
Work on extremism has led to an interest in religion and education. She is working with OSCE on the production of guidelines for teachers in countering Islamophobia in schools and with colleagues in Israel and Palestine on an international edited collection on Gender, Religion and Education. A book is in preparation on Secularism, Security and Schooling which makes the case for an inclusive secularism as best promoting security and religious freedom.
Recent Research
2010 Evaluation of 1-2-1 Mentoring Project for mentoring those at risk of violent radicalisation; evaluation of materials for schools on preventing violent extremism (West Midlands Police)
2010 Evaluation of GTZ’s programmes on peace and social cohesion in Sri Lanka, as part of a six country study on education and conflict
2008-9 Education in Emergencies and Risk Reduction for Vulnerable Groups. Research for UNICEF South Asia region. Eight country study (Nepal, Pakistan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan). LD conducted the field work for the Nepal study
2009 Research review Capacity Development for Education Systems in Fragile Contexts (ETF/GTZ); presentations in Istanbul, Berlin and Turin
2006-8 Action Research for School improvement in post-conflict Angola (CfBt). Launch in the House of Lords.
2004-7 London Secondary School Councils Action Research Project (Esmee Fairburn)
2005-6 Research review for Carnegie on Impact of Student Participation in Decision Making. Three separate volumes on their website.
2004-5 Research consultancy to conduct a survey of Teacher Motivation in Egypt (USAID funded)
2002-5 Action research in The Gambia on Education for Democracy , Production of two manuals, for teacher trainers and for inspectors (CfBT funded )
2002-4 Research project for DFID on Global Citizenship: The Needs of Teachers and Learners
2002-3 Global Review for UNESCO of 50 years of their their Associated Schools programme. Presentations in Paris, Berlin and Auckland
2000-2 Research for DFID to evaluate the impact of their support to the Decentralisation of the Malawi education system
2000 Research project on Pupil Democracy in Europe (Gulbenkian/NSPCC)
Recent Consultancy
2010-11 Preparation of a manual for combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims in education (OSCE/ODIHR)
2010-11 Situational analysis synthesis for INEE of Education and Fragility in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia and Liberia
2010 Consultancy to UNESCO to write thinkpiece on Education and Conflict in preparation for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report
2009 Consultancy to UNICEF CEE/CIS on a Rights Based Approach to Education for Roma groups; preparation of briefing paper
2007 Work with Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka, on the development and implementation of a National policy on social cohesion and peace education (GTZ supported); piloting of manual on Monitoring and Evaluation of Learning to Live Together
2006 Advisory work with Solomon Islands School of Education (on gender, social studies, conflict), as part of 3 years Upgrading of teacher education project (funded New Zealand Aid)
2004-6 Member of Expert Panel for UNESCO/IBE on Monitoring the Impact of Peace Education
2004 Advising on establishment and accreditation of British University in Dubai Institute of Education.
2003 Writing of curriculum for the new College for International Citizenship in areas of peace, violence and conflict
2002 Management training for education officials from UNRWA in UK and in Jordan on areas of performance management and education in conflict
2001 Consultant to EC/TAER Education Reform Project in Bosnia-Herzegovina, advising on curriculum harmonisation
2000 Consultant to Ministry of Education, Palestine, on the integration of gender into policy and planning (part of DFID project)
2000-2 Consultant to British Council on Education in Kosovo
Davies, L (2011) Understanding Education’s Role in Fragility: Synthesis of four situational analyses of education and fragility: Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cambodia, Liberia. IIEP Research Reports, Paris: UNESCO http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001915/191504E.pdf
Davies, L. and Spalek, B. (2010) Key Evaluation Findings of the West Midlands 1-2-1 Mentoring Project
Davies, L. (2009) (with C.Harber, M.Schweisfurth, H.Yamashita, C.Williams) Educating in Emergencies in South Asia: Reducing the Risks facing Vulnerable Children CIER/ UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/rosa/Report1.pdf
Davies, L. (2008) Educating Against Extremism Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books
Davies, L. (2007) School Councils: School Improvement. Report of Action Research project
Davies, L. (2007) ‘Our Schools, Our Changes, Our Future’: Base-line Primary Education Research in Angola Report to CfBT
Davies, L., Williams, C and Yamashita, H. (2006) Inspiring Schools: Impact and Outcomes: Taking Up the Challenge of Pupil Participation Review for Carnegie Young People Initiative
Davies, L., Harber, C. and Schweisfurth, M. (2005) Democratic Professional Development: a Guidebook for supervisors and inspectors of education Centre for International Education and Research, Birmingham
Davies, L. (2004) Global Citizenship: The Needs of Teachers and Learners Report of DFID funded project
Davies, L. (2004) Conflict and Education: Complexity and Chaos London: RoutledgeFalmer (winner of Society of Education Studies prize for best book of 2004)
Publications 2008-2011 (PDF 126KB, opens new window)
Publications 2001 - 2007 (PDF 133KB, opens new window)