Professor Louise Tracey delivers eighth Faculty Inaugural Lecture
The Faculty was delighted to host Professor Tracey's lecture in celebration of her impressive research career.
On Wednesday 30 April 2025, the Faculty of Social Sciences concluded its Faculty Inaugural Lecture Series for the 2024-25 academic year. The lectures in this series are delivered by academic colleagues who have been promoted to or appointed at the rank of Professor in the Faculty since January 2020.
The eighth and final lecture of this year’s season of the series was given by the School of Education’s Professor Louise Tracey.
Audience listening to Professor Tracey's lecture.
Professor Tracey is a Professor of Early Years Education. Her research interests are within Early Years education, professional development, parental engagement and emergent literacy. Primarily, she conducts large-scale evaluations of educational interventions with a particular focus on closing the attainment gap for children from disadvantaged and underserved populations.
Audience applause at Professor Tracey’s lecture.
Professor Tracey’s lecture was titled ‘What Works (and what doesn’t)? Opportunities and challenges of working with parents and professionals to improve child outcomes’.
In the lecture, she explained the need to expand the evidence base in Early Years education and asked how researchers and practioners can close the attainment gap based on socio-economic status that exists before children start school.
Professor Tracey answering audience questions.
Drawing on her experiences of conducting large-scale randomised controlled trials of interventions and continuing professional development for professionals and parents, Professor Tracey explored issues relating to feasibility, acceptability and evidence of promise within the wider What Works Agenda. She also discussed the importance of re-centring the child in these debates and the joys and pitfalls of research within the field.
Professor Vanessa Kind (Head of the School of Education) chairing the audience Q&A session.
The lecture was delivered to an audience of colleagues, postgraduate researchers, students, external professional partners, family and friends. It was followed by a Q&A session, and finally by a drinks reception.
Colleagues celebrating Professor Tracey's lecture at the drinks reception.
Having thus concluded the Faculty Inaugural Lecture Series for the 2024-25 academic year, we would like to thank the eight Professors who gave their brilliant lectures as well as all those who attended the lectures and celebrated the achievements of Professors Greenhalgh, Yeomans, Pecorari, Selby, Pina-Sánchez, Gallagher, Davis and Tracey.
The series will recommence for the 2025-26 academic year in the Autumn. If you are not a member of the Faculty of Social Sciences but would like to be kept on a mailing list for the series, please request this by emailing Dr Izzy Jenkinson on I.K.S.Jenkinson@leeds.ac.uk.
