Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Professor Vini Lander
Director Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality
Vini Lander is Professor of Race and Education and Director of the Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality in the Carnegie School of Education.
Vini’s research focuses on race, ethnicity and education. She uses critical race theory as a theoretical framework to examine ‘race’ inequalities in education, specifically in teacher education. The persistence of educational inequality from early years to higher education has spurred Vini to educate teachers to think beyond the status quo, which may perpetuate these inequalities. Teachers make a valuable contribution and deserve better preparation to teach in a racially diverse society. This has led to her inspirational teaching and in 2014 Professor Lander was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE). Vini challenges students to think differently, supporting them to find ways to act to make a difference in their schools and classrooms.
Professor Lander's research publications focus primarily on race and teacher education examining not only teachers' attitudes to race but also the lived experiences of teacher educators of colour in the UK and Australia. She has been commissioned by schools undertake research on the rise of racism and the Race Equality Foundation to undertake a literature review related to the impact of Covid on the educational progress of racially minoritised students.
Current Teaching
- MA Race, Education and Decolonial Thought
- PGCE Primary and Secondary
- PhD supervision
Research Interests
Vini has led research on the policy to promote fundamental British values in English schools and initial teacher education. Her work on the impact of the mandate to promote fundamental British values in schools extends her work in the field of race and education. She worked with a number of schools in the North West to investigate young people’s conceptions of Britishness and their sense of belonging through the use of participatory research methods.
This research aimed to impact on education policy and the teaching of fundamental British values in schools in order to engender a sense of belonging for all children.
As Director of the Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality (CRED), which is a research and practice centre, Professor Lander has delivered professional development for over 100 institutions including schools Multi-Academy Trusts, the NHS, medical educators, EHRC and many others. She has provided consultancy for prestigious organisations supporting their ambitions and plans to become anti-racist establishments. Recently, in collaboration with Professor Heather Smith, at Newcastle University she completed research on the provision of anti-racist pedagogy in initial teacher education and training (ITE/T) which led to the writing of the anti-racism framework for ITE/T.
Professor Lander is the lead for the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers sub-group on Equalities. She is also a member of the Leeds Learning Alliance Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Professor Lander is a member of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and is a member of the BERA College of Reviewers.
Ask Me About
- Inequalities in education
- British Values in school
- Diversity
- Equality and inclusion
- Race
- Racism
- Teacher training
News & Blog Posts
Leeds Beckett University’s Professor Vini Lander wins the BERA Equality in Education Award
Leeds Beckett partners with Liverpool City Council to expand anti-racist professional network
Launching an Anti-Racism Framework for Initial Teacher Education and Training
Working to address racism in schools through partnership and education
