Ruth Boyask is the Thesis Manager for the Professional Doctorate in Education at the Plymouth Institute of Education, Plymouth University. She convenes the Social Justice special interest group for the British Educational Research Association (BERA), and is currently leading a national project for BERA entitled the Respecting Children and Young People Project. This project joins up her interests in socially just education within an environment of privatisation and individualism, with an interest in the interface between educational research and policy.
Her current strands of research investigate 1) the historical and current role of local government in the provision and commissioning of educational and social services for young people, 2) how individual schools negotiate a commitment to equality within a social context that prioritises individualism and competition.