Sean Demack

About

Sean also teaches social statistics to sociologists and other social science students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

His key research interest is to statistically map social bias within the English education system, and he leads on the design, direction and analyses of evaluation research projects centred on experimental (Randomised Controlled Trial) and quasi-experimental methodologies.

Sean is interested in the critical application of quantitative methods and is currently developing a doctrine of 'quantitative critical race theory' around good (and bad) practice in statistics to examine the relationship between ethnicity and education.

Educational inequality, Secondary data analysis, randomised controlled trials, design and analysis of surveys, creative EDA, critical quantitative enquiry.

Teaching

Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics

College of Social Sciences and Arts

Race, Racism and Education: inequality, resilience and reform in policy & practice - mixed methods 20 year review of the relationship between race, ethnicity & education (Funded by the Society for Educational Studies 2013 Award - see www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/education/projects/race-racism-and-education.aspx

Nuffield Funded 'Dreams & Realities in University Access in England' - see www.nuffieldfoundation.org/how-do-social-differences-affect-he-aspirations-and-participation

Quantitative Research Methods

BA Sociology, MRes Research Methods

Undergraduate: Applied Research Methods (2nd year - mixed methods project); Dissertation; Advanced Research Methods, Education, Schooling & Society

International Undergraduate - European Studies degree (joint degree SHU & the Hague)
Postgrad: Survey Methods 2 (intro to analyses) & 3 (statistical modelling)

Research

Responsible for the design & analyses of the quantitative strands for

ThinkForward Pilot RCT ( EEF; £62K funding; 2013-16)
Evaluation of the Further Maths (A level) Support Project (FMSP) ( MEI; £95K funding; 2014-16)
RCT-influenced evaluation of the Shanghai teacher exchange (DfE; £247K funding; 2014-17)
RCT centred evaluation of SCRATCH programming (EEF; £109K; 2014-17)
Improving the impact of teaching assistants: Process and implementation evaluation (EEF; £63K funding; 2015-17)
‘Improving Talk for Teaching and Learning Evaluation ( EEF; £63K; 2014-17)
Jigsaw PSHE Evaluation (Jan Lever Consultancy, £15K; 2015-16)

Boylan, M., Demack, S., Willis, B., Stevens, A., Adams, G. & Verrier, D. (2015) Multiplicative Reasoning Professional Development Programme: Evaluation. DfE Research Briefing 406 RB406 - main report here, technical report (with full analyses) here.

Maxwell, B., Connolly, P., Demack, S., O'Hare, L., Stevens, A. & Shipton, L. (2014). Summer Active Reading Programme: Evaluation Report & Executive Summary.

Maxwell, B., Connolly, P., Demack, S., O'Hare, L., Stevens, A. & Shipton, L. (2014). Unitas TextNow RCT Peer Reviewed Evaluation Research Report

Jeffery, B., Demack, S., Barley, R. (2014) ‘Being an AL isn’t a choice, it doesn’t fit a lifestyle, this is a myth, we need to work and this is the best we are offered sometimes’: A Report on Hourly Paid Contracts at Sheffield Hallam University. Research Report.

Formby, E, Coldwell M, Stiell B, Demack S, Stevens A, Shipton L, Wolstenholme C, Willis B (2011) Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education: A mapping study of the prevalent models of delivery and their effectiveness for Department for Education

Demack, S., Stevens, A. & McCaig, C. (2012) Dreams and realities in university access: mapping social differences in higher education aspirations and participation in England. Final report for a Nuffield Foundation funded research project plus a non-technical version.

Demack, S, Platts-Fowler, D, Robinson, D, Stevens, A, Wilson, I (2010) Young People and Community Cohesion - Analysis from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) DFE research report (DFE-RR033)

Coldron J, Tanner E, Finch S, Shipton L, Wolstenholme C, Willis B, Demack S, Stiell B (2008) Secondary School Admissions. Sheffield Hallam University with National Centre for Social Research (Report DCSF-RR020)

Sean has recently worked with colleagues at Queens Belfast; Essex university; Durham University; Oxford University; Cambridge University and Toronto University

Publications

Journal articles

Demack, S. (2023). An onion of white advantage? (in UK HE degree attainment). Radical Statistics, 134, 28-47. https://www.radstats.org.uk/no134/Demack134.pdf

Demack, S. (2021). The Statistics of Pupil Segregation in England. Radical Statistics, 129 (129), 45-69. https://www.radstats.org.uk/journal/issue129/

Boylan, M., Maxwell, B., Wolstenholme, C., Jay, T., & Demack, S. (2018). The mathematics teacher exchange and 'mastery' in England: The evidence for the efficacy of component practices. Education sciences, 8 (4), 202. http://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040202

Urquhart-Kelly, T., Jenkins, A., rowley, D., Aucharaz, K.S., & Demack, S. (2018). Does an annual community based activity day (Do It For You) increase participation insports and leisure activities following a diagnosis of childhood cancer? Journal of association of paediatric chartered physiotherapists. 9:2 pp 4-16, 9 (2), 4-16.

Boylan, M., Adams, G., Coldwell, M., Willis, B., & Demack, S. (2018). Context and Implications Document for: Theorising variation in engagement in professional and curriculum development: Performativity, capital, systems and purpose. Review of Education, 6 (3), 408-410. http://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3152

Boylan, M., Adams, G., Willis, B., Coldwell, M., & Demack, S. (2018). Theorising variation in engagement in professional and curriculum development: performativity, capital, systems and purpose. Review of Education, 6 (3), 360-407. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20496613

Boylan, M., & Demack, S. (2018). Innovation, evaluation design and typologies of professional learning. Educational Research, 60 (3), 336-356. http://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2018.1493352

Gillborn, D., Demack, S., Rollock, N., & Warmington, P. (2017). Moving the goalposts: Education policy and 25 years of the Black/White achievement gap. British Educational Research Journal, 43 (5), 848-874. http://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3297

Gilbourn, D., Warmington, P., & Demack, S. (2017). QuantCrit: education, policy, ‘Big Data’ and principles for a critical race theory of statistics. Race, Ethnicity and Education. http://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2017.1377417

Warmington, P., Gillborn, D., Rollock, N., & Demack, S. (2017). “They can’t handle the race agenda”: stakeholders’ reflections on race and education policy, 1993–2013. Educational Review, 70 (4), 409-426. http://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2017.1353482

Hawley-Hague, H., Horne, M., Campbell, M., Demack, S., Skelton, D.A., & Todd, C. (2014). Multiple levels of influence on older adults' attendance and adherence to community exercise classes. The Gerontologist, 54 (4), 599-610. http://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnt075

Dahlberg, L., Demack, S., & Bambra, C. (2007). Age and gender of informal carers: a population -based study in the UK. Health and social care in the community, 15 (5), 439-445. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2524.2007.00702.x

Doole, I., Grimes, T., & Demack, S. (2006). An exploration of the management practices and processes most closely associated with high levels of export capability in SMEs. Marketing intelligence and planning, 24 (6), 632-647. http://doi.org/10.1108/02634500610701690

Pinder, J., Price, I., Wilkinson, S.J., & Demack, S. (2003). A method for evaluating workplace utility. Property management, 21 (4), 218-229. http://doi.org/10.1108/02637470310495009

Demack, S., Drew, D., & Grimsley, M. (2000). Minding the Gap: Ethnic, gender and social class differences in attainment at 16, 1988‐95. Race Ethnicity and Education, 3 (2), 117-143. http://doi.org/10.1080/13613320050074005

Book chapters

Demack, S., Crawford, C., Gillborn, D., & Warmington, P. (2018). Using Numbers for Social Justice (Or, How Not to be Lied to with Statistics). In Understanding Critical Race Research Methods and Methodologies Lessons from the Field. (First). Routledge

Crawford, C.E., Demack, S., Gillborn, D., & Warmington, P. (2018). Quants and Crits. In Understanding Critical Race Research Methods and Methodologies. (pp. 125-137). Routledge: http://doi.org/10.4324/9781315100944-11

Reports

Willis, B., Reaney-Wood, S., Demack, S., Jay, T., & Harris-Evans, J. (2023). Adventure Learning: Randomised Controlled Trial. Education Endowment Foundation. https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/projects/Adventure-Learning-Final-Report.pdf?v=1688634116

Formby, E., Wolstenholme, C., Culliney, M., & Demack, S. (2022). The evaluation of the government’s anti-homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools programme. Government Equalities Office.

Culliney, M., Demack, S., Boylan, M., & Wolstenholme, C. (2022). Realistic maths education: evaluation report. Education Endowment Foundation. https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/documents/projects/Realistic-Maths-Education-FINAL.pdf?v=1669909277

Culliney, M., Willis, B., Formby, E., Demack, S., & Clark, L. (2022). DARE 25 evaluation report. Youth Endowment Fund. https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/DARE25-YEF-Efficacy-RCT-Sep-22-1.pdf

Clague, L., Demack, S., & Lebihan, J. (2022). Scoping the impact evaluation of learning analytics in Higher Education. TASO.

Culliney, M., Daniels, K., Booth, J., Coldwell, M., & Demack, S. (2021). REACH Primary Evaluation Report. Education Endowment Foundation. https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/documents/projects/REACH_report_v5-final.pdf

Demack, S., Maxwell, B., Coldwell, M., Stevens, A., Wolstenholme, C., Reaney, S., ... Lortie-Fortes, H. (2021). Review of EEF Projects. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/evaluation/eef-evaluation-reports-and-research-papers/syntheses-of-eef-evaluations/review-of-eef-projects

Maxwell, B., Stevens, A., Demack, S., Coldwell, M., Wolstenholme, C., Reaney-Wood, S., ... Lortie-Forgues, H. (2021). EEF Implementation and Process Evaluation (IPE) quality pilot. Education Endowment Foundation.

Maxwell, B., Stiell, B., Stevens, A., Demack, S., Coldwell, M., Wolstenholme, C., ... Lortie-Forgues, H. (2021). Scale-up of EEF efficacy to effectiveness trials. Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/evaluation/eef-evaluation-reports-and-research-papers/syntheses-of-eef-evaluations/scale-up-of-eef-efficacy-trials-to-effectiveness-trials

Culliney, M., Moore, N., Coldwell, M., & Demack, S. (2019). Integrating English: Evaluation Report. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Projects/Evaluation_Reports/Integrating_English.pdf

Demack, S., Reaney-Wood, S., Adams, G., Stiell, B., & Culliney, M. (2019). Number of A levels taken and subject combinations: An analysis of NPD data for A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics (2013, 2015 & 2017). https://mei.org.uk/app/uploads/2021/08/FMSP-A-level-Combinations-2019.pdf

Adams, G., Reaney-Wood, S., Demack, S., Handforth, R., & Stiell, B. (2019). An Evaluation of the Further Mathematics Support Programme Research Report. 2017-2018. https://mei.org.uk/reports/evaluation-of-the-fmsp-2017-18-phase-6/

Maxwell, B., Willis, B., Culliney, M., Coldwell, M., Demack, S., Goepel, J., & Stevens, A. (2019). Formative evaluation of the South & West Yorkshire teaching assistants scale-up campaign. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Campaigns/SW_Yorks_TA_final_report_final.pdf

Demack, S. (2019). Does the classroom level matter in the design of educational trials? A theoretical & empirical review. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Does_the_classroom_level_matter.pdf

Demack, S., Reaney-Wood, S., Adams, G., Stiell, B., & Culliney, M. (2019). Participation and Attainment in A level Mathematics & FurtherMathematics. https://mei.org.uk/reports/participation-and-attainment-in-a-level-mathematics-further-mathematics/

Boylan, M., Wolstenholme, C., Maxwell, B., Demack, S., Jay, T., Reaney, S., & Adams, G. (2019). Longitudinal evaluation of the Mathematics Teacher Exchange: China-England - Final Report. Department for Education. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-maths-teacher-exchange-china-and-england

Formby, E., Culliney, M., Demack, S., & Wolstenholme, C. (2018). The evaluation of the government’s anti-homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools programme: Baseline report.

Boylan, M., Demack, S., Wolstenholme, C., Reidy, J., & Reaney, S. (2018). ScratchMaths: evaluation report and executive summary. Education Endownment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Projects/Evaluation_Reports/ScratchMaths.pdf

Stevenson, J., Demack, S., Stiell, B., Abdi, M., Ghaffar, F., & Hassan, S. (2017). The social mobility challenges faced by young muslims. London: Social Mobility Commission. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/social-mobility-commission

Boylan, M., Demack, S., Stevens, A., Coldwell, M., & Stiell, B. (2016). An Evaluation of the Further Mathematics Support Programme : Research Report. Sheffield Hallam University. http://furthermaths.org.uk/files/FMSP-Final-Main-Report-for-Publication.pdf

Boylan, M., Demack, S., Willis, B., Stevens, A., Adams, G., & Verrier, D. (2015). Multiplicative reasoning professional development programme : evaluation. London: Department for Education. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/436832/RR406A_-_Multiplicative_Reasoning_Professional_Development_Programme.pdf

Maxwell, B., Burnett, C., Reidy, J., Willis, B., & Demack, S. (2015). Oracy curriculum, culture and assessment toolkit. London: Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects/school21-and-cambridge-university/

Maxwell, B., Connolly, P., Demack, S., O'Hare, L., Stevens, A., Clague, L., & Stiell, B. (2014). Summer Active Reading Programme : evaluation report and executive summary. London, UK: Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/pdf/EEF_Evaluation_Report_-_Summer_Active_Reading_Programme_-_October_2014.pdf

Maxwell, B., Connolly, P., Demack, S., O'Hare, L., Stevens, A., Clague, L., & Stiell, B. (2014). TextNow Transition Programme : evaluation report and executive summary. London: Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/pdf/EEF_Evaluation_Report_-_TextNow_Transition_-_October_2014.pdf

Formby, E., Coldwell, M., Stiell, B., Demack, S., Stevens, A., Shipton, L., ... Willis, B. (2011). Personal, social, healthand economic (PSHE)education: A mappingstudy of the prevalentmodels of delivery andtheir effectiveness. London: Department for Education.

Demack, S., Platts-Fowler, D., Robinson, D., Stevens, A., & Wilson, I. (2010). Young People and Community Cohesion: Analysis from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE). Sheffield Hallam University. https://www.shu.ac.uk/centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/young-people-and-community-cohesion

Coldron, J.H., Tanner, E., Finch, S., Shipton, L., Wolstenholme, C., Willis, B., ... Stiell, B. (2008). Secondary school admissions. London: Department for Children, Schools and Families. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR020.pdf

Coldron, J.H., Stephenson, K., Williams, J., Shipton, L., & Demack, S. (2002). Admission appeal panels: research study into the operation of appeal panels' use of the code of practice and training for panel. London: Department for Education and Skills. http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/RR344.pdf

Theses / Dissertations

Marshall, N.R. (2019). Whose interests? Gaming, School Type, Social Justice and Pupils’ Post-16 Access. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Demack, S. http://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00270

Internet Publications

Demack, S. (2019). Working under the (data) clampdown. https://www.radstats.org.uk/no122/DeMack122.pdf

Presentations

Culliney, M., Moore, N., Demack, S., & Coldwell, M. (2019). Integrating English into the Curriculum: Evaluating an Intervention Based on Systemic Functional Linguistics. Presented at: 2019 European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), Universität Hamburg, Germany, 2019

Other publications

Demack, S., Gillborn, D., Bhopal, K., Crawford, C., Gholami, R., Kitching, K., ... Warmington, P. (2021). Evidence for the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. Centre for Research in Race and Education: http://doi.org/10.25500/epapers.bham.00003389

Demack, S. (2020). A Convenient Paradox? Statistics and white advantage in UK degree attainment. British Educational Research Association Research Intelligence Mag: https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2086/20162/Research%20Intelligence%20issue%20143.pdf

Other activities

Peer reviewer for the Educational Endowment Foundation (EEF); Editorial Board of Race, Ethnicity& Education since 2011; Peer reviewer for the European Sociology