Dear SIG Members,
I am writing to make you aware of two award opportunities through our SIG, The Outstanding Article Award and the Outstanding Dissertation Award. We are currently taking nominations for both awards. (Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged!) Please see below if you are interested. Nominations are due January 29, 2023 at 11:59 pm. Please note—the winning Outstanding Dissertation Award will present at the SIG Business Meeting.
Name of the Award: Outstanding Article in Systems Thinking in Education
Description of the Award: The Outstanding Article Award recognizes an exemplary research or theoretical article that contributes to the systems thinking in education literature in meaningful and innovative ways. Systems thinking refers to a framework for recognizing patterns and interrelationships in a complex system or organization. Systems thinking approaches view learning organizations as complex systems comprised of interrelated parts rather than isolated departments.
Eligibility Criteria: The article must have been published in a peer-reviewed or editor-reviewed journal within the prior three years and represent a contribution to systems thinking research and/or theory. Articles must have been published between December 1, 2019 and December 31, 2022
Nomination Process and Timeline: A digital copy of the article along with references in APA format and a cover letter of no more than one page detailing why the article should be considered outstanding must be emailed to the SIG chair, Dr. Jackie Mania Singer (Jackie_Mania@edpartnerships.org) by 11:59 PM EST, January 29th. Self-nominations are accepted.
Form of Recognition: Certificate presented at SIG business meeting and announcement made through Listserv.
Name of the Award: Systems Thinking Outstanding Dissertation Award
Description of the Award: Special recognition to a scholar with an outstanding doctoral dissertation that contributes important knowledge to the study of systems thinking in education. Systems thinking refers to a framework for recognizing patterns and interrelationships in a complex system or organization. Systems thinking approaches view learning organizations as complex systems comprised of interrelated parts rather than isolated departments.
Eligibility Criteria: The dissertation must have been completed and defended successfully during the two-year time period prior to the deadline for nominations of the award. Dissertations must have been completed between December 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022.
Nomination Process and Timeline: The nominated scholar must submit the application packet containing a 15-page executive summary of the dissertation and one letter of faculty endorsement from the individual's chair and/or dissertation committee member to the SIG chair, Dr. Jackie Mania Singer, (Jackie_Mania@edpartnerships.org) or by 11:59 pm EST, January 29th. Self-nominations are accepted.
Form of recognition: certificate and $500 award to attend the aera annual conference and present research at sig business meeting.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
I’m looking forward to seeing all of you at the Annual Meeting!
Jackie Mania, Ed.D.
Director of Research and Evaluation
National Council for Community and Education Partnerships
1331 H Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
202.530.1135, ext. 2131
www.edpartnerships.org
The Systems Thinking in Education SIG has two open offices for the 2023 election year! Our SIG is currently accepting nominations from active SIG members for the following positions:
Chair-Elect (1-year term) – The Chair-Elect works closely with the Chair to perform general administration of the SIG. The Chair-Elect serves a 1-year term of mentoring with the Chair and then assumes the role of Chair of the SIG for two terms.
Program Chair-Elect (2-year term) – The Program Chair-Elect works closely with the Program Chair for a two-year term to organize sessions and communications related to the annual conference. The Program Chair-Elect then assumes the role of Program Chair of the SIG.
If you are interested in being included on the ballot for one of these positions, please submit the following information to Jackie Mania at Jackie_Mania@edpartnerships.org by October 14, 2022.
If you have any questions about the open positions or the election process, feel free to reach out to me via email at Jackie_Mania@edpartnerships.org.
July 20, 2022
Systems Thinking in Education SIG Members:
As you prepare your proposals for the 2023 AERA Annual Meeting, we invite you to consider submitting your work to the Systems Thinking in Education SIG. Systems thinking is a cross-disciplinary concept that spans a diversity of issues, populations, and contexts, and, thus, can foster system-level critical analyses of research and contextualization of truth. In particular, we welcome proposals aligned with this year’s conference theme, Interrogating Consequential Education Research in Pursuit of Truth, proposals that “push traditional modes of sharing findings, themes, and insights from research in pursuit of truth with consequence.” We encourage you to submit proposals that:
The Systems Thinking in Education SIG offers a welcoming venue for both established and emerging scholars from a diverse set of institutions and geographical regions. We give careful consideration to field, applied, and evaluation research, as well as theoretically oriented studies. We also welcome a broad range of methodologies.
The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on July 27, 2022.
If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact the 2023 Systems Thinking in Education SIG Program Chairs, Lok-Sze Wong, University of North Texas (Lok-Sze.Wong@unt.edu) and Linda Mayger, The College of New Jersey (maygerl@tcnj.edu).
Additionally,
I would like to introduce you to the 2023 officers for the SIG. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time!
Chair
Jackie Mania, Director of Research and Evaluation, NCCEP
Jackie Mania serves as the Director of Research and Evaluation at NCCEP. Additionally, she serves as an adjunct for three Oklahoma universities in the area of Educational Leadership. Dr. Mania has 20 years of experience in education as a classroom teacher, a principal, a district administrator, the Director of School Turnaround for the State of Oklahoma, and a faculty member at Oklahoma State University. She has published numerous manuscripts and book chapters and has been invited to speak nationally and internationally on her research.
Jackie is a member of the Systems Thinking in Education SIG because she has always felt a sense of community among the members and she enjoys conversations with others in the same field. She is most looking forward to a trip to Poland to see her family this summer. Her hobbies include running, pottery, traveling, and baking.
Program Chair
Linda Mayger, Associate Professor, The College of New Jersey
Dr. Mayger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Secondary Education at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Dr. Mayger’s research primarily investigates organizational practices and leadership in full-service community schools and the influences of federal and state policies on practicing educators. Her extensive experiences as a teacher and administrator in P – 12 schools laid a foundation for Dr. Mayger’s teaching and research interests, which focus on how schools can develop systems that address the holistic wellbeing of each child. Her work has appeared in Social Science Research, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), Leadership and Policy in Schools, and Educational Administration Quarterly.
Dr. Mayger enjoys being part of the Systems Thinking SIG because the Systems Thinking SIG is ideal for considering complex problems that have interdisciplinary causes and effects. She looks forward to teaching a research class in Portugal this summer. Adoro!
Program Chair-Elect
Lok-Sze Wong, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership, University of North Texas
Dr. Lok-Sze Wong studies system reform policies as attempts to address systemic inequities. Drawing on education, sociocultural, and organization theories and mixed methods, her research unpacks how systems (re)produce inequities and how to humanely reform schools and districts as complex social systems. She focuses on professional learning opportunities that support teachers and administrators as they shift their practices while redesigning the very organizations in which they work. Dr. Wong began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles. Dr. Wong has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Wong enjoys being part of the SIG because the members of this SIG are thoughtful scholars and wonderful human beings who have diverse understandings of systems thinking. We continually push each others' understandings about systems thinking and how to leverage systems thinking to improve children's learning opportunities. She hopes to spend her summer spending a lot of time with her 7-year old daughter this summer when she’s not writing.
Secretary/Treasurer
Margie Sauceda Curwen, Associate Professor of Education, Chapman University
Margie Sauceda Curwen, Ph.D. is an associate professor at Chapman University in Orange, California in the Attallah College of Educational Studies and is the Coordinator for the Kathleen Muth Literacy Center. Her research interests are literacy as a social practice, classroom discourse, pedagogical approaches using systems thinking, critical literacy, and systemic sustainability education.
When Dr. Sauceda Curwen discovered the Systems Thinking in Education SIG, it was a much welcomed academic home for dialogue and sharing ideas.
Webmaster
Nichole Walsh, Assistant Professor, Fresno State
Dr. Walsh’s research area of interest is teacher and administrator preparation and development. She enjoys being part of the Systems Thinking in Education SIG so that she can feel connected to AERA through a smaller group. Personally, she a 16 year old daughter who loves volleyball and 13 year old son who loves chess.
For more information, visit our website at:https://www.aera.net/SIG124/Systems-Thinking-in-Education-SIG-124
See you in Chicago!
10/28/2021
Dear AERA Systems Thinking in Education SIG members,
We hope that you and yours are in the best of health and spirit!
I write on behalf of the SIG's leadership team to remind you of two items:
Please send your nomination to me, Miriam Ezzani, Chair (m.d.ezzani@tcu.edu) and copy Jackie Manger-Singer, Chair-Elect (jackie.mania@ou.edu). Dr. Manger-Singer will officially be the SIG's chair effective May 1, 2022. Submit the following to us:
We look forward to hearing from you!
9/23/21
I am writing to you this afternoon about two great opportunities related to our SIG. First, the annual SIG elections are coming up, and we are requesting volunteers/nominations for a Secretary/Treasurer. Second, we are now accepting papers for our two SIG awards—the Outstanding Article Award and the Outstanding Dissertation Award. I hope that you will consider submitting for one or both of these opportunities to support our SIG and/or receive recognition for the great work you do. If you are interested, please see the details below in this email.
SIG Elections:
The Systems Thinking in Education SIG is seeking volunteers/nominations for Secretary/Treasurer (2-year term). To be eligible for this position, you must be a member of the SIG (or join the SIG). Graduate students are not eligible for this position.
If you are interested, please email Dr. Jackie Mania at jackie.mania@ou.edu by close of business on October 8, 2021. Please include in your email:
SIG Awards (https://www.aera.net/SIG124/AERA-Annual-Meeting):
Eligibility Criteria: The article must have been published in a peer-reviewed or editor-reviewed journal within the prior three years and represent a contribution to systems thinking research and/or theory. Articles must have been published between December 1, 2019 and December 1, 2021.
Nomination Process and Timeline: A digital copy of the article along with references in APA format and a cover letter of no more than one page detailing why the article should be considered outstanding must be emailed to the SIG chair-elect, Dr. Jackie Mania (jackie.mania@ou.edu) by midnight EST, December 1st. Self-nominations are accepted.
Eligibility Criteria: The dissertation must have been completed and defended successfully during the two-year time period prior to the deadline for nominations of the award. Dissertations must have been completed between December 1, 2019 and December 1, 2021.
Nomination Process and Timeline: The nominated scholar must submit the application packet containing a 15-page executive summary of the dissertation and one letter of faculty endorsement from the individual's chair and/or dissertation committee member to the SIG chair-elect, Dr. Jackie Mania (jackie.mania@ou.edu) by midnight EST, December 1st. Self-nominations are accepted.
Form of Recognition: Certificate and $500 award to attend the AERA annual conference and present research at SIG business meeting
Thank you!
Jackie Mania-Singer, Ed.D.
K20 Center for Educational & Community Renewal
University of Oklahoma
Phone|405.325.9203
Email| jackie.mania@ou.edu
May 2021
The leadership team for the Systems Thinking in Education SIG invites you to access the Online Volunteer Reviewer System for the 2022 AERA Annual meeting. Please take a quick minute to sign up to review proposals for our SIG by clicking here
Please calendar the following dates. The deadline to volunteer as a reviewer is May 20th, 2021. Those selected to join the review panel will receive an invitation in early June. A three-week window will be provided for proposal review beginning August 10th.
Please access our web page to learn about and plan ahead for the outstanding article and the outstanding dissertation awards. Encourage your doctoral students to apply for the latter.
https://www.aera.net/SIG124/AERA-Annual-Meeting
We look forward to your participation. As always, please reach out if you have questions.
Warmest wishes on a great close to the academic year!
Miriam Ezzani (Chair) and Jackie Mania Singer (Chair-Elect) on behalf of the Systems Thinking in Education SIG Leadership Team
Dear Systems Thinking in Education SIG Community,
I hope this message finds you in the best of health and spirit!
This is our inaugural year for SIG Awards (CLICK HERE for details):
We look forward to receiving your award nominations!
Best wishes always,
Miriam Ezzani on behalf of the Systems Thinking in Education SIG Leadership Team
Sending a quick reminder . . .
We will hold elections for 2 positions -- Chair-Elect and Program Chair-Elect. The Program Chair-Elect is a 2-year term followed by two years as Program Chair and the Chair-Elect is a one-year term followed by two years as Chair.
If you are interested in serving, then please send the following by September 28th to m.d.ezzani@tcu.edu
Election Timeline
Miriam Ezzani on behalf of the Nomination Committee
Miriam D. Ezzani, Ed.D.
Systems Thinking SIG members, hello!
We hope you and yours are in the best of health and spirit!
We are scheduled to hold elections for 2 positions:
Chair-Elect and Program Chair-Elect. The Program Chair-Elect is a 2-year term followed by two years as Program Chair and the Chair-Elect is a one-year term followed by two years as Chair.
Please consider serving the SIG. Send the following by September 28th.
August 1, 2020
Chair, Miriam Ezzani on behalf of the Systems Thinking in Education SIG Leadership Team
July 10, 2020
Greetings!
We hope that you and yours are well!
We have a few exciting announcements to share with you!
First, check out the new leadership team by accessing the "Who We Are" page. We want to acknowledge and thank outgoing members, Chad Green, Noelle Paufler, Bill Watson, and Sunnie Watson.
We're also excited to announce that the SIG awards have been approved by the AERA executive committee and 2021 will be the inaugural year. We welcome nominations for Outstanding Article in Systems Thinking in Education and Systems Thinking Outstanding Dissertation Award. The formal call for nominations will be sent by email on August 1st. Stay tuned -- meanwhile here's the eligibility criteria.
Eligibility criteria for Outstanding Article: The article must have been published in a peer-reviewed or editor-reviewed journal within the prior three years and represent a contribution to systems thinking research and/or theory.
Eligibility criteria for Outstanding Dissertation Award: Dissertations must be completed and defended successful during the two-year time period prior to the deadline for nominations of the award (time period from December 2018 to December 2020).
Meanwhile, we look forward to receiving your conference proposals by the July 22nd deadline.
Warmest wishes,
June 22, 2018
Dear Members of the Systems Thinking in Education SIG,
Hope you're having a great summer!
We welcome your proposals for the Systems Thinking SIG for the AERA conference in Toronto, Canada in April 2019. The deadline is July 23rd at 11:59 pm.
Please see the attached call [right pane]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Noelle Paufler and Miriam Ezzani, Program Co-chairs
Systems Thinking in Education Special Interest Group
The 2019 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting Friday, April 5 - Tuesday, April 9
Toronto, Canada
The theme of the 2019 AERA Annual Meeting is “Leveraging Education Research in a ‘Post-Truth’ Era: Multimodal Narratives to Democratize Evidence”. AERA President Amy Stuart Wells, in her call for submissions, asks a number of questions:
“The question for education researchers is how, in a so-called ‘post-truth’ political era when evidence is shunted and emotion is exploited, can we make our research matter to lessen inequality and increase educational opportunities? How do we have an impact when our most conscientious methodology—measuring, understanding, and communicating material and experiential “realities”—is increasingly discredited by those who construct alternate truths to serve their agendas? Furthermore, how can our findings speak to and of emotions such as fear and anxiety, which are regularly scapegoated onto the most marginalized individuals rather than attributed to their economic and social causes?”
The purpose of the Systems Thinking in Education SIG is to “focus on applications of systems thinking principles to address various issues in education” (Systems Thinking in Education website). This year’s theme “Leveraging Education Research in a ‘Post-Truth’ Era: Multimodal Narratives to Democratize Evidence” aligns well with the purpose of our SIG. How do we contribute to the charge of leveraging educational research to lessen inequality and increase educational opportunities through applications of systems thinking? In keeping with the Systems Thinking in Education SIG’s mission, we invite proposals that will contribute to our ongoing conversation about the use of systems thinking in research, evaluation, and applied practice in the areas of educational practice, policy, research, and professional preparation.
This year’s call encourages a wide range of proposals that span a diversity of issues, populations and contexts. We encourage field, applied, and evaluation research, as well as theoretically oriented studies of systems thinking in education. Equally valued is research that focuses on systems thinking as a basis for program development in educational settings that directly impact the lives of all students. Further to this, we encourage studies that examine the application of systems thinking in the design or redesign of educational systems that bring attention to ameliorating inequality in educational opportunity.
In the spirit of this year’s theme of leveraging educational research using multimodal narratives to democratize evidence, we encourage proposals that address:
The Systems Thinking in Education SIG prides itself in offering a welcoming venue for papers, discussion roundtables, symposia, and posters that draw on transdisciplinary theories and constructs, integrated methods, and research approaches that aim to answer a breadth of questions from causal to interpretive/descriptive. The program chair invites submissions for papers, discussion roundtables, symposia, and posters from both established and emerging scholars from a diverse set of institutions and geographical regions, domestic and international. Individuals undertaking research that is not supported with external funding are particularly encouraged to submit their proposals to the Systems Thinking in Education SIG. Please be aware that proposals must be submitted electronically by using the AERA Online Proposal Submission System at http://www.aera.net/
THE SUBMISSION SYSTEM CLOSES at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time) on JULY 23, 2018.
A few reminders:
Additional information can be found at the 2019 Annual Meeting and the Call for Submissions webpages located on http://www.aera.net/.
If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact the 2019 Systems Thinking in Education SIG Program Chair, Miriam Ezzani, University of North Texas (miriam.ezzani@unt.edu) or Program Chair-Elect, Noelle Paufler, University of North Texas (noelle.paufler@unt.edu)
May 21, 2018
Hello Systems Thinking SIG members, It's time to volunteer to review proposals for AERA 2019, "Leveraging Education Research in a 'Post-Truth' Era," in Toronto. We had a robust program this year, and are looking to grow for 2019. Please volunteer before the deadline of Tuesday, May 22nd. As a reviewer, you help shape the program, and have a focused voice in shaping the scholarship in its early stages. For our seasoned folks, we need your input here. For our junior folks, need I say that this is good for service to the profession. Please follow these steps: 1) Log in at aera.net American Educational Research Association > Home aera.net The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. 2) Click "My AERA" tab. 3) Scroll to the 2019 Annual Meeting and click "volunteer to review." 4) Follow the prompts, with your areas of interest/expertise. Drs. Noelle Paufler and Miriam Ezzani Program Co-Chairs
May 17, 2018
Hello, all.
We had another successful annual meeting this year. It is now time to again ask for your service to the SIG. AERA elections are coming up next week and there are only a few days left to nominate someone (including yourself) to run for an officer position with the AERA Systems Thinking in Education SIG. We are in need of people willing to serve the SIG so that it can continue to offer its unique lens to educational problems and solutions within AERA.
We are seeking nominations for the following positions (each is a two year position):
In order to nominate yourself or someone else, please email me at brwatson@purdue.edu by 8am ET on Monday, May 21st.
We are also looking for a volunteer Webmaster after Chad Green stepped down after many great years of providing service to the SIG.
I’m happy to answer any questions regarding the positions. We need volunteers to remain viable and continue to grow so please consider stepping up!
Thanks!
- Bill
March 26, 2018
Dear Systems Thinking in Education SIG Members,
As we near the AERA conference in NY, please take some time to insert these AERA Systems Thinking SIG events in your calendar.
At the business meeting, Dr. Patrick Jenlink has graciously accepted an invitation to further the discussion on 'Systems Thinking as a Solution to Failed Educational Reform Efforts' (see paper session on 4/15). We look forward to hearing his thoughts and yours regarding this topic!
Sunday, April 15, 2018:
Monday, April 16, 2018:
See you in a few weeks! Warmest wishes, Miriam Ezzani and Noelle Paufler Program Co-Chairs, AERA - Systems Thinking in Education SIG