In September 2023, deans, associate deans, and research leaders convened at the AERA Convening Center in Washington, D.C., for the first AERA-CURI Fall Policy Meeting since the pandemic. The two-day event featured engaged discussions with senior officials from the White House, federal agencies, higher education, advocacy organizations, and the media. Sessions addressed major issues shaping the education landscape, including the implications of the Supreme Court affirmative action ruling, navigating red and blue state political dynamics, DEI strategy, and the advancement of open science. Notable speakers included Daniel Goroff (White House Office of Science and Technology Policy), James L. Moore III (National Science Foundation), Nasser Paydar (Department of Education), Mark Schneider (Institute of Education Sciences), and Sarah Sparks (Education Week).
The meeting, co-led by AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine and AERA-CURI Chair Kathryn Chval (University of Illinois, Chicago), opened with an orientation for new deans and continued with robust sessions on federal policy, media framing of education research, and coalition advocacy priorities. Panels featured voices from Capitol Hill, EducationCounsel, and AERA’s coalition partners including the Consortium of Social Science Associations and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences. Throughout, the convening underscored AERA-CURI’s role as a unique forum for universities and research institutions to collectively advance sound research policy and promote the federal education research enterprise.
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