AERA President Arnetha Ball’s theme for the 2012 Annual Meeting resonates throughout the program, from the Opening Plenary Address by Linda Smith, entitled “The Knowing Circle of Indigenous Education: It Is Not Enough Just to Know” (Friday, April 13, 4:05 p.m.), to Ball’s Presidential Address, “To Know Is Not Enough: Knowledge, Power, and the Zone of Generativity” (Sunday, April 15, 4:05 p.m.).

The presidential symposia emphasize practice connections and the importance of education researchers’ serving the public good. This year the program is rich with such sessions, including:

• “We Know It Works Here: Can We Make It Work There?” (Saturday, 8:15 a.m.)
• “Innovative Programs for District-Level Evaluation: Education Research for the Public Good” (Sunday, 2:15 p.m.)
• “International Perspectives on Implementation and Effectiveness of Teacher Evaluation Models” (Monday, 2:15 p.m.)
• “Practitioner Researchers: Hybrid Roles in the Generation and Use of Research Knowledge” (Monday, 2:15 p.m.)

A new feature this year is a series of commissioned essays on the Annual Meeting theme, posted on the AERA website on an ongoing basis since June 2011. The aim is to encourage dialogue on the challenges related to the use of our research to improve education and serve the public good. The essay authors will discuss their work on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, starting each day at 8:15 a.m.

Other aspects of the program make vivid this year’s emphasis on serving the public good. The Gordon Commission will hold a hearing on the future of assessment in education (“A Public Hearing on the Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in Education,” Saturday, 4:05 p.m.). A presidential symposium will feature LGBTQ issues (“An Overview of Key LGBTQ Issues in Education Research,” Sunday, 12:25 p.m.). And an invited session will tackle the issue of bullying as studied around the world (“International Scholarship on School Bullying: What Do We Know and How Can We Prevent It?” Monday, 10:35 a.m.).

Education researchers from every continent and across AERA divisions and SIGs will join with leading science and research policy experts to connect their research to policy and practice. Presidential lectures, commissioned essays, and division sessions consider this theme in examining all aspects of education: teacher training and preparation, student assessment, teacher evaluations, school reform, standards, STEM education, the economics of education, improvement of research quality, and many other related issues.

Every year, the AERA Annual Meeting theme creates a buzz. Education researchers from all walks of the profession will descend on Vancouver in a little more than a week. The theme for 2012 aims to stimulate attendees to make a difference and serve the public good.