Program Information—AERA 2026 Annual Meeting
 
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Program Information

 

With more than 2,500 sessions to choose from, the 2026 Annual Meeting provides a dynamic experience with opportunities to learn from prominent scholars, discover the latest research, engage in stimulating conversations, and foster professional relationships.

Key Sessions and Speakers
Information on key sessions and speakers is forthcoming and will be featured here.

 AERA i-Presentation Gallery
The AERA i-Presentation Gallery provides Annual Meeting presenters a user-friendly vehicle to present their papers in a dynamic format that allows for an overall narration as well as audio or video capture within any slide as part of their display.

 

Highlights

Please check this page regularly for updates. Dates, times, and locations will be added as they become available. All times are in Pacific Time.

Major Talks
A headshot of Maisha T. Winn with her hair pulled back and wearing a white dress with colorful floral print. She is smiling and her arms are crossed.

Presidential Address
Learn from the wisdom and knowledge of AERA President Maisha T. Winn. The Presidential Address is an annual “can’t miss” event, where the state and future of the field are examined and attendees are inspired.
Friday, April 10,  5:45 pm to 7:15 pm
Concourse Hall, Los Angeles Convention Center, Level One
2026 AERA Annual Meeting Opening Plenary
Participants: Daniel Gilbert Solorzano (University of California - Los Angeles), Jarvis R. Givens (Harvard University), Stacy H. Lee (Texas Tech University), Veronica Terriquez (University of California - Los Angeles), Amanda R. Tachine (University of Oregon)
Wednesday, April 8, 5:45 pm to 7:15 pm
Concourse Hall, Los Angeles Convention Center, Level One
A headshot image of Bryan Brayboy. He is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and purple tie. He is smiling at the camera.

AERA Distinguished Lecture
Bryan Brayboy will deliver the Distinguished Lecture.
Headshot image of Bianca Baldridge. Her hair is in loose and wavy braids and she is wearing a purple short sleeved top. She is smiling at the camera and crossing her arms.

Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lecture
Bianca Baldridge will deliver the Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lecture, "(Re)memory, Community-based Education, and ‘Youth Work’ as the Process of Futuring."

Special Events
An photo taken of a group of people in a line, primarily of their torsos. They are applauding.

2026 Awards Ceremony Luncheon
The Awards Ceremony Luncheon will be a highlight of the 2026 AERA Annual Meeting. AERA encourages Annual Meeting participants to add the luncheon to their registration and to help honor notable accomplishments and achievements, across career stages, in education research.
Thursday, April 9, 11:45 am to 1:45 pm
Concourse Hall, Los Angeles Convention Center, Level One
Stock image of people watching a presentation showing their backs. The people on the stage are in the background and out of focus

AERA Welcoming Orientation for New Members and First-Time Attendees
New members and first-time meeting attendees are invited to an orientation session that offers an opportunity to learn more about the association and the benefits of being a member, as well as navigating the Annual Meeting.
Stock image of back of man at podium speaking to an audience

Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony features the official transition of the association’s presidential leadership.
A group of attendees at a roundtable session. One woman is talking with her hands and the others are looking down to their notebooks and writing Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series

The Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Series will return as a special component of the Annual Meeting that will give accepted graduate students the opportunity to share and discuss their work in progress on site in Los Angeles. The roundtable series features graduate students who are actively engaged in research but were not yet ready to advance a paper submission in response to the 2026 Call for Submissions.

In the Exhibit Hall
A woman speaks at a lectern into a microphone and gestures with her hands e-Lightening Ed-Talks
Nearly 250 e-Lightening Ed-Talks will feature selected poster authors presenting their work in the form of brief and engaging presentations. These 4-to-7 minute long talks will be held throughout the day on every day of the meeting in the Exhibit Hall.
A person stands next to a poster speaking to a group who are standing with their backs to the camera

Graduate Student and Early Career Poster Sessions
The Annual Meeting will feature the work of recent dissertation fellows and early career scholars in two poster sessions, "AERA Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research" and "Excellence in Education Research: Early Career Scholars and Their Work."
People stand next to a poster talking and looking at the poster 2026 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair
This poster session provides an opportunity for the undergraduate students who are participating in the Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop to visually display their work and receive comments and guidance from the education research community.
 
A high school age girl stands next to a poster and looks down at it

READY Program Poster Session
High school students, grouped in teams led by education researchers, will present their work in a featured poster session after participating in a mini-workshop at the meeting where they will discuss their research projects, issues consequential to them, and potential opportunities for continuing to pursue research engagements.

Opportunities for Presenters
AERA i-Presentation Gallery logo i-Presentation Gallery
All authors are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to be part of the innovative i-Presentation Gallery. Creating an i-Presentation and being part of the Gallery offers authors a web-based product with a citable and discoverable asset. It also offers networking opportunities through this open access portal. Authors with papers accepted for poster presentations must create their poster presentations with the Gallery. The Gallery accommodates PowerPoint and other traditional presentation formats.
AERA online paper repository logo Online Repository
Authors are encouraged to participate in the voluntary AERA Online Paper Repository and share their papers widely with other scholars in an open access environment. The Online Paper Repository authenticates and time-dates all uploaded papers and assigns a digital object identifier (DOI). The repository also allows citation to subsequent publication to be added.