February 2025
In less than two months, education researchers from across the U.S. and around the globe will convene for the 2025 AERA Annual Meeting in Denver, April 23–27. With an expected attendance of more than 14,000, the conference will spotlight innovation and excellence in the education research field and its relevance to practice and policy.
“In times rugged or not, this year’s convening remains a wonderful opportunity for scholarly inquiry and engagement, networking and reconnecting, and advancement for the field,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “We encourage researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and others to join us in Denver for what promises to be a stimulating and inspiring meeting.”
The theme of this year’s meeting—“Research, Remedy, and Repair: Toward Just Education Renewal”—is especially timely, calling on participants to “share insights from our work toward a goal of improving education for all and to remind ourselves of the critical importance education holds in realizing democratic ideals.”
Janelle Scott
A key gathering point during the conference will be Scott’s Presidential Address, where she will share her wisdom and knowledge, examine the future of the field, and inspire attendees.
The newly revived Awards Ceremony Luncheon, with an emphasis on community and inclusiveness, will be a central component of the Annual Meeting. This event is a time to come together in support of each other while the field honors notable accomplishments and achievements, across career stages, in education research.
Tied to the Annual Meeting theme, 39 high-profile AERA Presidential sessions will provide compelling content that will engage attendees on key issues in education, policy, and practice. Topics include advancing equity in P-20 education through cross-sector collaborations, innovations in cutting-edge research methodologies, the use of AI in education, multilingual learner policies and practices, the role of research on school boards, academic publishing and the peer-review crisis, among many others.
The Research and Science Policy Forum, a prominent component of the AERA Annual Meeting, will offer a series of invited sessions focused on important areas at the intersection of education research and science policy. This forum provides an opportunity for meeting attendees to learn about emerging issues in education research policy and engage in AERA initiatives that bring scientific knowledge and methods to bear.
As reported earlier in Highlights, preeminent scholar and AERA Past President (2019-2020) Vanessa Siddle Walker will deliver the AERA Distinguished Lecture and celebrated scholar William Penuel will give the AERA Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lecture. Four major AERA award Winners will present key high-profile lectures (see related story).
In addition to high-profile AERA-wide sessions, hundreds of paper, roundtable, and poster sessions and symposia will be held by AERA divisions, SIGs, and committees. Among the special features not to miss are e-Lightening Ed-Talks, where selected poster session authors will present their research in the form of rapid-fire and engaging presentations in the Exhibit Hall. The conference will showcase the work of recent dissertation fellows and early career scholars in two poster sessions, and also provide an opportunity for undergraduate students who are participating in the Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop to display their work and receive guidance from the education research community during a poster fair.
For further details, visit the online program.