June 2025
The 2026 AERA Annual Meeting Presidential Program Committee met May 28–30 in Los Angeles for three days of brainstorming and strategic planning. Led by AERA President Maisha T. Winn, Executive Director Felice J. Levine, and Program Co-Chairs Patrick Camangian, Keisha Green, and Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, committee members engaged with the 2026 theme, “Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures: Constructing a New Vision for Education Research,” focusing their attention primarily on generating ideas for Presidential sessions that ultimately constitute the Committee’s contribution.
Winn opened the meeting inviting Presidential Program Committee members to share their ideas about how they understood the theme. She emphasized how important their ideas are to developing the Program. She encouraged them to take a deep dive to collectively reflect on how to leverage the disciplinary and methodological diversity in education research in the service of unforgetting histories. Through a mix of large and small group discussions, committee members examined how the theme intersects with pressing education issues, with Winn emphasizing the role of methodological diversity, multigenerational participation, and the power of research to inform and transform.
The Presidential Program Committee members will continue to work on the development of potential Presidential sessions with team leaders for each session identified over the June–August span. A final set of approximately 9 sessions will be integrated seamlessly into the 2026 Presidential Program.
Prior to the start of the Presidential Program Committee meeting on May 28th, Winn, Levine, and the program co-chairs met with approximately 35 AERA members from the Los Angeles region that represent a range of institutional settings, research interests, and career stages to help plan and make the meeting relevant to the area. Held a year in advance since the 2005 Annual Meeting (except for the COVID Annual Meetings in 2021, 2022), this convening is key to developing the meeting in ways that elevate education research and education issues in the context of the region. Attendees shared their insights about the histories, people, and educational challenges shaping the region today for the purpose of enhancing the conference experience through substantive sessions, site visits, and other events.
“Our gathering in Los Angeles sparked an inspiring exchange of ideas and perspectives,” said Levine. “The insights shared will help shape the work of the program committee as they prepare for next year’s Annual Meeting. The work launched in May auger well for the 2026 Meeting being intellectually rich, deeply engaging, and catalytic for research in the years ahead.”