May 2025

This year, as part of the AERA Research Engagement and Development with Youth (READY) Program, six competitively selected teams of high school students participated in the 2025 Annual Meeting in Denver. Formerly Youth Teams in Education Research (YTER), the READY Program extends AERA's commitment to supporting capacity building and expanding youth access to the Annual Meeting. The six teams selected for the 2025 program included 22 youth researchers came from across the United States to participate in a workshop and present their work in a featured poster session.

The READY program affords youth researchers an opportunity to gain insights into the field from education researchers across career stages, network with peers, and enhance their skills for presenting and discussing their research. Each READY team included four to six high school students who are conducting education research on a range of topics. Teams were led by AERA members who are working with youth in high schools, universities, and community organizations.

The READY workshop included panel discussions, featured speakers, and informal sessions with AERA leaders and accomplished scholars in the field. Continuing a popular workshop feature introduced at the 2024 Annual Meeting, each READY team prepared a five-minute Ed-Talk to introduce their project to the other participating teams. This year, the workshop also included a roundtable session that offered each team a unique opportunity for an extended conversation with a senior scholar whose expertise aligned with the team’s research topic.

On April 24, the READY teams presented their work in a lively, well-attended poster session in the Exhibit Hall. The youth researchers were eager to discuss their research and enthusiastically engaged with session attendees. Team projects focused on a range of topics informed by key issues that the youth recognized as especially relevant for their communities and among their peers. The topics included school and environmental impacts on Black girls; models of community engagement with STEAM and STEM; LatCrit perspectives on migrant youth experiences in schools and communities; history curriculum and sense of belonging and identity development for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth; multiple dimensions of school safety for Black students; and links between student anxiety, sense of belonging, and academic performance. READY poster presentations are available to Annual Meeting registrants in the AERA i-Presentation Gallery.

The Research Engagement and Development with Youth Program will continue for the 2026 Annual Meeting. The READY Call for Proposals for the Annual Meeting in Los Angeles will be released in September. For more information, contact edresearch@aera.net and check out https://www.aera.net/Education-Research/READY-Program.

2025 READY Participants

Black Girlhood Collaborative Youth Team
Team Leaders: Taryrn Brown, Sophia De La Cruz, and Kenesma John (University of Florida)
Project Title: Black Girlhood in Education: Joy and Wellbeing
Youth Researchers: Jaleah Brown, K’haManni Smith, and J’Nelle Westersea

Full STEAM Ahead
Team Leader: Amanda Case (University of Iowa)
Project Title: Full STEAM Ahead: Youth Researchers Capturing Youth Voice
Youth Presenters: Jamarion Berry, Keenan Cain, Garrett Simmons, Jr. and Aleena Watson

Instituto Students Elevating Logros
Team Leader: Joanna Maravilla (Lewis University)
Project Title: Voces de Razón y Resistencia: Chicago Migrant Youth Enacting Participatory Action in Contested Times
Youth Presenters: Martin Hernandez, Yuceslimar Marquez, Alondra Mejia, Brenda Rivera, and Yohana Rivera

The Localized History Project, AAARI@CUNY
Team Leader: Shreya Sunderram (AAARI @ CUNY)
Project Title: The Localized History Project: Youth Driven AANHP Curriculum for NY State
Youth Presenters: Amy Feng, Violet Kim, Jessica Ong, Subah Sumaiiyat, and Ravi Vora

Lompoc Youth Action Research Team
Team Leader: Hui-Ling Malone (University of California Santa Barbara)
Project Title: Using Our Voice through Photos: Confronting Anti-Blackness through Action Research|
Youth Presenters: Sophia Austin, Ameeya Dalmida, Jasmyn Hughes, and Madison Turner

Relatable Xcholars
Team Leaders: Yejun Bae (Appalachian State University) Seongeun Kim (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
Project Title: Inside Out Ourselves: High School Voices and National Trends on Anxiety, Belonging, and Academic Lives
Youth Presenters: Laela Anderson, Soyeon Park, Hannah Pfab, and Eleanor Walz