October 2025
At a time of significant challenges for education research, AERA convened 70 deans and associate deans at colleges of education and leaders at research institutions for the 2025 Fall Policy Conference of the AERA Consortium of University and Research Institutions (AERA-CURI), held September 28–30 at the Dr. Felice J. Levine Convening Center at AERA in Washington, D.C.
The annual conference provided a timely forum for leaders to examine how education research institutions can navigate a shifting federal policy landscape, sustain research integrity, and support the next generation of scholars. The conference opened with a New Deans Orientation, which created space for new institutional leaders to share experiences and reflect on pressing issues in their first years of service.
Federal agency representatives set the stage for the discussion. Matthew Soldner, acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), provided updates on the agency’s Request for Information on Redesigning IES, while James Moore, assistant director of the STEM Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF), highlighted NSF’s recent NSF STEM K–12 grant solicitation.
Over the meeting, participants engaged in candid conversations with experts from higher education, the media, and national education and science coalitions. Sessions explored how research leaders can respond when their institutions come under attack, how to frame effective narratives in challenging times, and how to strengthen communication within and beyond the academy. Speakers included Art Coleman (Education Counsel), Stephanie Rowley (University of Virginia), Jill Barshay (The Hechinger Report), and Erin Hennessy (TVP Communications).
Other highlights included an overview of administration actions and executive orders affecting research policy from Matt Owens (Council on Governmental Relations) and Kacy Reed (Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities); a discussion of leadership in turbulent times with Michelle Young (University of California, Berkeley) and AERA Executive Director Tabbye Chavous; insights on litigation strategies from Maddy Gitomer (Democracy Forward); and a panel on coalition-building and advocacy featuring Juliane Baron (Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences), Wendy Naus (Consortium of Social Science Associations), and Christy Talbot, AERA assistant director for government relations.
Developed collaboratively by the AERA-CURI Executive Committee and AERA staff, the conference reflected AERA-CURI’s mission to strengthen institutional research capacity, advance advocacy for sound federal research policy, and foster collaboration across universities and the broader education research community.
Looking ahead, AERA-CURI will continue to convene education research leaders through a series of webinars and its Spring Policy Conference on April 7, held in conjunction with the 2026 AERA Annual Meeting. Additional information is available on the AERA website.