SIG Meeting Minutes

AERA 2026 Special Interest Group (SIG) Business Meeting Minutes

Meeting opened by Jennifer Jolly, Chair.

Program Update

Presented by Jennifer Robins and Tamra Stambaugh

Submission Statistics

• 70 submissions, compared with 73 the previous year
• 5 submissions disqualified because they were identified or incomplete
• 1 submission withdrawn after being sent to reviewers because the presenter was unable to attend
• 43 submissions accepted
• 21 submissions rejected
• 4 paper sessions
• 24 poster sessions and roundtables
• 1 business-meeting slot
• 38 total paper and roundtable sessions

Session Topics

• Paper Sessions:
  • Programming, professional learning, and instruction
  • Creativity, artificial intelligence, and learning
  • Diverse gifted learners
  • Psychosocial skills
• Roundtables:
  • Identification and learning: 1 roundtable
  • Creativity: 2 roundtables
  • Instrumentation: 1 roundtable
• 5 poster presentations

Reviewer Recruitment

• The deadline to sign up to review submissions for the following year is May 30.

Treasurer’s Report

Presented by Jennifer Jolly on behalf of Benna Haas

• Current balance: $5,382.17
• Sponsorships secured for the SIG social: $2,250
• Membership: 242 members as of January 2026

Elections Report and Update

Presented by Michael Matthews on behalf of Karen Rambo-Hernandez

Newly Elected Officers

• Assistant Program Chair: Tamra Stambaugh
  • One-year term beginning in 2026
• Chair-Elect: Lindsay Lee
  • Two-year term beginning in 2026
• Graduate Student Representative: Susan Sanchez
  • One-year term beginning in 2026
• Secretary: Christine H. Weiss
  • Two-year term beginning in 2026

Member-at-Large Election

• An election error required a new vote for the Member-at-Large positions.
• The re-vote will take place May 19 through June 17, 2026.
• Members will vote for two Members-at-Large.
• Candidates:
  • Maryann Hebda
  • Krystle Merry
  • Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick
  • Kim Stephson
  • Jenny Yang
  • Karen Rambo-Hernandez

Graduate Student Report

Key Achievements

• Published fall and spring newsletters
• Created “Know Before You Go” quick tips
• Secured $2,250 in sponsorships for the SIG social
• Designed the RoGCT SIG Social
• Designed the Graduate Student Meet-Up

Graduate Student Committee Members

• John Burrell
• Fangfang Cai
• Ashley Rieske
• Alejandra Salazar Salame
• Hernan Castillo-Hermosilla
• Ilke Bayazitli
• Vicky Ji
• Alejandra Fernandez Morgado
• Deepak Sharma
• Shamim Helal

Awards Report

Presented by Michael Matthews on behalf of Tracey Sulak

• Graduate Student Travel Awards:
  • Fangfang Mo
  • Ilke Bayazitli
• Michael Pyryt Award:
  • Brigandi, C. B., Rambo-Hernandez, K. E., Yuan, J., Hebda, M. A., Spitznogle, R., McClanahan, R., & Wilson, S. G. (2025). Cracking the code: Integrating professional learning, computer science, and gifted education to enhance teacher self-efficacy and student engagement. Gifted Child Today, 48(4), 225–269. https://doi.org/10.1177/10762175251352438

Panel Discussion

Topic: Scholar and practitioner perspectives: The effectiveness of gifted and talented programming and services

Discussant: Tamra Stambaugh

Participants:

• Betsy McCoach
• Del Siegle
• Lisa Rubenstein
• Matt Makel
• Maryann Hebda
• Shannon Fuller

[End of Minutes]

AERA 2025 Special Interest Group (SIG) Business Meeting Minutes

Meeting opened by Jennifer Jolly (Chair)

Program Update (Tamra Stambaugh)

• Submission Statistics:
  • Papers submitted: 73
  • Papers accepted: 44
  • Acceptance rate: 60%
• Reviewer Recruitment:
  • Recruitment for AERA 2026 now open via myAERA
  • Contact Tamra Stambaugh and Jennifer Robinson directly if you missed the deadline
• Challenges Identified:
  • Quick turnaround for deadlines
  • Issues with AERA interface system
  • Rating system confusion (1-5 scale)
    • Papers with "1" ratings being accepted due to misinterpretation
    • Need to better communicate that ratings below "3" should not be accepted
• Additional Notes:
  • Submission numbers are climbing
  • Potential increase in number of assigned sessions
  • Individual submission duplication issue to be addressed privately with Tamra/Jennifer

Treasurer and Membership Report (Jennifer Jolly on behalf of Selcuk Acar)

• Current Budget: $5,752.05 (as of January)
• Income:
  • University contributions: $2,500
  • Membership dues: $1,665
  • Social event ticket sales: $1,070
• Expenses:
  • Social event: $3,661
  • Elections: $150
  • Travel and awards: $1,750
  • AERA payment: $225
• Membership Statistics:
  • Total members: 171 (27 new in 2025)
  • Lapsed members: 137
  • Graduate student members: 58

Mentoring Program (Angie Miller)

• 13 mentors and 13 mentees matched
• Matches sent April 4th with discussion topics and scheduling instructions
• 2 mentees requested virtual meetings
• Google Forms used for application process

Elections Update (Karen Rambo-Hernandez)

• Newly Elected Positions:
  • Treasurer: Benna Haas
  • Members at Large:
    • Donna Ford (re-elected)
    • Joy Lin (University of Denver)
  • Graduate Student Representative: Shannon Fuller (University of Missouri Kansas City)
• Members Completing Service:
  • Selcuk Acar (Treasurer)
  • Angie Miller (Member at Large)
  • Maryann Hebda (Graduate Student Rep)
• Chair election will be part of next call

Awards (Tracey Sulak)

• Student Award Winners:
  • Ariana Mungia
  • Tugçe Karatas
• Pathbreaker Award:
  • Ophélie Desmet and Fangfang Mo

Graduate Student Activities & SIG Social (Liesel Lutz)

• Thank you to graduate committee members
• AERA Graduate Student Q&A session held
• WhatsApp group created for graduate students during AERA
• Spring newsletter to be distributed this week
• SIG Social:
  • Friday after business meeting at Italian restaurant
  • $3,000 in pledged sponsorships secured
  • Pricing:
    • Members: $30
    • Graduate students: $15
    • Non-members: $40
  • Payment: Cash at door, exploring Venmo options
  • Challenge: Finding affordable venues in expensive cities
• Graduate Student Coffee Meetup:
  • Saturday with Dr. Benna Haas and Dr. Celeste Sodergren

Panel Discussion

Topic: What we need from each other: schools and researchers working together for gifted learners

Panelists:

• Benna Haas (Purdue University)
• Eli Jones (Burris Lab School)
• Chris Kilroy (Colorado Springs School District)
• Scott Peters (NWEA)
• Del Siegle (UConn)

Next year's meeting will be held in Los Angeles

AERA Meeting Minutes

Date: 11/1/2023
Time: 9:00 AM to 10:09 AM (Central)
Location: Online

In Attendance:

• Selcuk Acar
• Brittany Anderson
• Donna Ford
• Maryann Hebda
• Jaret Hodges
• Lindsay Lee
• Angie Miller
• Anne Rinn
• Jennifer Robins
• Tim Spitsberg

Agenda:

Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the last meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report – Presented by Selcuk Acar

• $3,000 in current donations
• Still collecting final institutional funds
• Expected surplus: $1,500
• 97 memberships have lapsed
• 45 new memberships in 2023, 12 so far in 2025
• Special thanks to Yao Yang for donation coordination

Election Report – Presented by Anne Rinn

• Contested elections in all categories
• Increased institutional representation

Awards Update – Presented by Lindsay Lee

• Michael Pyrite award due by January 15
• Awards committee recruitment underway
• Graduate student awards will be requested
• Discussion:
  • Donna Ford asked how the award got its name
  • Karen Rambo-Hernandez shared the origin story
  • Donna noted problematic remarks made by Pyrite in the past

Mentoring Update – Presented by Angie Miller

• No new updates; refer to 3/30 minutes
• Angie has stepped into the role

Programming Update – Presented by Jennifer Robins

• AERA decision letter expected November 10
• 5 paper sessions and 21 round table/posters
• Submissions down to 55 from 66 last year
• More new submitters unfamiliar with the SIG

Newsletter Update – Presented by Maryann Hebda

• Newsletter will be sent to Karen shortly

Graduate Student Update – Presented by Maryann Hebda

• Grad students will meet to discuss social planning

Website Update – Presented by Tim Spitsberg

• Headshots needed – email to Tim
• Consider using Twitter in addition to email
• Tim does not have Facebook access

Unconference Update – Presented by Brittany Anderson

• 48 attended last year's unconference
• Donna and Brittany to meet about this year’s event
• Current plan is to align with previous year's format

Conference Update – Presented by Karen Rambo-Hernandez

• Tracking-Detracking SIG reached out for collaboration
• Ideas discussed:
  • Joint unconference or social event
  • Cross-inviting to business meetings
  • Estimated 25% increase in attendees
  • Invite to visit a detracked school (travel costs apply)
• Questions raised by Donna Ford, Lindsay Lee, Brittany Anderson, Angie Miller
• Karen proposed a panel on detracking trends

Business Meeting Update – Presented by Karen Rambo-Hernandez

• Discussion of potential invited scholars:
  • Neuro-creativity experts (suggested by Lindsay & Angie)
  • District-facing scholar on gifted program cuts (Donna Ford)
  • AI in education (suggested by Jaret Hodges)
• Jaret agreed to assist with this session

[End of Minutes]

AERA Meeting Minutes

Date: 03/30/2023
Time: 9:00 AM to 10:02 AM (Central)
Location: Online

In Attendance:

• Selcuk Acar
• Ophelie Desmet
• Donna Ford
• Mehdi Ghahremani
• Maryann Hebda
• Jaret Hodges
• Lindsay Lee
• Michael Matthews
• Angie Miller
• Andy Parra-Martinez
• Karen Rambo-Hernandez
• Anne Rinn
• Jennifer Robins
• Del Siegle
• Yao Yang

Agenda:

Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the last meeting were approved.

Membership Updates

• Welcomed new members to the association.
• Announced members completing their tenure.

AERA Reviewer Call – Presented by Jennifer Robins

• Call for reviewers made early due to shortage last year.
• Current call closes end of April.
• 66 submissions (up from 50). 20 papers and 1 symposium were rejected.
• Donna Ford raised racial representation concerns in a special issue on discipline.

Program Chair Rotation System

System includes two rotating roles: Chair-Elect → Chair (2 years) → Past Chair.

Mentoring Initiatives – Presented by Ophelie Desmet

• 15 students registered; 8 members joined.
• Collaboration with NAGC grad group and social media increased engagement.
• Coffee reimbursements up to $20 available via Selcuk Acar.
• Post-conference decision on mentoring committee chair.

Unconference Details – Presented by Michael Matthews

• Date: 12th, 2–5 PM, Hyatt Regency.
• Theme: Future of gifted education.
• No budget for refreshments; survey to gauge attendance.
• Graduate students especially encouraged.
• Co-chair selection to follow post-conference.

Awards Notification – Presented by Lindsay Lee

• Travel awards: Brenda Cavalcante Matos, Zafer Ozen.
• Pathbreaker awards: Rahmi Luke Jackson, Dr. Jae Yup Jung.
• Awards available at AERA HQ during designated hours.
• Receipts required for reimbursement.
• Discussed award splitting among co-authors.

Treasury Update – Presented by Del Siegle

• Balance: $5,032.68 from dues.
• 202 current members, 102 lapsed.
• Expenses (excl. social): $1,670; expected social event shortfall ~$400.
• Suggested nudging lapsed members to renew.

Grad Student Committee Report – Presented by Yao Yang

• Four students helped secure social venue.
• Outlined sponsorship and donation plans.

Social Event Planning – Presented by Karen Rambo-Hernandez

• Venue: Kariman (~$2,600 cost).
• Pricing: Faculty $10, Grad Students $5, higher for non-members.
• Attendees asked to bring cash.
• Discussion included tickets and sponsor recognition.

Outreach Strategy – Raised by Donna Ford

• Push outreach to institutions without G/T programs and MSIs.
• Ophelie suggested tracking job placements to aid recruiting.

Business Meeting – Presented by Karen Rambo-Hernandez

• Recognition of outgoing and incoming officers.
• Newsletter and unconference discussed.

Panel on Interdisciplinary Methods – Presented by Ophelie Desmet