The 2026 AERA Annual Meeting theme, Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures: Constructing a New Vision for Education Research, calls on us to bridge the past and the future with intention, care, and critical imagination. As scholars, educators, and practitioners within the Teaching History SIG, we are uniquely positioned to take up this charge. Our collective work is rooted in the recognition that the stories we tell, the histories we highlight, and the futures we envision through educational research are consequential.

At a time when the politicization of education is intensifying and historical truths are being erased, our SIG remains committed to advancing research that resists these silences. We echo the call to “unforget”—to bring forth the wisdom, struggles, and resilience of communities whose lives and contributions have often been omitted from dominant educational narratives. Our work affirms that historical inquiry is not a retreat into the past but a blueprint for future-making—a way of reclaiming agency and shaping just educational possibilities.

As we gather in Los Angeles, we encourage submissions that align with our SIG’s call (attached) and the larger 2026 AERA conference theme. We welcome your voice in helping to imagine and construct thriving educational futures. Let us continue building a vision for education that honors memory, nurtures innovation, and amplifies the expertise of those too often left at the ‘bottom of the well’ (Bell, 1992).

For all inquiries related to the Teaching History SIG program for this year’s AERA, please contact Program Chair Erin Bronstein at erinab@umich.edu. We also request that scholars in our field volunteer to serve as a reviewer, discussant, and/or session chair for this year’s Teaching History SIG sessions.

We look forward to learning, imagining, and dreaming with you in 2026,

Brittany L. Jones, Teaching History Sig Chair 

Bjones4@buffalo.edu