2014 Annual Meeting Live-streamed Sessions


AERA will live-stream select sessions at its 2014 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 3-7, 2014.20 sessions will feature prominent scholars and other national voices speaking on key issues at all levels of education. 

Free registration
 is required to watch any of the 20 sessions.

Follow the live conversation on Twitter using #AERA14 or unique session hashtag.

  • Innovations in Access to and Success in College
  • The Political Realities of Education Reform
  • AERA Opening Plenary Session
  • Enriching Research and Innovation Through the Specification of Professional Practice
  • The Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lecture
  • The Science of Learning and the Education Sciences
  • Reframing Immigrants and Immigration
  • How Housing and Neighborhood Contexts Shape Children’s Educational Outcomes
  • The Contributions of Research and Evaluation to the Educational Innovation Ecosystem
  • Innovative Validity Approaches for High-Quality Assessments
  • The Need for Evidence-Based Understanding of Immigration and Its Consequences
  • 2012 PISA Results
  • Awards Ceremony Luncheon
  • Designing Teacher Evaluation and Support Systems
  • AERA Presidential Address
  • AERA Distinguished Lecture
  • Universal Preschool
  • Analysis of Social Networks of Educators
  • Noncognitive Factors Affecting Student Success
  • Learning Analytics: Capturing, Analyzing, and Visualizing Experiences of Lifelong Learning                                                     
  • Thursday, April 3


    Innovations in Access to and Success in College

    Thursday, April 3, 12 - 1:30 pm
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I

    Chair:
    Lindsay Coleman Page
    Discussant:
    David Coleman
    Participants:
    Thomas R. Bailey
    Sandy Baum
    Benjamin Castleman
    Lindsay Coleman Page
    Bridget Terry Long

    What innovations can we as a community of research and practice apply to meet the Obama administration’s charge to increase higher education access and success, particularly among low-income, first-generation college-going students? This AERA presidential session will investigate this question and provide evidence on several creative and cost-effective strategies to support students to and through college. Presenters will discuss topics such as college financing and affordability, challenges students face in the transition from high school to college, and the academic needs of students once they arrive on their college campus. Further, they will provide insights and evidence on policy, programmatic and curricular innovations to contribute to increased postsecondary success. David Coleman, President of The College Board, will reflect on the role of the College Board, member school districts and universities, and policy partners in shaping the conversation and in taking innovative steps to improve student outcomes.

    Link to session


    The Political Realities of Education Reform: What Is the Role for Educational Research?

    Thursday, April 3, 2:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I
    Chair:
    Erin McNamara Horvat
    Participants:
    Kathleen M. Shaw
    Jeffrey R. Henig
    Kent McGuire
    Jeannie Oakes
    Edward G. Rendell


    Edward G. Rendell

    While much of the rhetoric of education reform focuses on what teachers and parents are or are not doing or on how different organizational models for schools (small schools, charter schools etc.), it can be argued that real reform in urban areas is more of a political question than a technical one. While we may get some gains in achievement with different models of schools or by changing how we train teachers, the vast funding disparities and demographic differences between urban schools and suburban schools are at the root of the problems politically isolated city schools face. Altering this landscape is a political issue. In light of this reality that much of education reform is a political problem, what role is there for researchers? How can research help to address a fundamentally political problem? What role can and should an organization like AERA play addressing the political reality of education reform? What do researchers need to do to successfully address education reform from this perspective?

    Link to session


    AERA Opening Plenary Session: Teresa A. Sullivan, President, University of Virginia

    A Pipeline of Innovation: Education Research from K-12 to College

    Thursday, April 3, 4:05 pm to 5:35 pm  
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I
    Session hashtag: #AERAInnovate


    Sullivan will speak about education research that is leading to innovative practices and policies at every level of education, from kindergarten through higher education, making the case for a continuum of innovation.

    Link to session


    Friday, April 4

    Enriching Research and Innovation Through the Specification of Professional Practice: The Core Practice Consortium

    Friday, April 4, 10:35 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I

    Chair:
    Anthony S. Bryk
    Presenters:
    Deborah Loewenberg Ball
    Francesca Forzani
    Megan L. Franke
    Magdalene Lampert
    Pamela L. Grossman
    Morva McDonald
    Elham Kazemi
    Mark A. Windschitl
    Participants:
    Bradley Fogo
    Hala N. Ghousseini
    Sarah Schneider Kavanagh
    Matthew J. Kloser
    Jamie O'Keeffe
    Jessica J. Thompson

    The lack of a specific and common understanding of key elements of teaching has impeded the progress of research and practice in teaching and teacher education for decades.  The Core Practice Consortium takes an innovative view on the power of education research by collaboratively defining and enacting the core practices of teaching and teacher education across institutions. This work is highly relevant to researchers, teacher educators, teachers, and policy makers, as it focuses on the central activities of teaching.

    Link to session

    The Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lecture: Catherine E. Snow, Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Education, Harvard University

    Rigor and Realism: Doing Educational Science in the Real World

    Friday, April 4, 10:35 am to 12:05 pm
    Convention Center, 200 Level - 201A
    Session hashtag: #AERAReal


    Some educational researchers are adopting new models for doing educational research, models that start from problems of practice, prioritize the challenge of utility to educators, and presuppose partnership relationships between researchers and practitioners. In attempting to implement such approaches, we often find that attention to the conditions of real-world practice may compete with attention to the constraints of rigorous design. That familiar problem can be exacerbated by the conflicting epistemologies of real-world decision-making vs. rigorous scientific knowledge-building. This conflict, in its multiple forms only some of which will be discussed, is a dilemma rather than a problem; it demands careful consideration of approaches to balancing the desirable features of rigor and of realism when they conflict.

    Link to session


    The Science of Learning and the Education Sciences: Strange Bedfellows or All in the Family?

    Friday, April 4, 12:25 p.m. to 1:55 p.m.
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I

    Participants:
    David Klahr
    Daniel L. Schwartz
    Nora Newcombe
    Bror Valdemar-Haug Saxberg

    In 2002, the National Center for Education Research began. In 2003, NSF launched a Science of Learning Centers program. NCER aimed “to sponsor sustained research that will lead to the accumulation of knowledge and understanding of education”. The NSF Centers aimed to explore the cognitive and neural bases of learning to enable education to build on new discoveries. The aim of this symposium is to (a) reflect on the accomplishments of these initiatives, (b) consider prospects for a multidisciplinary science of learning and (c) explore the complex relationship between the science of learning and the education or learning sciences. Three of the participants represent 3 of the 6 Centers, and have participated in NCER projects as well, and a fourth participant gives a “user perspective” from an organization using research results to improve student success at scale.

    Link to session


    Reframing Immigrants and Immigration: The Promise and Possibility

    Friday, April 4, 2:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
    Convention Center, 200 Level - 201A

    Chair:
    Kris D. Gutiérrez
    Discussant:
    Guadalupe Valdés
    Participants:
    Ruben Rumbaut
    Vilma Ortiz
    Lisa (Leigh) Patel
    Marjorie Faulstich Orellana

    Link to session

    How Housing and Neighborhood Contexts Shape Children’s Educational Outcomes

    Friday, April 4, 2:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I

    Chair:
    Ann Owens
    Discussant:
    Robert Halpern
    Participants:
    Stefanie A. Deluca
    Kathryn Edin
    Patrick T. Sharkey
    Robert J. Sampson
    Ann Owens
    Brian Jacob
    Jens Ludwig

    Link to session


    The Contributions of Research and Evaluation to the Educational Innovation Ecosystem: Lessons From Around the World

    Friday, April 4, 4:05 p.m. to 5:35 p.m.
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I

    Chair:
    Stephan Vincent-Lancrin
    Discussant:
    John Q. Easton
    Participants:
    Paul Collard
    Thomas R. Bailey
    Rukmini Banerji
    Shawn Powers 

    This session will discuss the role of research and evaluation in the innovation ecosystem of the education sector worldwide. Reflections will come from OECD and non-OECD countries, with some specific examples from India, the United Kingdom and the United States. The session will address the issue from the multiple perspectives of innovators, researchers, evaluators and policy makers, and highlight the different roles that research can play for innovation, taking into account differences in countries and institutional settings. Innovators will reflect on what researchers and evaluators have brought to their enterprise, while researchers and evaluators will discuss what they see as the contribution of their research to educational innovations. All these perspectives will be discussed from a policy perspective as well. The session will contribute to the field by framing the debate in comparison with other sectors than education, by showcasing interesting research or evaluation methods, and by broadening our thinking about the interplay between research, the design of educational innovation and the creation of the social conditions for its scalability.

    Link to session

    Saturday, April 5

    Innovative Validity Approaches for High-Quality Assessments: An Interaction

    Saturday, April 5, 8:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
    Convention Center, 200 Level - 201A

    Chair:
    Barbara A. Chow
    Participants:
    Linda Darling-Hammond
    Joan L. Herman
    James W. Pellegrino 
    Li Cai 
    Eva L. Baker
    Discussants:
    Joseph L. Willhoft
    Kent McGuire
    Douglas F. Becker
    Jeffrey Nellhaus
    Jack Buckley

    The major US educational reform now gaining momentum and a range of attention is the design and implementation of new assessments intended to measure the Common Core State Standards. Many States are involved in two major groups, and others are using their own designs to create assessments. This symposium addresses key validity criteria involving both assessment features and inferences drawn from data, how they support high-quality assessments measuring complex thinking and applicable domain learning. The symposia will include researchers who will describe the criteria and research needed to assure their use, as well as reactions from those in the consortia, commercial testing, and the policy community. 

    Link to session


    The Need for Evidence-Based Understanding of Immigration and Its Consequences

    Saturday, April 5, 10:35 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
    Convention Center, 200 Level - 201A

    Chair:
    Douglas Massey
    Participants:
    Douglas Massey
    Roberto Gonzales
    Joanna Dreby
    Veronica Terriquez
     

    The population characteristics of the U.S. are changing dramatically; the majority origin population is expected to continue to decline while those from immigrant and minority backgrounds are expected to increase. This changing demographic is having a significant impact on U.S. society, especially in schools where questions regarding the quality of education immigrant students receive is of major concern. Research indicates that many immigrant children are failing to gain the skills and knowledge that will lead them to education advancement, economic security, civic engagement, and social and emotional well-being. Schools and communities have been chided as unresponsive to the needs of immigrant students. This panel discusses what the evidence tells us about the changes in our U.S. population and the implications it is likely to have for immigrant children, including: how schools should work with undocumented students; how to accommodate the needs of transnational children; and what should be the responses to policies hindering the educational futures of immigrant children.

    Link to session


    2012 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) Results: Why We Should Care About International Comparisons

    Saturday, April 5, 10:35 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
    Convention Center, 200 Level - 201B
    Chair:
    Martin Carnoy
    Presenter:
    Andreas Schleicher
    Participants:
    William H. Schmidt
    Henry M. Levin

    The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assesses the extent to which 15-year-old students have acquired key knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies. The assessment, which focuses on reading, mathematics, science and problem-solving, does not just ascertain whether students can reproduce what they have learned; it also examines how well they can extrapolate from what they have learned and apply that knowledge in unfamiliar settings, both in and outside of school. This approach reflects the fact that modern societies reward individuals not for what they know, but for what they can do with what they know. Andreas Schleicher, the Deputy Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD's Secretary-General will present the 2012 PISA results for 28 million 15 years olds in 65 participating countries.

    Link to session


    Awards Ceremony Luncheon: 2014 Award Winners in Education Research

    Saturday, April 5, 12:25 pm to 2:25 pm 
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I
    Session hashtag: #AERAAwards

    Link to session


    Designing Teacher Evaluation and Support Systems: New Guidance for Educators and Policy Makers Emerging From the Measures of Effective Teaching Study

    Saturday, April 5, 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
    Convention Center, 200 Level - 201A

    Chair:
    Robert Pianta
    Participants:
    Steven M. Cantrell
    Erik Ruzek
    Christopher Hafen
    Bridget Kathleen Hamre
    Robert Pianta
    Ronald F. Ferguson
    Charlotte F. Danielson
    Kata Mihaly
    Daniel F. McCaffery
    Douglas Staiger
    Thomas Kane 

    States and districts have launched unprecedented efforts in recent years to build new feedback and evaluation systems that support teacher growth and development. To that end, the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project set out to investigate how a set of measures could identify effective teaching fairly and reliably.  This session highlights a selection of chapters from a new volume reporting original research using the MET data set.

    Link to session


    AERA Presidential Address: Barbara Schneider, AERA President; John A. Hannah Chair and Distinguished Professor in the College of Education and Department of Sociology, Michigan State University 

    Aligned Ambitions: What’s Behind the College Mismatch Problem?

    Saturday, April 5, 4:35 pm to 5:35 pm  
    Followed by Champagne Reception – 5:35 pm to 6:20 pm 
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I
    Session hashtag: #AERAPres


    Every year over 150,000 low-income and minority on-time high school graduates choose to enroll in postsecondary institutions that are less selective than their grades, test scores, and aspirations predict. These choices have long-term consequences for the lives of the students’ and their future earnings; as well as, the contributions they could make to our society.  Why is this case? What actions should be taken to change this? The College Ambition Program is a whole-high school quasi-experimental intervention designed to assist students in fulfilling their ambitions. After four years in the field, working with over 3,000 students, results demonstrate that there are concrete strategies that change college plans and enrollment with the potential for scale-up at a national level. 

    Link to session

    Saturday, April 5

    Sunday, April 6

    AERA Distinguished Lecture: Anthony Bryk, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

    Improving: Joining Improvement Science to Networked Communities

    Sunday, April 6, 10:35 am to 12:05 pm
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I
    Session hashtag: #AERAImprove


    For the past five years, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has been pioneering a fundamentally new vision for research and development that joins the discipline of improvement science with the capabilities of networks to foster innovation and social learning. This talk will illustrate the six principles of improvement that guide this work. It will introduce the idea of analytically and empirically rigorous practice-based evidence for advancing quality outcomes reliably at scale. In so doing, it reframes the work of applied educational research as an effort of systematically learning to improve. It stands as a counterpoint both to policy initiatives pressing rapid large-scale implementation and also autonomous efforts engaged in by individual teachers and schools seeking to improve.

    Link to session

    Universal Preschool: What Have We Learned, and What Does It Mean for Practice and Policy?

    Sunday, April 6, 12:25 p.m. to 1:55 p.m.
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I

    Chair:
    Rachel A. Gordon
    Discussant: 
    Libby Doggett
    Participants:
    William S. Barnett
    Dale C. Farran
    Rachel A. Gordon 

    Scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from many disciplinary backgrounds and political persuasions point to the promise of preschool. Economists and developmental scientists, for example, highlight the ways in which early interventions cascade into numerous long-term payoffs, and identify positive benefit-to-cost ratios from classic preschool interventions. Educators recognize how reducing school readiness gaps can better position schools to teach all students, especially important in an era of accountability. In this session, several prominent scholars will share new research; and, a leading federal policymaker will discuss the findings’ relevance, including what they mean as the Obama administration proposes greater investments in state pre-k at the same time that states -- facing budget constraints -- are asking whether recent expansions have paid off.

    Link to session


    Analysis of Social Networks of Educators: Empirical Findings, Practical Applications, New Directions, and Theoretical Issues

    Sunday, April 6, 4:05 p.m. to 5:35 p.m.
    Convention Center, 200 Level - 201A

     
    Chair:
    Min Sun
    Discussant:
    Cynthia E. Coburn
    Participants:
    Kenneth A. Frank
    Min Sun
    Alan J. Daly
    Kara S. Finnigan
    James P. Spillane
    Megan Hopkins
    William R. Penuel
               

    This session features social network analysis as it is used to study intra and inter school knowledge production and school leadership arrangements. Talks will 1) review findings concerning how educators are influenced by network members and how they select with whom to interact; 2) present research concerning networks of central office administrators as they engage research on district-wide reform; 3) describe efforts to develop tools intended to help states and districts identify the location of expertise relevant to curriculum, assessment, and professional development needed to implement Next Generation Science Standards; 4) present new directions in network analysis including two-mode network data (e.g., students and the courses they take), dynamic network processes and agent based simulations to study the emergence of network properties; and 5) discuss some fundamental epistemological and methodological challenges in using SNA to study knowledge production and school leadership and management.

    Link to session


    Noncognitive Factors Affecting Student Success: State of the Science and Opportunities for School Improvement

    Sunday, April 6, 4:05 p.m. to 5:35 p.m.
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I

    Chair:
    David Scott Yeager
    Discussants:
    Anthony S. Bryk
    Carol Dweck
    Participants:
    Angela L. Duckworth
    Cybele Raver
    David Scott Yeager
    Geoffrey L. Cohen
    Gregory Mariotti Walton

    In recent years there has been a flurry of activity regarding so-called “non-cognitive” factors affecting student success, referring to the non-IQ factors that cause learning and persistence. Broadly, interventions to increase self-regulation and to redirect student beliefs have had promising effects, in some cases causing lasting improvements for children across multiple domains of development. But what is truly known about these factors? How do their effects vary across contexts or age groups? And, perhaps more importantly, how can these insights from basic research be implemented in school settings to reliably improve student success? This session will present findings from some of the leading researchers on so-called non-cognitive factors affecting students, followed by a discussion of the implications of this research for school improvement and for broader theories of child development and student learning.

    Link to session

    Monday, April 7

    Learning Analytics: Capturing, Analyzing, and Visualizing Experiences of Lifelong Learning

    Monday, April 7, 12:25 p.m. to 1:55 p.m. 
    Convention Center, Terrace Level - Terrace I

    Chair:
    Taylor Martin
    Discussant:
    Edward Dieterle
    Participants:
    John T. Behrens
    Ryan Baker
    Marie Bienkowski
    Bob Wise

    To enable personalized, lifelong learning, we need education researchers capable of unlocking insights contained in the growing tsunami of student- and teacher- generated data associated with digital tools and environments. Creating a talent base of education researchers with deep analytical talent won’t happen overnight. It will require prioritizing resources, developing and sustaining a professional infrastructure, and creating new research tools capable of capturing, analyzing, and visualizing experiences continuing all through life. It will necessitate changes in teaching and learning practices and new policies that strike an appropriate balance between protecting privacy and drawing on large volumes of learning data to advance education outcomes. And it will require strengthening collaboration among the sectors of the education enterprise. In this session, experts from academy, industry, government, practice, and philanthropy will draw from their professional experiences to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with learning analytics, providing worked examples and strategic priorities. 

    Link to session