September 2016

On September 8–10, AERA and the World Education Research Association (WERA) jointly convened the first-ever meeting of education research associations in the Americas. The meeting, held in Washington, D.C., brought together 23 representatives from 16 associations and related research organizations from throughout the Americas.

AERA President Vivian Gadsden and AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine, who is also WERA President, chaired the meeting. With the 2017 AERA Annual Meeting being held in April in San Antonio, Texas, Gadsden and Levine viewed the timing as particularly opportune for a substantive emphasis on research in the Americas and a potential further meeting. For several years, several WERA member associations in the Americas, including AERA, had sought to identify associations and explore possibilities across the Americas, including the Caribbean.
 

The overall aims of the meeting were to (1) share information about the substantive issues and emphases of education research in these countries, (2) consider burning issues and research priorities, (3) discuss the organizational structure of education research in each country, and (4) address substantive research topics and scholars, including those cross-cutting beyond each country’s borders.
 

The meeting allowed for considerable open discussion around these broad objectives. It was facilitated by simultaneous translation in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Also, key documents for the meeting were translated into all three languages.  
 

Based on discussion and exchange, the meeting participants developed possible topics for a series of Americas symposia to be held at the San Antonio meeting in April 2017. Each symposium will focus on research areas or issues across the Americas. Potential research topics include: Equality, Inequality and Social Justice; Immigration, Inclusion and Education; Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Training, and Evaluation; Democratization of Higher Education; and the Production and Dissemination of Knowledge. Also, a second meeting with additional associations is anticipated.

At the conclusion of the first full day of meeting, participants unanimously adopted the following resolution:

“On this 9^th day of September in the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States, 16 Americas associations and related organizations unanimously affirmed a commitment to work together to advance education research in the Americas and worldwide, building upon the capacities that reside in the Americas and a commitment to their use.” 

A list of participants and their organizations follows. Meeting materials can be viewed here. 

Bottom row: Andréa Barbosa Gouveia, Galo Naranjo López, Enrique Martinez Larrechea, Estela María Miranda, Felice Levine, Ruben Klein, Angélica Buendía, Geovana Mendonça Lunardi Mendes, Daniela Véliz-Calderón Second Row: Gustavo E. Fischman, Fernanda Saforcada, Vivian L. Gadsden, Verónica Villarán, Katherine Rosich, Teresa Bracho González Top Row: Pablo Zoido, Armando Alcantara, Paulino de Jesus Francisco Cardoso, Pedro Flores-Crespo, Lori Diane Hill, Beatrice Avalos, Sylvia Maureen Henry Not Pictured: Gregory Elacqua

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