2021 Annual Meeting Highlighted Presidential Sessions


2021 Annual Meeting Home
Registration
Program Information
Meeting Services
Exhibits | Sponsorship
Access the 
Virtual Platform

Presidential Sessions

This year's AERA Presidential Sessions provide a sense of the rich and compelling content designed to engage Annual Meeting attendees. Ten of these sessions are part of a special “Cinematic Intersections Series” (marked with *** below), intersecting with the award winning film “Get Out” and the ground-breaking HBO series “Lovecraft Country.” All times are Eastern Time.

Presidential Sessions Flyer [Click here to view PDF]

Abolitionist Teacher Education: Anti-racist Praxis, Critical Perspectives, and Humanizing Pedagogies

Saturday, April 10, 4:10 pm - 5:40 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Betina Hsieh (University of La Verne)
Chair: Daniel Soodjinda (California State University Stanislaus)
Discussant: Annamarie Mahealani Francois (University of California - Los Angeles)
Participant: Bree Picower (Montclair State University)
Participant: Tanya Maloney (Montclair State University)
Participant: Farima Pour-Khorshid (University of San Francisco)
Participant: Melanie M. Acosta (Florida Atlantic University)

Abstract:

This panel examines how we might “burn it down and rebuild” teacher preparation instead of tinkering around the edges to “fix” an inherently inequitable and racist system. It will challenge teacher educators and scholars to examine the influence of beliefs and values, identity and positionality, on the design and implementation of teacher education programs to make schools more liberatory spaces for teaching and learning. We question how reimagined teacher education programs move beyond “feel good multiculturalism” to center anti-racist praxis in key dimensions of teacher preparation: recruitment and support for teachers of color; centering the research and perspectives of scholars of color; culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining curriculum and pedagogies; clinical practice partnerships; mentor teacher development; and faculty professional learning.

Access and Persistent Inequities for Marginalized Students

Monday, April 12, 4:30 pm - 6 pm

Session Participants:
Presenter: Wayne Au (University of Washington - Bothell)
Presenter: Mark Anthony Gooden (Teachers College, Columbia University)
Presenter: Thomas M. Philip (University of California - Berkeley)
Presenter: Janelle T. Scott (University of California - Berkeley)
Presenter: Michelle D. Young (Loyola Marymount University)
Chair: Keffrelyn D. Brown (The University of Texas at Austin)

Abstract:

Panelists with expertise in the fields of educational policy, leadership studies, and critical teacher education will consider how political processes and officials, school organization, and the preparation of teachers have contributed to longstanding educational inequities. Bearing witness to these complex, and often unjust conditions, participants not only name challenges, but reimagine what it would mean to own up to, rather than abdicate responsibility for more equitable and just schooling. Panelists will thoughtfully, critically, and creatively respond to the questions: (1) What is the problem? (2) What is needed to intervene on the problem? (3) How would taking up this work look in practice? (4) What is needed to make this work happen in a just and equitable way?

Asian American Accountability: Confronting Ourselves and Unpacking Our Stories for an Educational Reckoning Around Anti-Racism

Sunday, April 11, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Daniel Soodjinda (California State University Stanislaus)
Discussant: Betina Hsieh (University of La Verne)
Participant: Grace MyHyun Kim (The University of Texas at Austin)
Discussant: Jia Grace Liang (Kansas State University)
Participant: Diana Liu (Teachers College, Columbia University)
Participant: Rossina Zamora Liu (University of Maryland)
Participant: Noreen Naseem Rodriguez (Iowa State University)

Abstract:

As Asian American educators, this presidential session confronts our own accountability within anti-racist movements, and explores where we fit within the Black/white binary conversations of race that plague K-12 schools and higher education. The panel is a critical examination of ourselves, our work, and the stories that exist beyond the “model minority” framework that we have been forced into. We question: What are we doing to confront anti-black racism and white supremacy? What opportunities do Asian American educators have to develop criticality? What complicity do we have in upholding white supremacy by problematizing other minoritized racial groups, creating hierarchies of Asian ethnic identity, and failing to move away from our socio-political spaces?

***Cinematic Intersections Series: The Conversation: Raising the Public Profile of Scholars of Color

Friday, April 9, 4:10 pm - 5:40 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Toby S Jenkins (University of South Carolina)
Discussant: Andre Perry (Brookings Institute)
Participant: Eliza G. Braden (University of South Carolina - Columbia)
Participant: AD Carson (University of Virginia)
Participant: Tamara Pearson (Spelman College)
Participant: Aja Reynolds (Wayne State University)
Participant: Toni Denese Sturdivant (Texas A&M University - Commerce)

Abstract:

Missing Persons: The film, Get Out begins with a kidnapping. The character Andre goes missing in the very first scene of the film. Later, it is revealed that this has also happened to the man and woman whose bodies have been stolen and inhabited by the Armitage family in their efforts to secure the talents and abilities of Black people. The film encourages audiences to ask both philosophical and literal questions related to issues of race. First, Black people are disproportionately represented among missing persons in the United States.

According to a 2019 CNN news article, Black children only comprise 14% of all children in the U.S., yet they account for 34% of missing children. We must ask, who is looking for them? The film also causes us to critically think about the ways that silencing, erasure, harassment, and biased-discipline policies often cause BIPOC students and professionals to philosophically “go missing” in educational settings. While policies may call for increased diversification and numbers among scholars of color, cultures of oppression continue to operate in a way that allows scholars to be physically present, but still not seen or heard on campus or in the larger field.

This session explores the ways that scholars of color can go missing within the academy. Too often scholars are hired but not supported, elevated, nominated, awarded, or encouraged to become well-known scholars. The Conversation is an independent news organization that publishes research based articles for the general public. Five AERA scholars that have published their research in the Conversation will share brief presentation shorts of their articles with a facilitated audience discussion. These presentations will be followed by a larger community discussion that explores the various ways that public-facing publications can raise the public profile and significantly impact the career opportunities of researchers and scholars. The audience will also be provided more information on how to effectively translate research into a publishable article aimed at the general public.

***Cinematic Intersections Series: Waking Up & Getting Out: "Dear Academy" A Poetry Open Mic Town Hall

Monday, April 12, 11:10 am - 12:40 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Crystal Leigh Endsley (John Jay College of Criminal Justice)
Chair: Tony Keith (Tony Keith Jr LLC)
Discussant: P. Thandi Hicks Harper (Youth Popular Culture Institute, Inc.)
Participant: Jonathan Cox (University of Central Florida)
Participant: Lauren Leigh Kelly (Rutgers University Graduate School of Education)
Participant: Ian Levy (Manhattan College)
Participant: Donovan Albert Livingston (Wake Forest University)
Participant: Justis Lopez (JustExperience LLC)
Participant: Sacharja Cunningham (Hamilton College)
Participant: Halimah Kihulo (John Jay College)

Abstract:

Waking Up & Getting Out This session stresses the imperative to create space for scholars to truthfully and openly “speak to the academy” (the system, their colleagues, their students, executive leaders, and even themselves) and accept the creative license to demand for educational responsibility. In this way, to “get out” is not to leave the academy, but rather to walk away from cultures of fear; to depart from practices of conformity; and to refuse to work in silent compliance.

Infused with the energy of an open mic, this session will be enacted as a performance space. Through creative performances and co-construction of knowledge between audience and artist, this high-energy format is designed to disrupt conventions that pressure scholars to adhere to respectability politics. The internationally acclaimed spoken word poem "Dear Academy" featuring Drs. Crystal Leigh Endsley and Tony Keith, Jr., will open the session, followed by the featured performers who will share their experiences in higher education. Dr. P. Thandi Hicks Harper will facilitate a dialogue on the necessity of collaboration and knowledge of self as critical tools of social responsibility. Finally, the audience will be invited to generate poetry and to perform in response to a creative prompt.

Are you interested in truthfully and openly talking back to "the academy" (the system, your colleagues, your students, executive leaders) to demand educational responsibility? Write your own "Dear Academy" poem and sign up to perform during the Poetry Open Mic Townhall Presidential Session. You may use the following link to sign up  https://protect2.fireeye.com/v1/url?k=ae454051-f1de7949-ae450e90-865f84946d4c-4d8150b3e8320ac8&q=1&e=98b77914-bf9c-48fc-876f-4c2376e7b010&u=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2FDearAERA.

Decolonizing Social Emotional Learning: Redefining and reclaiming SEL

Saturday, April 10, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Daniel Soodjinda (California State University Stanislaus)
Discussant: Lara E. Ervin-Kassab (San Jose State University)
Participant: Patrick Camangian (University of San Francisco)
Participant: Stephanie Cariaga (California State University - Dominguez Hills)
Participant: Gholnecsar E. Muhammad (Georgia State University)
Participant: Deborah Rivas-Drake (University of Michigan)
Participant: Dena Simmons (Yale University)
Participant: Zoe Higheagle Strong (Washington State University - Pullman)

Abstract:

This panel is a space for dialogue, connection, and honoring cultural systems and practices that have been co-opted into a global “white-washed” (Simmons, 2017) incarnation of social-emotional learning (SEL). The panel includes participants representing POC, intersectional, lead and rising scholars and activists in the fields of teacher education, social justice, psychology, and technology to discuss alternatives to “color-blind” SEL frameworks. The conversation brings a critical lens that should be considered as curriculum, standard/assessment systems, and technological games/apps are developed to “support” student SEL world-wide. Together, we can find connections that can shape research and teacher education programs with the ultimate goal of creating learning spaces that celebrate and value students as socially, emotionally, and culturally complex individuals.

From the Margins to the Center: Interrogating the Precarity and Possibility of Community-based Youth Work in Challenging Times

Monday, April 12, 11:10 am - 12:40 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Bianca Jontae Baldridge (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Chair: Deepa Sriya Vasudevan (Wellesley College)
Participant: Dana R. Fusco (Queens College CUNY)
Participant: Tené Howard (Sadie Nash Leadership Project)
Participant: Ben Kirshner (University of Colorado - Boulder)
Participant: David O. Stovall (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Participant: Deepa Sriya Vasudevan (Wellesley College)
Participant: Torie Weiston-Serdan (Youth Mentoring Action Network, Chapman University)
Discussant: Gretchen A. Brion-Meisels (Harvard University)
Discussant: Kevin Lowell Clay (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Discussant: Tania de St. croix (Kings College London)
Discussant: Daniela Kruel DiGiacomo (University of Kentucky)
Discussant: Virginia Downing (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Discussant: Jessica Tseming Fei (Sadie Nash Leadership Project)
Discussant: Juan Medina (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Discussant: Sam Mejias (Parsons School of Design)
Discussant: Mario Reeves (Center for Socially Responsible Evaluation, UW Milwaukee)
Discussant: Shanta R. Robinson (University of Chicago)
Discussant: David Charles Turner (University of California - Berkeley)
Discussant: Tanya Wiggins (Pace University)
Discussant: Lawrence Torry Winn (University of California - Davis)
Discussant: Vajra M. Watson (University of California - Davis)

Abstract:

As a field, youth work is recognized as the practice of supporting children and youth, and encompasses the education, guidance, and mentorship of young people through a variety of spaces and often in community-based organizations. This session brings together youth work practitioners, community-based leaders, young people, and researchers committed to protecting community-based spaces for youth and ensuring quality programming for young people made vulnerable by the pernicious effects of racism, anti-Blackness, and economic disparities exacerbated by the current moment. This session will be interactive and collaborative to engage in meaningful dialogue and chart a plan for action to fill gaps in research, tackle critical policy issues, and share useful and context-specific strategies for learning and youth development in community-based educational spaces.

Needs and Responses to School Based Activism (Research)

Monday, April 12, 11:10 am - 12:40 pm

Session Participants:
Presenter: Eric J. DeMeulenaere (Clark University)
Presenter: Eve Louise Ewing (University of Chicago)
Presenter: Anneliese Singh (University of Georgia)
Presenter: Camille M. Wilson (University of Michigan)
Moderator: Patrick Mullen (The College of William & Mary)
Chair: April Z. Taylor (California State University - Northridge)

Abstract:

This presidential session features the work of action/activist researchers in education as they discuss needs, opportunities, and strategies for engaging and empowering staff, community members, and students in transforming their local school toward social justice minded change to serve the needs of diverse youth. This session illuminates the 2021 AERA Annual Meeting theme by engaging in a dialog with citizen-scholars who assume responsibility for enacting social change and who work to empower and position others to abolish inequities in education. Panelists will engage in a dialog exploring the societal values and norms being promoted to America’s youth; the rights, responsibility, and recourse to reshape the American educational experience; and the educational system’s potential for self-healing.

Plurilingualism Beyond Language Hegemony: Disrupting Stagnancy in Bilingual Teacher Preparation Programs

Saturday, April 10, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Melissa Arabel Navarro (San Diego State University)
Discussant: Fernando Rodriguez-Valls (California State University - Fullerton)
Participant: Cristina Alfaro (San Diego State University)
Participant: Claudia G. Cervantes-Soon (Arizona State University)
Participant: Imani Cezanne (Independent Scholar)
Participant: Juan Garcia (Anaheim Union High School District)
Participant: Michael D. Guerrero (The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley)
Participant: Patriann Smith (University of South Florida)
Participant: Natalie A. Tran (California State University - Fullerton)
Participant: Jennifer Yanga-Peña (Camino Nuevo Charter Academy & California State University, Dominguez Hills)

Abstract:

This session aims to interrogate the idea of linguistic appropriateness and correctness as mechanisms that dominate teaching discourse and perpetuate oppressive systematic language standardization. Central to this is serving and honoring plurilingual learners and their communities who continue to be impacted by de jure and de facto language policies, and other types of policies. We respond to the question, how do policy, research, and praxis from the past and present address equity in various language program types? And what types of policies, research, and praxis are needed for a better future for plurilingual learners and their communities? Participants will gather ideas on how to counteract and abolish linguistic hegemony that privileges colonizer registers and language variances.

Revisiting School Segregation, Integration, and Their Alternatives

Friday, April 9, 4:10 pm - 5:40 pm

Session Participants:
Presenter: Milly Arbaje-Thomas (Boston METCO)
Presenter: Kofi Lomotey (Western Carolina University)
Presenter: Yoon K. Pak (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Presenter: Dennis Parker (National - American Civil Liberties Union)
Presenter: Perry Stein (Washington Post)
Chair: Vincent Cho (Boston College)
Moderator: Rachel Garver (Montclair State University)

Abstract:

In many circles, school integration is touted as a pathway toward racial and social equity. Yet, many schools have neither met this ideal nor reaped its supposed benefits. In this session, a panel of diverse professions (e.g., practice, journalism, academia) interrogates the assumptions and politics around school integration today. It will explore the similarities and differences among issues faced by African American and immigrant communities, as well as the unique strengths and benefits afforded to schools that embrace and honor students’ cultures and strengths.

***Cinematic Intersection Series: The “Green Book” Personified: AERA Past Presidents Reflect on Guiding Scholars of Color Through the Academy

Sunday, April 11, 4:10 pm - 5:40 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Lori Patton Davis (The Ohio State University)
Participant: James A. Banks (University of Washington - Seattle)
Participant: Gloria J. Ladson-Billings (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Participant: Vanessa Siddle Walker
Participant: Carol D. Lee (Northwestern University)
Participant: Joyce E. King (Georgia State University)
Participant: Arnetha F. Ball (Stanford University)
Participant: Vivian L. Gadsden (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract:

This session is inspired by “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” a guide created by Victor Hugo Brown to assist Black travelers during the Jim Crow Era. The book “provided a rundown of hotels, guest houses, service stations, drug stores, taverns, barber shops and restaurants that were known to be safe ports of call for African American travelers” (history.com). Similar to Victor Hugo Brown, this panel of past AERA presidents have guided scholars in ways that shaped their careers and helped them navigate the terrain of the academy and AERA. Join us to hear their philosophy of mentoring, strategies and instructive lessons they have learned along their respective pathways of success.

The Racial Politics of Educational Governance

Monday, April 12, 2:50 pm - 4:20 pm

Session Participants:
Facilitator: Catherine C. DiMartino (St. John's University)
Participant: Melanie Bertrand (Arizona State University)
Participant: Leo Edward Casey (Albert Shanker Institute)
Participant: Rhoda Freelon (University of Houston)
Participant: Carrie Sampson (Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Arizona State University)
Participant: Joshua Starr (PDK International)

Abstract:

School boards, mayors and teacher unions have long been some of the most powerful and influential stakeholders in public education. Resting at the helm of public education, these educational leaders create and enact educational visions, goals and objectives for their districts. Additionally, they play pivotal roles in personnel, curricular and school finance decision-making. This presidential session will examine how these stakeholders are “accepting educational responsibility” for building more equitable and racially just schools, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic. Understanding that “accepting educational responsibility” has to be tied to accountability, this session also will explore a new social compact for education, one that demands accountability through a plan that annually expects equitable outcomes in learning opportunities and resources across and within districts.

***Cinematic Intersection Series: Topsy, Bopsy, and Black Girlhood: What Lovecraft Country Can Teach Us About How Black Girls Are Seen (And See Themselves)

Saturday, April 10, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Participant: Bridgitte Fielder (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Participant: Elizabeth Gilliam (Florida State University)
Participant: Stephanie R Toliver (University of Colorado - Boulder)
Discussant: KaaVonia Hinton (Old Dominion University)
Chair: Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract:

Most research on Black girlhoods focuses on the experiences, needs, and outcomes of living Black girls, past and present. In this presentation, we focus critical and theoretical lenses on fictional characters Diana “Dee” Freeman, Topsy, and Bopsy, presented in the HBO drama series Lovecraft Country, tracing the literature and media perception of Black girls from Uncle Tom’s Cabin to modern-day YA literature and teen TV. As a counterpoint, we take up calls by the Black Girl Literacies’ Collective to “[point] to the intricacies of Black girlhood and how their literacies are deeply complex and the need to center their ways of knowing and being in the world” by showcasing Black girls’ freedom dreams, “endarkened and whole” (Lorde).

***Cinematic Intersection Series: Whiteness as Futurity and Educational Research

Friday, April 9, 4:10 pm - 5:40 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Riyad Ahmed Shahjahan (Michigan State University)
Chair: Kirsten T. Edwards (University of Oklahoma)
Discussant: Zeus Leonardo (University of California - Berkeley)
Moderator: Muhammad Khalifa (The Ohio State University - Columbus)
Participant: Kirsten T. Edwards (University of Oklahoma)
Participant: Riyad Ahmed Shahjahan (Michigan State University)
Participant: Arathi Sriprakash (University of Bristol)
Participant: Ashley N. Woodson (University of Michigan)

Abstract:

While indeed accounts of racialized politics in education exist, educational scholars’ long-standing preoccupation with a racist past often distracts from an analysis of Whiteness’s role in the creation of the future. By uncovering the “not-yet” to come and/or the state of being related to the future, this invited presidential session will offer a futurity-temporal perspective to the Whiteness in education debate. It will examine how Whiteness as futurity colonizes (or orients) local/national/global subjects’ (individuals, institutions, policy makers’, institutions’, and nation-states’) imaginaries and reinforces the asymmetrical movements, networks, and untethered economies underpinning educational policies, practices, and/or leadership. This panel will interrogate the above in the context of globalization, settler futurity, racial capitalism, and popular culture.

***Cinematic Intersections Series: You Want Our Talent, But Do You Want Us? Creating More Inclusive Education Work Spaces Through Talent-Centered Education Leadership

Saturday, April 10, 2:30 pm - 4 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Henry Tran (University of South Carolina, Columbia)
Discussant: David Garland Buckman (Kennesaw State University)
Discussant: Rinice Sauls (University of South Carolina)
Discussant: Zach Jenkins (University of South Carolina)
Participant: Kathleen M.W. Cunningham (University of South Carolina)
Participant: Suzy Hardie (University of South Carolina)
Participant: Simone A. F. Gause (University of South Carolina) 
Participant: Spencer Platt (University of South Carolina - Columbia) 
Participant: Michele Dow (University of Massachusetts - Boston) 
Participant: Vincent Gregory (University of Kentucky)
Participant: Wardell C Hunter (Atlanta Public Schools) 
Participant: Bridget Turner Kelly (University of Maryland - College Park)
Participant: Douglas Smith (Iowa State University) 
Participant: Mario I Suárez (Utah State University)
Participant: Tiffany Wright (Millersville University of Pennsylvania) 
Participant: Michelle D. Young (Loyola Marymount University) 

Abstract:

This sessions intersects with the theme in “Get Out” related to acquiring the talent and skills of minoritized communities while still upholding systems of exclusion and exerting minimal efforts to truly recruit and include people of all backgrounds into the education workforce. It calls us to ask the question, “You Want Our Talent, But Do You Want Us?”

This session will spotlight Talent-centered education leadership (TCEL), an emerging management approach that builds on the foundations of progressive/inclusive talent management from the HR industry. At its core, TCEL is humanizing the education workplace and prioritizing workforce needs, and essential to that is cultivating a diverse and inclusive work environment. This session will involve an introduction to TCEL; three related presentations on: a) the importance of administrative respect for teacher retention, b) Black women resiliency in community college leadership, and c) barriers to diversity and inclusion for Engineering faculty at R1 universities; and conclude with a panel discussion with experts across the country on how to create more inclusive education work settings for people of all backgrounds across the P-20 continuum.

Evaluating and Improving Teacher Preparation Programs

Monday, April 12, 2:50 pm - 4:20 pm

Session Participants:
Links Among Teacher Preparation, Retention, and Teacher Effectiveness
Matthew Ronfeldt (University of Michigan)
Landscape of the Students Attending Teacher Education Programs
Suzanne M. Wilson (University of Connecticut), Shannon Kelley (University of Connecticut - Storrs)
Landscape of Teacher Education Program Evaluation Systems
Stafford Hood (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Mary E. Dilworth (Independent Researcher), Constance A. Lindsay (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)
Best Practices for Evaluating Teacher Preparation Programs
Marilyn Cochran-Smith (Boston College), Emilie Mitescu Reagan (Claremont Graduate University)
Evaluation of the Clinical Component of Teacher Education Programs
Etta R. Hollins (University of Missouri - Kansas City), Connor Warner (University of Utah)
Teacher Performance Assessments
Charles A. Peck (University of Washington), Maia Young (University of Washington - Seattle), Wenqi Zhang (University of Washington - Seattle)
Best Practices for the Use of Survey
Frank C. Worrell (University of California - Berkeley)
International Insights on Evaluating Teacher Education Programs
Mistilina D. Sato (University of Canterbury), Jane Abbiss (University of Canterbury)
Chair: Linda Darling-Hammond (Learning Policy Institute)
Chair: Kenneth M Zeichner (University of Washington)

Abstract:

The National Academy of Education (NAEd) study on Evaluating and Improving Teacher Preparation Programs will provide consensus recommendations on best practices for evaluating and improving teacher preparation programs (TPPs). This session will present the major findings from papers examining critical topics to the field, including: (1) links among teacher preparation, retention, and teacher effectiveness; (2) landscape of the students attending TPPs; (3) landscape of teacher education program evaluation systems; (4) best practices for evaluating TPPs; (5) evaluation of clinical components of TPPs; (6) teacher performance assessments; (7) best practices for the use of survey; and (8) international insights on evaluating TPPs. These papers and the symposium discussion will inform the final NAEd consensus recommendations on evaluation and improving TPPs.

Reckoning with Anti-Asian Violence: Racial Grief, Visionary Organizing, and Educational Responsibility

Sunday, April 11, 4:10 pm - 5:40pm 

Session Participants:
Participant: Grace Meng (US House of Representative)
Participant: Stephanie Chang (Michigan State Senate)
Participant: Sung Yeon Choimorrow (National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum) 
Participant: Manjusha Kulkarni (Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council) 
Participant: Leigh Patel (University of Pittsburgh) 
Participant: Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales (San Francisco State University)
Chair: Roland Sintos Coloma (Wayne State University)
Chair: Betina Hsieh (University of La Verne) 
Chair: OiYan A. Poon (The Spencer Foundation) 

Accepting Educational Responsibility for Indigenous Education in the Age of Neo-Coloniality in the Pacific

Sunday, April 11, 4:10 pm - 5:40 pm

Session Participants:
Presenter: Hona Black (Massey University)
Presenter: Roberta Hunter (Massey University)
Presenter: S Kaleikoa Kaeo (University of Hawai‘i Maui College)
Participant: Tanya L.M. Samu (University of Auckland)
Discussant: Graham H. Smith (Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi)
Chair: Huia Tomlins Jahnke (Massey University)
Chair: Margaret J. Maaka (University of Hawaii - Manoa)

Abstract:

This session contributes to global multi-disciplinary indigenous research in education; decolonizing research methodologies and indigenous development. The session offers opportunities to advance transformative indigenous research and thinking on accepting responsibility through indigenous centred anti-racism strategies in education policy, structures and systems; the impacts of such research on national policies in teacher education, school curriculum and in the development of indigenous centered models of schooling and higher education. The presenters will participate in a “talk story” exchange about their research. "Talk Story" is an oral conversation act used in Indigenous cultures. It plays an essential role in drawing participants (those in attendance at the session) into a conversation by not overpowering them.

A Critical Conversation on Mental Wellness

Saturday, April 10, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Presenter: Catriona O'Toole (Maynooth University)
Presenter: Daniel Gutierrez (College of William and Mary)
Presenter: Dawn Estefan (Dawn Estefan Counseling and Psychotherapy)
Presenter: Stephen D. Hancock (University of North Carolina - Charlotte)
Chair: Victoria Showunmi (UCL Institute of Education, London)
Discussant: Edith Akenkide (NHS Scotland)

Abstract:

COVID-19 and the recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations serve as a touch-point for the way in which academics and educational practitioners fundamentally need to change their approach to education. Given the disproportionate numbers of deaths of members of the Black community that have resulted from COVID-19 and the surge in numbers of people suffering from mental health conditions as a result of the government mandated lockdown, it is incumbent upon decision makers to reevaluate the provision given people in marginalised groups and from low social-economic backgrounds.

Mental wellness is an international concern because it affects the welfare of students, faculty, and professionals in educational settings. Mental wellness is critical for all educators, who are often the first to be called upon to support students. Many educators recognize the impact that a student's mental health has on learning and achievement, and they realize that there's a great deal that can be done to help students with mental health issues. Poor mental health at K-12 and university is a big problem, not only because it affects how students learn but because it also influences whether they actually finish their academic programme. Ultimately, symptoms of poor mental health greatly affect the career potential and overall lives of students.

Most research illuminates challenges caused by the transition from high school to university life, coursework deadlines, exams and financial difficulties. However, the poor mental health of academics has received comparatively little attention. This is concerning because research has shown that many academic staff are stressed and at risk of burnout.

***Cinematic Intersections Series: Don’t Talk About It. Be About it #BlackJoy

Friday, April 9, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Daniella Ann Cook (University of South Carolina - Columbia)
Participant: Eliza G. Braden (University of South Carolina - Columbia)
Participant: Michelle Lorraine Bryan (University of South Carolina - College of Education)
Participant: Gloria S. Boutte (University of South Carolina)
Participant: Susi Long (University of South Carolina)
Participant: Toni M. Williams (University of South Carolina)
Participant: Kamania Wynter-Hoyte (University of South Carolina)

Abstract:

This session situates the idea and promise of “education” as one of the major social betrayals for Black people in America. The research explored in this session wrestles with the concept of educational love and commitment--exploring the difference between fake and espoused values versus true and authentic educational service. It reiterates cultural violence in education as a form of spirit murder and calls for education scholars to assume responsibility for perpetuating these cultures of violence. But it also moves us forward in the path to leading, teaching and researching differently and in a way that demonstrates true and authentic commitment to Black people and Black students. Regardless of epistemology or ontology, educational scholarship typically centers Black experience in what was/is done to Black people. Affirming the reality that Black people have continually excelled and invented, this session demonstrates what can be learned from Black cultural frames of reference. Drawing on the work of Black emancipatory tradition scholars (DuBois, 1903; Fanon, 1952/2008, 1963; Hilliard, 2009; King, 1991, 1992, 2005; Lynn, 1999; Lynn, Jennings, & Hughes, 2013; Woodson, 1933/1990), this session is an interactive and celebrates Black joy and creative realities of Black people as a model for transformative, liberatory education and scholarship. The arts and humanities are used in this session to honor the historical and contemporary examples of Black joy as pedagogical and scholarly practices.

***Cinematic Intersections Series: Leading While Black through a pandemic: A Conversation with the Founders of the Coalition of Black Education Deans

Sunday, April 11, 2:30 pm - 4 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Michelle Lorraine Bryan (University of South Carolina - College of Education)
Participant: Michael E. Dantley (Miami University)
Participant: Donald Easton-Brooks (University of Nevada - Reno)
Participant: Valerie Kinloch (University of Pittsburgh)
Participant: Marvin Lynn (Portland State University)
Participant: Don Pope-Davis (The Ohio State University - Columbus)
Participant: Laura P. Kohn-Wood (University of Miami)

Abstract:

Trauma One of the enduring themes of the movie “Get Out,” is the ways that unresolved trauma can leave one vulnerable to manipulation and new forms of psychological violence. It is impossible for education researchers to move forward and through the overwhelming weight of the current moment without explicitly pausing to address its impact and our response.

This session will gather the six founders of the “Coalition of Black Education Deans” for an open dialogue and discussion with audience members on the role and importance of Black leadership in the present moment – one characterized by a significant rise in anti-blackness and white racial terrorism amidst a global pandemic. Situated in the Statement of Principles that articulates the shared commitments and beliefs that guide the coalition’s work, the panelists will name the current moment and its relationship to a key issues and trends in the field of education, particularly those adversely impacting black and brown students and their communities.

Critically Addressing Anti-Blackness and Other Forms of Racism and a Move towards Decolonization in the Training of Educators across Kindergarten through Doctoral Studies

Sunday, April 11, 4:10 pm - 5:40 pm

Session Participants:
Presenter: Dorinda Carter Andrews (Michigan State University)
Participant: Subini Ancy Annamma (Stanford University)
Presenter: Wayne Au (University of Washington - Bothell)
Presenter: Rita Kohli (University of California - Riverside)
Presenter: Taharee A. Jackson (University of Maryland - College Park)
Chair: Kevin C. Roxas (Western Washington University)
Chair: Daniel Soodjinda (California State University Stanislaus)

Abstract:

This session entitled “Critically Addressing Anti-Blackness and Other Forms of Racism and a Move towards Decolonization in the Training of Educators across Kindergarten through Doctoral Studies” addresses this theme directly and speaks to the urgent contexts of our times. As hundreds of thousands of people march in big cities and small towns across the U.S. to protest deeply embedded systemic racism, racial violence, and anti-blackness in our shared society and governmental systems, we have an obligation to address how systemic racism also impacts the ways in which educators are trained to work in schools, colleges, and universities.

Educational Innovation in Times of Crisis

Friday, April 9, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Participant: Jesus Cisneros (University of Texas at El Paso)
Participant: Dèsa Karye Daniel (The University of New Mexico)
Participant: Kyndra Violetta Middleton (Howard University)
Participant: Justin C. Ortagus (University of Florida)
Participant: Viji Stay (University of North Carolina)
Chair: Tessa Johnson (University of Maryland - College Park)
Chair: Anisha Singh (University of Maryland - College Park)

Abstract:

We find ourselves standing in a crucible of history. The existing inequities in education have been amplified and laid bare due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and the centuries-old pandemic of racism. The education research community has a responsibility to respond by proposing solutions that effectively address both existing and new challenges in education.

This moderated conversation will bring together researchers who have been studying educational structures from multiple perspectives--economic, policy and practice, and health. The speakers will begin a cross-disciplinary action-oriented conversation that aims to investigate the siloed responses of the US educational system and to shed light on the innovative strategies that individuals and communities used to combat these pandemics.

***Cinematic Intersection Series: “I Am”: Black Feminist Futures and Possibilities in the Academy

Sunday, April 11, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Natasha N. Croom (Clemson University)
Participant: Venus E. Evans-Winters (Independent Scholar)
Presenter: Grace Gibson (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Participant: Treva Lindsey (The Ohio State University)
Participant: Esther Oganda Ohito (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)
Participant: Lawanda Ward (The Pennsylvania State University)

Abstract:

“Name it, where do you want to be, who do you want to be? Name it, name it!”~ Beyond C’est

Using Misha Green’s story of Hippolyta Freeman from the “I Am” episode of HBO’s Lovecraft Country as a jumping point, this panel explores educational responsibility through a deeper understanding of Black womyn navigating the academy using afro-futurist, Black feminist, and critical race feminist lenses. Panelists grapple with themes from across their work (i.e., educational law, inquiry and methodology, the professoriate, and pop culture) to discuss possibilities where Black womyn not only survive, but thrive and craft spaces of liberation and freedom in and beyond neoliberal educational spaces happy to benefit from their myriad contributions while simultaneously devaluing their humanity.

New Educational Responsibilities in the Digital Era

Friday, April 9, 10:40 am - 12:10 pm

Session Participants:
Participant: Kristen DiCerbo (Khan Academy)
Participant: Stefania Gianninni (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Presenter: Dirk Hastedt (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational
Achievement)
Presenter: Andreas Schleicher (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
Chair: Qiwei He (Educational Testing Service)
Discussant: Irwin S. Kirsch (Educational Testing Service)

Abstract:

The digital revolution is changing our work, associations, learning and all the ways we obtain information. Such functions have become even more critical given the current pandemic situation which has affected students’ learning efficacy on a global scale, sped up digitalization of virtual teaching and assessment across countries, and will continue to change how educators understand and practice educational responsibilities during and well after the unpredictability of the pandemic fades. What are the emergent educational responsibilities in this digital era and how do we take these responsibilities to support youth and adults alike in benefiting from lifelong learning are essential questions to be addressed and discussed in this session.

Preparing Students for a Rapidly Changing World: Rethinking the Education System and Postsecondary Pathways

Monday, April 12, 2:50 pm - 4:20 pm

Session Participants:
Presenter: Cheryl Colethia Holcomb-McCoy (American University)
Presenter: Paul Hong Suk Kim (Stanford University)
Presenter: Patricia M. McDonough (University of California - Los Angeles)
Presenter: Lourdes M. Rivera (Queens College - CUNY)
Chair: April Z. Taylor (California State University - Northridge)
Chair: Patrick Mullen (The College of William & Mary)
Discussant: Arturo Olivarez (The University of Texas - El Paso)

Abstract:

Stakeholders in the education system are grappling with the question, "How can we prepare students for future jobs when we don't yet know what these jobs will be?" Many groups inside and outside of academia proposed that the students need to learn "21st-century skills," presumably different from the knowledge and skills that have been traditionally emphasized in schools. To what extent should the societal trends, labor market, and competition determine what and how we teach our students? Moreover, in the last century educators have separated college and workforce education, have retreated into contested and warring camps, and have ceded the mission to comprehensive high schools that arguably do a mediocre job of fulfilling both goals.. Furthermore, how does a growing emphasis on a college-going culture fit within the needs of an ever-changing workforce demand? Plentiful concerns are raised that the lofty goals of promoting social justice and democracy will be lost if we let the market drive our education and postsecondary pathways. Experts from vastly different fields and backgrounds will have a lively discussion on this fundamental question.

The 24th Annnual Conversations With Senior Scholars on Advancing Research and Professional Development Related to Black Education

Saturday, April 10, 4:10 pm - 5:40 pm 

Session Participants:
Chair: Henry T. Frierson (University of Florida)
Chair: Rodney K. Hopson (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Chair: Rich Milner (Vanderbilt University)
Virtual Room 1. Means for Achieving and Thriving in Your Doctoral Program to Graduation
Michael Cunningham (Tulane University), Constance Maria Ellison (Howard University)
Virtual Room 2. Women of Color in Academe: The Difference-Makers
Wanda J. Blanchett (Rutgers University), Stephanie J. Rowley (University of Michigan), Olga M. Welch (University of Tennessee-Knoxville)
Virtual Room 3. Men of Color in Academe: Roles That Must Be Undertaken and Sustained
James D. Anderson (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Donald Easton-Brooks (University of Nevada - Reno), Kofi Lomotey (Western Carolina University)
Virtual Room 4. Quantitative Research Shapes Education Policy and Practice: Are You In? – Sylvia Johnson Table
Toks S. Fashola (American University), Will J. Jordan (Temple University)
Virtual Room 5. Addressing and Advancing the Role of Culture in Educational Research
Geneva Gay (University of Washington), Valerie Kinloch (University of Pittsburgh), Carol D. Lee (Northwestern University)
Virtual Room 6. The Crucial Role of a Multidisciplinary Perspective in Politics and Policy Decisions
Walter R. Allen (University of California - Los Angeles), Phillip J. Bowman (University of Michigan), William T. Trent (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Virtual Room 7. Advancing Equity Through Academic Leadership While Addressing Politics of Diversity, Inclusion, and New Culture Wars: Personal and Professional Challenges
Carl A. Grant (University of Wisconsin - Madison), Howard C. Johnson (Syracuse University), Monika Williams Shealey (Rowan University)
Virtual Room 8. Research and Policy Career Opportunities Beyond Academe – The Ronald D. Henderson Table
Eugene L. Anderson (Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities), Mary E. Dilworth (Independent Researcher), Monica B. Mitchell (MERAssociates)
Virtual Room 9. Advancing as Graduate Students or Postdoctoral Fellows to Establish Productive Professional Careers – The Edgar G. Epps Table
James Earl Davis (Temple University), Carol Camp Yeakey (Washington University in St. Louis), Joy Ann Williamson-Lott (University of Washington)
Virtual Room 10. Generating External Research and Program Funding for Your Professional Advancement
Vivian L. Gadsden (University of Pennsylvania), Caesar R Jackson (North Carolina Central University), Na'ilah Suad Nasir (Spencer Foundation)
Virtual Room 11. Effective and Efficient Methods for Publishing
Margaret Beale Spencer (University of Chicago), Gloria J. Ladson-Billings (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Virtual Room 12. Developing Meaningful University–Public School Partnerships Coupled With Community-Based Research
Jerome E. Morris (University of Missouri-St. Louis), Bernard Oliver (Georgia Gwinnett College), Charles I. Rankin (Kansas State University)
Virtual Room 13. Leveraging and Advancing Careers and Opportunities in Program Evaluation and Assessment
Stafford Hood (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Tamara Bertrand Jones (Florida State University), Veronica G. Thomas (Howard University)
Virtual Room 14. The Politics of Knowledge and Educational Research: The Consequences of Reality
Linda Darling-Hammond (Learning Policy Institute)
Virtual Room 15. The Importance of and Approaches to Conducting Valid Community-Based Research
Vanessa Siddle-Walker (Emory University), Maisha T. Winn (University of California - Davis)
Virtual Room 16. Avoiding Pitfalls While Developing and Managing Major Educational Research Programs
Jerlando F.L. Jackson (University of Wisconsin - Madison), Chance W. Lewis (University of North Carolina - Charlotte)
Virtual Room 17. Opportunities in International Educational Research, Program Development, and Collaborations
Joyce E. King (Georgia State University), Gaëtane Jean-Marie (Rowan University), Victoria Showunmi (UCL Institute of Education, London)
Virtual Room 18. Advancing Student Academic Success Through Research and Program Development
Shaun R. Harper (University of Southern California), Tyrone C. Howard (University of California - Los Angeles), Ivory A. Toldson (Howard University)

Abstract:

Initiated at the 1997 Annual Meeting in Chicago, the 2021 session of “The Continuation of Conversations with Senior Scholars on Advancing Research and Professional Development Related to Black Education” will be number 24 in this popular and widely heralded series. Number 24 was initially scheduled this past April in San Francisco but because of COVID-19, our in-person meeting was cancelled. Now number 24 will be scheduled for 2021 in AERA Virtual Space.

The Knee That Started a Movement

Monday, April 12, 4:30 pm - 6 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Cleveland Hayes (Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis)
Presenter: Alex Chisholm (University of Georgia - Athens)
Presenter: Robin Hughes (Southern Illinois University, Evansville)
Presenter: Bettina L. Love (University of Georgia)
Presenter: Cheryl E. Matias (University of Kentucky)
Presenter: Jerome E. Morris (University of Missouri-St. Louis)
Presenter: Kathleen King Thorius (Indiana University - IUPUI)

Abstract:

This session addresses a topic that is timely, while historically grounded and relevant through the case of Black student-athlete agency and resistance. In this moment where institutions are proposing to address anti-Blackness and racism, this brings up questions of culpability and responsibility. How education stakeholders respond (or not) stands to impact the experiences of BIPOC students for years to come.

The School-to-Prison Pipeline and Back

Sunday, April 11, 2:30 pm - 4 pm

Session Participants:
Participant: Laura Abrams (UCLA)
Participant: Kaitlin Anderson (Lehigh University)
Participant: Horace Duffy (Houston Independent School District)
Participant: Eru Findlay (Massey University)
Participant: Clarissa Giddings (Houston Independent School District)
Participant: Charles H. Lea (University of Houston)
Participant: Joel Mittleman (Princeton University)
Participant: Pedro A. Noguera (University of Southern California)
Participant: Mathew Portal (Fall-Hamilton Elementary School, Metro Nashville Public Schools)
Chair: Virginia Walker Snodgrass Rangel (University of Houston)

Abstract:

The purpose of this Presidential session will be to address research on and the role of schools (PreK-12) and practitioners in 1) the perpetuation and disruption of the school-to-prison pipeline and 2) the facilitation of students’ return to school after alternative disciplinary placement or incarceration (school re-entry). The session will address recent advances in our understanding of the relationship between disproportionate discipline and subsequent arrest and incarceration, particularly of Black youth in the U.S. and, in the case of other countries such as New Zealand, indigenous youth. It also will leverage that research to inform our understanding of school re-entry, an area where research currently is limited.

Transgender Studies in Education: Taking responsibility for harms in schools and charting a new path forward

Sunday, April 11, 2:30 pm - 4 pm

Session Participants:
Chair: Liz Meyer (University of Colorado - Boulder)
Discussant: Lee Airton (Queen's University)
Participant: Christine Hamlett (Newark Public Schools)
Participant: Padraig Hurley (High School Physical Education Teacher)
Participant: Kelly Jenkins (Worcester Public Schools)
Participant: Harper Benjamin Keenan (University of British Columbia)
Participant: Melinda M. Mangin (Rutgers University)
Participant: Lance Trevor McCready (University of Toronto)
Participant: Mollie McQuillan (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Participant: Mario I Suárez (Utah State University)

Abstract:

Education lags behind our academic peers regarding research informed by transgender studies. For education institutions to meet the needs of transgender students and educators, we need to increase the scale, depth, and breadth of education research. The field of education must also acknowledge our responsibility in causing harms to transgender youth and professionals and avoid replicating the white-washed, deficit perspectives and pathologizing ideologies of previous research. This session will share conceptual and empirical scholarship aimed at facilitating deeper engagement with transgender communities as a way to ethically interrogate how K-12 education institutions reinforce and reproduce anti-transgender policies and practices. Collectively, the presenters provide the theoretical framing, methodological guidelines, and empirical exemplars needed to move the field of transgender studies in education forward.

***Cinematic Intersection Series: Women of Color Leadership in the Education: Possibility Models for Working Within and Beyond Education for Social Change

Saturday, April 10, 2:30 pm - 4 pm 

Session Participants:
Chair: Leigh Patel (University of Pittsburgh)
Participant: Talisa Dixon (Columbus City Schools)
Participant: Valerie Kinloch (University of Pittsburgh)
Participant: Latifat Odetunde (Boston College)
Participant: Na'ilah Suad Nasir (Spencer Foundation)

Abstract:

Education is in, arguably, its most precarious times. Neoliberalism, school closings and openings amidst the concentrated impacts of COVID-19 on Black, Latinx, and Indigenous peoples all display the fact that schools/universities are contested spaces. Still, Black and other women of color in formal, high level leadership roles work within and beyond formal and informal educational structures to forge collaborative partnerships, engage communities and promote equity. Although K-12 school districts and higher education remain largely grounded in Eurocentric patriarchal epistemologies and leadership models, both history and the present struggle for educational equity reveals much about what has and can be done when women of color build collective power.

Creating Expansive and Equitable Learning Environments: Elaborating the RISE Learning Principles

Sunday, April 11, 2:30 pm - 4 pm

Session Participants:
Breakout 1: Human Evolution, Physiological Processes, & Participation in Cultural Practices - Carol Lee
Breakout 2: Discourse, Positioning, Argumentation, & Learning - Roy Pea
Breakout 3: Learning Across Contexts - Na'ilah Suad Nasir
Breakout 4: Reframing and Studying the Cultural Nature of Learning - Maxine McKinney de Royston
Breakout #5: Implications for Policy and Practice
Chair: Na'ilah Suad Nasir (Spencer Foundation)
Chair: Carol D. Lee (Northwestern University)
Chair: Roy D. Pea (Stanford University)
Chair: Maxine McKinney de Royston (University of Wisconsin - Madison)

Abstract:

This symposium builds on the recently published, Handbook of the Cultural Foundations of Learning, which theorizes the cultural nature of learning and reflects on the nature of robust learning environments. Drawing on the most recent scientific advances in neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and the learning sciences, this work advances our understanding of what learning is, and how we can best support it in school and out. A core aspect of taking up educational responsibility—the theme for this year’s Annual Meeting, is scholars taking responsibility for the power of our theories to influence the types of teaching and learning that happen in school, for all students but especially for learners from minoritized communities. Taking educational responsibility around learning entails that education systems should take seriously the importance of robust learning experiences, and adopt practices that align with what we know about teaching and learning.

In this symposium, we articulate and reflect on the RISE principles, which define high quality, culturally-sustaining learning spaces. These principles view learning as:

  • Rooted in our bodies and brains, which are intertwined with our social and cultural practices.
  • Integrated with every other aspect of human development, including emotion, cognition, and the formation of identity.
  • Shaped through the culturally organized activities of everyday life, both in and out of school and across the lifespan.
  • Experienced as embodied and coordinated through social interactions with the world and others.

Each of these principles has important implications for how we think about learning, but also for how we structure learning in schools and classrooms, and how we understand the learning that occurs in communities and across them in the full learning ecology of people’s lives.

In this symposium, we explore each of these principles by reflecting on the key arguments from the Handbook in five breakout discussions, aligned with the five sections of the Handbook: Section 1) Human evolution, physiological processes, and participation in cultural practice; Section 2) Discourse, positioning, argumentation, and learning in culture; Section 3) Learning across contexts; Section 4) Reframing and studying the cultural nature of learning; and Section 5) Implications for practice and policy. Each breakout session will engage a presenter (who is not an author) to reflect on core contributions, tensions, and implications for learning theory and the practice of teaching and learning. Then the presenter will engage in a discussion with and among chapter authors. Finally, the breakout session will open to engaged discussion with the audience participants.