January 2022
With 2022 AERA Annual Meeting registration opening on January 11 and the program released on January 20, the countdown to the largest gathering of education researchers in the world is now underway. As a dual-component meeting—with sessions offered on-site in San Diego and other sessions provided virtually—the conference offers exciting opportunities for intellectual engagement and professional growth for those who are able to attend in person as well as those who cannot.
Regardless of how one attends, the 2022 Annual Meeting will offer thought-provoking lectures by prominent scholars, highly engaging sessions on major topics in the field, and many opportunities to connect with new and old colleagues. It will include all of the major programming attendees will remember from past in-person meetings: opening plenary, presidential sessions, major lectures, receptions, presidential address, awards ceremony, and much more.
For many presenters and attendees, the 2022 Annual Meeting will be the first time to gather in person since 2019. The in-person component will offer special programming and significant opportunities for informal networking and a chance to meet up in person with colleagues, mentors, and former students. The virtual component will also include designed experiences to further informal networking and foster discussion of issues significant to education research. Attendees who choose to attend in person will also have access to the virtual platform.
AERA has engaged Pathable, a known provider of virtual event platforms for associations, corporations, and other organizations, to develop the platform for the virtual component of the 2022 meeting. Pathable has developed and supported virtual platforms for successful annual meetings for several scientific societies, including the American Anthropological Association, American Statistical Association, American College of Radiology and the American Academy of Optometry.
AERA selected Pathable following a process that started with a Request for Proposals released on October 14, 2021, and was followed by an extensive vetting. The evaluation and selection process involved teams of AERA staff, association members, digital technology consultant Kevin Novak, disability access consultant Emily Betiks, AERA Meetings Director Robert Smith, and Executive Director Felice Levine.
“We are committed to providing an annual meeting experience that is exceptional for all attendees, whether in-person and virtual,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “The pandemic is inescapably a difficult time, but we are taking and anticipating every step we can to provide a reliable, user-friendly experience for those presenting at or attending sessions virtually.”
The 2022 program comprises some 2,000 substantive sessions featuring high-quality and timely work in education research. The opening plenary, chaired by Tyrone C. Howard (University of California–Los Angeles) and featuring a diverse panel of leading scholars, will examine “Asking New Questions About Old Inequities: Framing a Research Conversation About Equity in Education.” A town hall meeting, organized by AERA, AERA Division K, and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, will provide insight into growing censorship in education and efforts to overcome it.
Compelling lectures by several 2021 AERA award recipients will examine some of the most pressing and important issues facing education researchers. Speakers include Carol D. Lee (Northwestern University, Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award), Sharon Fries-Britt (University of Maryland, College Park, Social Justice in Education Award), Huriya Jabbar (University of Texas at Austin, Early Career Award), and Henry Braun (Boston College, E. F. Lindquist Award).
More information about featured sessions is available on the AERA Annual Meeting website, with additional details to be added in the coming days and weeks.