February 2026
In less than two months, education researchers from across the U.S. and around the world will convene for the 2026 AERA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, April 8–12. With an expected attendance of more than 13,000, the conference will spotlight excellence in the education research field and its vital connections to practice and policy.
“This year’s meeting will bring together a broad community of scholars and education leaders to explore new research, deepen dialogue, and advance the field,” said AERA Executive Director Tabbye Chavous. “We’re eager to convene in Los Angeles for five days of dynamic discussion and collaboration.”
The theme of this year’s meeting—“Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures: Constructing a New Vision for Education Research”—invites attendees to reflect on how the field’s disciplinary and methodological diversity can be leveraged to draw on overlooked history and imagine new possibilities for education research.
A centerpiece of the meeting will be AERA President Maisha T. Winn’s Presidential Address on Friday, April 10, from 5:45 to 7:15 p.m. Her address will examine the future of the field while offering insight and inspiration grounded in the meeting’s theme.
The Awards Ceremony Luncheon, successfully relaunched at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Denver, will serve as a central gathering point, celebrating notable accomplishments across career stages and reinforcing the sense of community that defines the association.
Aligned with the Annual Meeting theme, 44 Presidential sessions will engage attendees in critical conversations about issues shaping education, policy, and practice, including educational responses to the climate crisis, the future of AI in education, and teacher preparation.
The meeting will also feature major lectures that contribute important perspectives to the ongoing conversations shaping education research. Bryan Brayboy (Northwestern University) will deliver the Distinguished Lecture, “Re-memory, Genealogy, and Dreams for the Future,” on April 9, and Bianca Baldridge (Harvard Graduate School of Education) will present the Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lecture, “(Re)memory, Community-based Education, and ‘Youth Work’ as the Process of Futuring,” on April 11.
The Research and Science Policy Forum, a longstanding component of the AERA Annual Meeting, will convene invited sessions at the intersection of education research and science policy, offering attendees insight into emerging policy developments and AERA initiatives that advance the use of scientific knowledge and methods.
In addition to these AERA-wide sessions, hundreds of paper, roundtable, poster, and symposium sessions organized by AERA divisions, special interest groups, and committees will showcase cutting-edge research from across the field. Among the special features are e-Lightning Ed-Talks in the Exhibit Hall, where selected poster session authors will present their work in dynamic, rapid-fire formats designed to spark conversation and engagement.
The conference will also spotlight emerging scholars, with dissertation fellows and early career researchers featured in dedicated poster sessions. Undergraduate students participating in the Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop will also present their work and receive feedback from members of the education research community during a poster fair.
Additional details and the full schedule are available in the online program.