SESP Scholars Head to Los Angeles for AERA 2026
A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Professor Emerita Carol Lee was elected as AERA's president in 2010-11.
Scholars from Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy will address Indigenous futures, AI justice, climate, democracy, and the ongoing effort to improve education at the 2026 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
School of Education and Social Policy Dean Bryan Brayboy was selected to deliver the AERA Distinguished Lecture, one of the signature events of the annual meeting, which runs April 8-12.
Brayboy's talk, titled "Re-memory, Genealogy, and Dreams for the Future," explores the ways schools have tried to assimilate Indigenous peoples and how lessons from that history can help individuals and communities shape their own futures.
Presidential Sessions Featuring SESP Faculty
- New research on how people learn — and how the brain works — is challenging old assumptions about what children can do. Professor Emerita Carol Lee and professor Megan Bang join a session that explores what that research means for how we design schools, classrooms, and policies. The session is chaired by Lee. Thursday, April 9, 9:45-11:15 a.m. PDT | Convention Center, Room 408A | Invited Speaker Session
- Professor Sepehr Vakil is co-chair of a session on AI in education focused on research and policy. Alumnus Victor Lee (PhD08), associate professor and faculty lead for the Stanford Accelerator for Learning's initiative on AI and education, will present. Thursday, April 9, 2:15-3:45 p.m. | Los Angeles Convention Center, Level Two, Room 406AB
- A panel featuring professors Cynthia Coburn, Nichole Pinkard, and Shirin Vossoughi looks at how to spread justice-focused education in a difficult political climate. Saturday, April 11, 11:45 a.m. PDT | Los Angeles Convention Center, Level Two, Room 409AB | Invited Speaker Session
- Vakil, who created the podcast "A Professor and a Comedian Walked into a Bar," also chaired a session exploring using laughter as a form of resistance. Inspired by the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the session combines comedy and education for an hour of laughter, criticism, and reflection. Saturday, April 11, 1:45-3:15 p.m. PDT | Los Angeles Convention Center, Level Two, Room 409AB
- Lee is participating in the session "Conversations with Senior Scholars on Advancing Research and Professional Development Related to Black Education." Saturday, April 11, 3:45-5:15 p.m. PDT | Los Angeles Convention Center, Level One, Petree Hall C
Other Highlights
Many colleges run summer programs to help first-generation and low-income students transition to college — but most focus on what these students lack rather than what they bring. Professor Mesmin Destin and doctoral candidate Rebecca Ann Lawrence discuss what happens when you build a program around students' strengths. Wednesday, April 8, 7:45-9:15 a.m. PDT | JW Marriott, Platinum F
In a session on making schools equitable across all levels of education, professors Tabitha Bonilla and Jennifer Cowhy (PhD24) of the University of Arkansas discuss their work on how teachers respond to restrictive education policies. Alumni Heather McCambly (PhD21) of the University of Pittsburgh and Aireale J. Rodgers (BS10, MA18) of the University of Wisconsin-Madison present on whether hiring groups of diversity-focused faculty actually makes universities more racially just, or whether it simply reinforces existing biases. Professor James Spillane serves as moderator. Wednesday, April 8, 3:45 p.m. PDT | Westin Bonaventure, Lobby Level, Santa Barbara C
In 2025, the U.S. Department of Education terminated more than $600 million in grants to institutions and nonprofits focused on topics such as critical race theory, diversity, equity, and inclusion, social justice, and anti-racism. How have these researchers maintained their partnerships and community relationships? Chaired by Vakil and organized by postdoctoral fellow Brande Otis, the session includes alumna Arikpo Ekaette Dada, lead program manager for the Equity in Opportunity Lab at Northwestern; doctoral candidates Shai Moore and Sydney Simmons; professor kihana miraya ross; and Pinkard. Friday, April 10, 7:45 a.m. PDT | Los Angeles Convention Center, Level Two, Room 403A
Doctoral student Miguel Angel Garcia-Bocanegra organized a session that brings together educators and researchers who believe Indigenous knowledge and relationships with the land should shape how and what we teach. They explore how schools and learning spaces can connect young people to the natural world and to the wisdom of past generations in ways rooted in Indigenous values and led by Indigenous communities. Garcia-Bocanegra, doctoral student Forrest Bruce, and Bang will present. Bang chairs the symposium. Friday, April 10, 3:45-5:15 p.m. PDT | Westin Bonaventure, Beaudry A | Symposium
Vossoughi organized a session that examines how Iranian families living outside Iran pass down their culture, values, and identity, particularly in the face of political upheaval, exile, and displacement. Four researchers — including Vossoughi and postdoctoral fellow Fatemeh Hajnaghizadeh — examine how grandparents, parents, extended family, community members, and young people themselves take education into their own hands when formal systems fall short. Friday, April 10, 3:45-5:15 p.m. PDT | Convention Center, Room 504 | Symposium
Lois Trautvetter, director of the Higher Education Administration and Policy program, and Chris Neary, instructional design and technology consultant, are part of an AERA roundtable session that examines whether requiring a research project makes graduate students more career-ready. Using student and alumni surveys, classroom observations, and course evaluations, the researchers tracked what students learned and whether those skills translated to careers after graduation. Sunday, April 12, 7:45-9:15 a.m. PDT | JW Marriott, Gold 1
Oz Ecford, who recently received the Bouchet Award, will present a paper describing the design and launch of an adult literacy program that combines theater with reading and writing instruction. The program is built around healing, culture, and relationships — a departure from traditional adult literacy programs that focus mainly on job skills. Early findings suggest that adult literacy programs need to do more than teach skills; they need to address participants' sense of dignity, identity, and community. Co-authors include professor Michael Horn and Heather Lindahl of the Evanston Public Library. Saturday, April 11, 9:45 a.m. PDT | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Ground Floor, Gold 4
Faculty member Paul Goren is a presenting author in "A Landscape Analysis of Civics Education." With democracy under pressure, the session examines the history of civics education in the U.S., assesses where it stands today, and offers ideas on how to build a more informed and engaged public. Sunday, April 12, 1:45 p.m. PDT | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Gold Level, Gold