Stanford education students share research, build community at AERA conference
The Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) have deeply intertwined histories; both revolve around the betterment of society through educational research, both began within a year of each other, and more than 15 GSE faculty and alumni have led AERA’s board as president.
At AERA’s annual conference — a meeting where educational stakeholders connect, collaborate, and disseminate research — this year another chapter was added to the history between the two as several GSE students were there to attend and present, and GSE Professor Maisha Winn officially began her tenure as AERA’s newest president.
“One of my priorities as AERA president is to work closely with the incoming executive director on creating a 10-year plan for the association and doing a deep dive into how we envision the future of AERA,” said Maisha Winn, a GSE professor whose tenure as president of AERA began at the end of this year’s conference.
About 14,000 attendees including more than 4,500 graduate students were present at the conference this year and GSE students presented on topics ranging from drawing connections between social emotional learning in K-12 schools and civics education, to preparing teachers how to best support multilingual learners. The GSE also hosts an annual reception for alumni, faculty, and students to connect, exchange ideas, and reunite with their cohorts.
Working behind the scenes to help graduate students navigate the conference
“I’m actually on the AERA Graduate Student Council as program chair, so I was involved with creating and promoting all of the graduate-facing programming at the conference,” said Marjorie Hahn, a doctoral candidate studying Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education. It was really an amazing experience.”
“I got to run the graduate student welcome orientation for the first day, and there were more than 200 people there getting ready for the conference, and my role involved giving tips and apprising them of resources that would be available for graduate students throughout the week, chief among them was the graduate student resource center (pictured above), where students could go with questions,” she said.
(Photo courtesy Marjorie Hahn)
Connecting with familiar faces in overwhelming spaces
"While AERA can be an overwhelming space given the conference's size and the many interesting sessions to choose from, I have come to see the conference more like a class reunion, or even a family reunion, with some of my closest scholar-friends," said Darion Wallace, a doctoral candidate studying Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies (SHIPS).
"I remember feeling lost in the sea of scholars during my first in-person AERA, but this time around I saw so many familiar faces at every turn of the conference. Sharing new and emerging ideas at AERA has traditionally been an enriching experience, as it has pushed me to think differently about my research questions and affirm the significance of my interventions in the field," he said. "I departed from my conference experience this year knowing that my cup overflowed with gratitude, connection, and intellectual stimulation."
(Photo courtesy Darion Wallace)
Seizing opportunities to share research
"This was one of the first years where being around the people at the conference, I realized that I couldn’t have gotten the experience I did if I hadn’t gotten on a flight and come out here," said Jan Weiss, a doctoral candidate studying curriculum studies and teacher education, who presented on preparing teachers to support multilingual learners.
"I also didn’t realize that editors and publishers attend AERA and are reaching out to different researchers like me. But there was a whole room in the convention center with 20 to 30 publishers and after my presentation an editor approached me about writing a book," she said. "So I would tell graduate students wanting their research to be seen, known or published that AERA is a really good networking experience because editors are there with that in mind."
"I think if I had just published my paper on this topic and not presented it at AERA, it might not have gotten the attention that it had."
(Photo Courtesy Jane Weiss)
Building a community of scholars
"It’s interesting how people from different places come together to build a community that is outside the university or organization they’re embedded in," said Tom Nachtigal, a doctoral candidate who presented on connecting the line between social emotional learning and civic education.
"I think some people are hesitant to go to AERA because it can be a heavy lift, but for me as a young scholar, being exposed to these kinds of spaces is very helpful to see what other people are working on, what they’re thinking about, and how they’re responding to your work," she said. "I think this is a very important part of our growth and development."
Faculty mentioned in this article: Maisha Winn
