May 9, 2025

More than 30 School of Education graduate students and faculty presented their research at this year’s annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Known as the largest gathering of educational researchers in the world, AERA strives to improve all areas of education through new ideas and processes. “It talks about the latest information. It gives you the latest research,” said Sheila Vaidya, PhD, professor at the School of Education. “You find new paradigms. If there are new educational paradigms that are shaping up, you will find them at AERA,” she said.

For graduate students, AERA is a chance to hear the latest research in the field and connect with colleagues from universities around the globe. Mariaeloisa Carambo, a PhD in Education student, traveled to Denver to present her research paper, “Abolition Praxis: Remedying and Repairing Gaps in the Research on Anti-Racist Teaching,” at a roundtable discussion with other education researchers. Her research explores ways to create more humanizing classrooms for students and ultimately improve education outcomes. “It’s a great place to follow strands of new ideas that are not yet in the literature and see new concepts that have not yet been published,” she said.

With more than 2,500 different sessions, there are many opportunities to learn and engage in stimulating conversations with the most prominent scholars in the field. Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and Dr. Vanessa Siddle Walker are just a couple of the many notable scholars who graced the halls of the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver this year. Kareem Edouard, PhD, assistant professor at the School of Education, sees AERA as a place where everyone, regardless of popularity, can engage with one another. “When you come here, we’re all on an equal playing field. We’re all looking for opportunities to share, shine, and build communities. That is one of the things I like about coming to this conference is that it not only creates a bond and a community, but there’s also camaraderie in research that takes place,” he said.

Dr. Edouard presented his research on behalf of the Informal Learning Linking Engineering, Science, and Technology (ILLEST) Lab and how the programs offered by the lab are making an impact on young people in neighborhoods throughout West Philadelphia. “It’s an opportunity for researchers, including promising researchers, to build community, be in spaces like this, and share our work,” he said.

Besides the many presentations, meetings, and other events, AERA also gives colleagues a chance to socialize and connect through the many receptions hosted in the evening by other schools and colleges. The School of Education hosted a reception at the Slate Hotel, bringing everyone from Drexel and their guests together to mingle for an evening.

School of Education students said the opportunity to meet with peers from other universities and present their research gives them confidence as they head out into the world after graduation. “It clearly is the penultimate of all the background you put in,” said Tiffani Hurst, a PhD in Education candidate, who attended her third AERA conference this year. She led a presentation on the work of the Justice-oriented Youth Education (JoY) Lab in recruiting community members to become active researchers in their communities and address issues related to race and racism. Hurst said, “this progression has really culminated in me feeling like I can go out into the field and talk about community dialogues, how other people can engage in this work, get started, and run with the ball successfully.”

Future students who will attend AERA for the first time would be best served by doing their homework before arriving at the conference. Carambo recommends students spend time reviewing the program and planning which sessions will benefit them and their research the most. Dr. Vaidya also recommends that students collaborate with experienced faculty on research projects. “If they have a paper accepted with a professor, that is the best way to start going to AERA,” she said. “The professor acts as a mentor to introduce them to AERA, but more importantly, it introduces them to the research and how their research fits into the larger context of AERA.”