UCLA Ed &IS students, staff and faculty turn out in force for “world’s largest” annual education research gathering
Los Angeles becomes the center of the education research universe this week at the annual meeting of the America Education Research Association, April 8-12 in downtown LA. Thousands of researchers from across the nation and across the globe will join in what is referred to as the “world’s largest gathering of education researchers” to share new research and ideas and learn from colleagues in the field. UCLA will be at the center of things, with students, staff and faculty members turning out to participate in more than 200 research presentations and events and have a little fun. (See the full calendar of UCLA sessions here)
“The AERA 2026 theme, Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures: Constructing a New Vision for Education Research, calls us to reflect on how the past continues to shape the present while opening space for bold new visions,” says Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, Chair of the UCLA Department of Education. “Los Angeles, our home and space for this year’s annual meeting, is no ordinary backdrop,” says Professor Rios-Aguilar. “Our city carries within it a rich and layered history of creativity, resilience, opportunity, marginalization, struggle, and resistance. AERA 2026 is an invitation to all of us to join colleagues from across the nation and the globe to reflect and share ideas, learn from each other and generate a collective, stronger and hopeful vision for the field of education and the future of our nation.”
UCLA starts things off on Tuesday as UCLA Ed & IS Director of Public Engagement Annamarie Francois and others take part in a session exploring the storied past of education and activism in Los Angeles. Things get rolling Wednesday as the UCLA team takes part in nearly 40 events ranging from poster presentations examining online math practice to AERA Presidential symposia exploring approaches towards just and sustainable climate futures. A big Wednesday highlight is the 2026 AERA Annual Meeting Opening Plenary: “Holding Fast to Histories, Holding Fast to Dreams,” featuring among others UCLA Professor of Education Daniel Solórzano and Professor Veronica Terriquez, director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. Special note: One “don’t-miss” Wednesday session, “In the Hour of Chaos: Hip Hop Art & Activism with Public Enemy’s Chuck D,” highlighting the transformative power of Hip Hop and offering insight into the art form’s social, cultural, political, and educational significance. The event is chaired by UCLA’s H. Samy Alim with Robin D.G. Kelley, UCLA distinguished professor of history; Gary B. Nash, endowed chair in U.S. History at UCLA; and Tabia Shawel, a UCLA Education graduate student and co-lead of the UCLA Hip Hop Institute, among others joining in the panel.
More great sessions are scheduled across the five-day conference. There are too many to name in this limited space, but a few examples include:
- On Thursday, UCLA Community School researchers, school staff and students highlight the work of UCLA Community Schools Civic Engagement Scholar Youth Team as part of an AERA Research Engagement and Development with Youth (READY) Program Invited Poster Session. And be sure to attend the UCLA AERA 2026 reception Thursday night at Paz Cantina, located at LA Live!
- There more than 50 events on Friday, including a symposium exploring the impact of the Teacher Quality Program grant terminations highlighting research by UCLA’s Imelda Nava-Landeros, Theodore Sagun and Emma Hipolito. Also on Friday, graduate student Micaela Bronstein presents her paper, “Aprendiendo Adentro con la Migra Afuera: Immigrant & Refugee Education Amidst State-Sanctioned Violence,” and postdoctoral fellow Ann Ngoc Tran examines the challenges shaping first-generation doctoral students of color in a session exploring the impact of power and politics in higher education.
- With more than 50 events on tap, Saturday starts early with a 7:45 a.m. symposium featuring among others, UCLA’s Laura Chavez Moreno, assistant professor of education and Chicana/o & Central American studies, discussing her research on “How Schools Make Race: Teaching Latinx Racialization.” And don’t miss the AERA Presidential Session chaired by Assistant Professor Julissa Muñiz, “World-making in the Carceral Classroom: Centering Abolition Feminism as an Analytic Lens,” where she shares her own research, “Babe, I finally feel proud of myself: Formerly Incarcerated Latinas and their Postsecondary Educational Pursuits.”
- Also Saturday, UCLA doctoral students Sonya Brooks and Passion Lord share their paper, “Our Bodies Remember: Educational Trauma, Microaggressions, Micro-Affirmations, and the Weathering of Black Girls.”
- UCLA wraps AERA 2026 Sunday with more than 50 sessions, including a roundtable session exploring the approach of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions to serving AA&NHPI students, featuring research by Associate Professor Mike Hoa Nguyen and doctoral student Odorico San Nicolas. Another roundtable, featuring UCLA Momentum research team members Chantra Nhien, HyeJin Tina Yeo and Catherine Jang, explores their research, “Generating Diverse Talent: Examining Who is Interested in Artificial Intelligence.” Also on Sunday, a tribute to the late esteemed scholar Ernest Morrell will recognize his many accomplishments, including his roles as a researcher at UCLA Center X and associate professor in UCLA’s Teacher Education Program. Associate Professor Nicole Mirra and UCLA Education alumnus Laurence Tan join in the discussion to honor Morrell’s life and legacy.