, /PRNewswire/ — Researchers from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) will participate in a wide range of sessions at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The conference, taking place April 8-12 in Los Angeles, will bring together thousands of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to share evidence, insights, and address pressing issues in education.
AIR experts will engage with attendees across paper sessions, symposia, poster sessions, and structured discussions. They will highlight research in areas such as teacher workforce challenges, school-based mental health, dual language learning, computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) education, educational finance, youth participatory action research, and more.
AIR experts will also present at theNational Council on Measurement in Education(NCME) Annual Meeting, which is being held April 8-11. NCME is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement and holds its annual meeting at the same time and location as AERA.
All conference attendees are invited to join AIR for anetworking receptionon Thursday, April 9 at the Grammy Museum from 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m. PT. The reception will be a chance for attendees to connect with colleagues and others in the field in an informal setting. As a platinum conference sponsor, AIR will also have a conference booth, 228, in the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Conference sessions featuring AIR experts are listed below. All times are Pacific Time unless otherwise noted. For full session details, visit the AERA Annual Meeting website.
Throughout the Conference
Virtual Poster Session:First, Do No Harm. But Can We Do Better? An Evaluation of a Corequisite Reform
Location: Virtual Posters Exhibit Hall, Virtual Poster Hall
AIR Presenters:Zeyu Xu,Ben Backes
AERA:Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday|NCME
Wednesday, April 8
7:45 a.m.-9:15 a.m.
Paper Session: Opening Doors or Shifting Barriers? Policy Implementation and Futures of Educational Access
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1
AIR Chair:Megan Austin
Paper:Understanding Student Enrollment in Advanced Courses: The Implementation of Washington’s Academic Acceleration Policy
AIR Presenters/Authors:Megan Austin, Preeya Mbekeani
Paper Session:Reimagining the Possible: Re/Conceptualizing Leadership
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Petree D
Paper:Unspoken Challenges to Data Collection and Use in OST Programs
AIR Author:Arielle Lentz
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Paper Session: School-Based Mental Health and Restorative Practices for Student Success
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3
Paper:Improving PreK-12 Student Outcomes Through School-Based Mental Health: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Study
AIR Authors:Elizabeth Adams, Maria Dracopoli,Matthew Farmer,Rachel Chamberlain
3:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m.
Paper Session: Unequal Returns: How Policy Shapes Learning, Inequality, and Social Mobility
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1
Paper:Texas College, Career, and Military Readiness Standards and Student Achievement of a Self-Sufficiency Standard Wage
AIR Authors:Molly Cain,Kristina Zeiser
Thursday, April 9
7:45 a.m.-9:15 a.m.
Paper Session: Situated, Sustained, and Transformative: Innovations in Teacher Apprenticeship and Preparation
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1
Paper:Centering a Culture of Care in Teacher Residency Programs
AIR Author:Lisa Merrill
Symposium: The Special Education Teacher Workforce: New Evidence on Composition, Distribution, and Effectiveness Across Contexts
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 4th Floor, Diamond 2
Paper:The Composition, Distribution, and Stability of the Special Education Teacher Workforce in Seven States
AIR Authors:Allison Gilmour,Roddy Theobald
9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Paper Session: Fostering High Quality Early Learning Instruction for Dual Language Learners through Classroom Observation Research
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Ground Floor, Gold 2
Paper:Examining Language Supports for Dual Language Learners (DLLs) in Transitional Kindergarten Classrooms Using the COLES-DLL
AIR Author:Leanne Elliott
Speaker Session:Transforming the Special Education Workforce: Research and Complex Systems Perspectives – An AERA Publication
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 403B
AIR Discussant:Roddy Theobald
2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Paper Session: Analyzing Mathematical Experiences in Higher Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Perspectives
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 2nd Floor, Platinum A
Paper:Evaluating the Effectiveness of Multiple Solution Methods for Undergraduate Trinomial Factoring Performance
AIR Author:B. Jasmine Park
4:15 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
Paper Session: Bridging Moral, Emotional, and Character Education in Diverse Educational Settings
Location: Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Lobby Level, Santa Anita C
Paper:Knowledge and Implementation of a Character Framework in Higher Education
AIR Author:Nicole Sochaczevski
Paper Session: New Approaches to Facilitating Student Success
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1
Paper:Organizational Resilience in Action: How Faculty Navigate S-STEM Program Implementation Through Adaptive Leadership
AIR Author:Brittany Boyd
Paper Session: Technology-enhanced Learning in K-12 STEM Education
Location: Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Lobby Level, Santa Anita BPaper:Standalone Digital Learning Programs Outperform Traditional Classroom Instruction in PreK-12 Math and Science: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AIR Authors:Laura Michaelson, Qi Zhang,Kamal Middlebrook
Paper Session: Equity, Access, and Targeted Funding in Education Policy
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1
Paper:The Impact of Special Education Funding Caps on Identification and Equity: A Case Study of Washington State
AIR Author:Tammy Kolbe
Paper Session:Reimagining What Works: Critical Perspectives on School Effectiveness and Improvement Research
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3
Paper:Preparing Dual Language Teacher Leaders: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Study in Illinois
AIR Authors:Elizabeth Adams,Katie Dahlke,Brenda Arellano, Max Pardo
Paper Session: Tutorials, Guides and Workflows in Quantitative Education Research: Putting our Quantitative Advances into Practical Use
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Ground Floor, Gold 4
Paper:Propensity Score Matching in Multilevel Educational Settings: A Review and Guide for Applied Researchers
AIR Authors:Alberto Guzman-Alvarez, Qi Zhang
6:15 p.m.-7:15 p.m.
Classroom Observation SIG Business Meeting: Envisioning the Next Generation of Classroom Observation Research
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 4th Floor, Diamond 3
AIR Participant:Elizabeth Adams
Friday, April 10
7:45 a.m.-9:15 a.m.
Poster Session: Teacher Pipelines, Recruitment, and Pathways
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall – Exhibit Hall A
Paper:The Beginning of the Teacher Pipeline: Which College Students Apply to Teacher Education Programs?
AIR Authors:Dan Goldhaber,Roddy Theobald, Emma Dewil
9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Speaker Presentation:The State of the K-12 Teaching Profession: Perennial Challenges and New Possibilities
AERA Presidential Session
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 406AB
AIR Presenter:Roddy Theobald
11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
NCME Coordinated Paper Session: Assessing Civic Learning Opportunities and Outcomes: A Landscape Analysis
Part of: Redefining Readiness to Recognize Schools’ Civic Missions
AIR Author:Samuel Rikoon
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Structured Poster Session:Promoting Equitable Computer Science (CS) and AI Education: Strategies to Expand Capacity and Access
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 515A
AIR Chairs:Robert Schwarzhaupt,Katie Rich
AIR-authored Papers:
- Equity in Pennsylvania’s Secondary CS Education System: A Longitudinal Study of Student and Teacher Participation
AIR Authors:Robert Schwarzhaupt,Amy Trauth
- AI by 8: Embedding AI Literacy in K-2 Language Arts in Rural North Carolina Communities
AIR Authors:Joseph Wilson,Cecilia Zhang,Treshonda Rutledge, Keisha Bailey
- Understanding Public K-12 Indigenous Student Interest and Access to CS and AI Education through Teacher Perspectives and National CS Data
AIR Authors:Marissa Spang,Brenda Arellano,Joseph Wilson
- Investigating Teacher Perspectives of Data Privacy Related to Computer Science Professional Development
AIR Authors:Robert Schwarzhaupt
- Strategies to Build Education-industry Partnerships for Computer Science Education for Rural Elementary Students in Idaho
AIR Authors:Katie Rich, Diana Oh, Mahima Bhattar
1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Symposium:Improving Student Success in Online Dual Enrollment Courses through the Increasing College Access Network
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 2nd Floor, Platinum G
Session Organizer:Kristina Zeiser
Paper:Evaluating the Implementation of the Increasing College Access Network
AIR Author:Kellie Mayer
Paper:Meeting Students Where They Are: Evaluating the Impact of the Increasing College Access Network
AIR Authors:Uttara Balakrishnan,Kristina Zeiser
Symposium:Strengthening STEM Pathways: Strategies for Supporting Students from Low-Income Backgrounds at HBCUs
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 2nd Floor, Platinum F
AIR Session Organizer/Discussant:Brittany Boyd
NCME Electronic Poster Session: Two for the Price of One: Large-Scale Assessment Items in State Tests
Practical Issues in Assessment Development and Measurement
AIR Authors:Paul Bailey,Marty Hooper,Young Yee Kim
3:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m.
Paper Session: Participatory Action Research for Educational Justice
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Petree D
Paper:Fostering Youth-led Action: Navigating the Institutional Constraints of School-based Youth Participatory Action Research
AIR Authors:Maura Shramko, Rose Sisay
Paper Session: Advances and Implications for Causal Inference and Power in Randomized Treatment Designs
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Ground Floor, Gold 4
Paper:Empirical Estimates of Moderator Effects in Cluster Randomized Trials: Implications for Statistical Power and Study Design
AIR Authors:Qi Zhang, Molly Cain
Symposium:Rooted Futures: Learner-Centered Postsecondary Models for Rural Learners
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 2nd Floor, Platinum A
AIR Chair:Elizabeth Kurban
AIR Session Organizer/Discussant:Billie Jo Day
Paper Session:How Technology Shapes Educational Opportunity: Promise and Pitfalls
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 4th Floor, Diamond 1
Discussant:Niu Gao
7:45 p.m.-8:45 p.m.
Business Meeting:Innovative School Transformation and Reform (ISTaR) SIG Business Meeting
Location:Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Lobby Level, Palos Verdes
AIR Co-Chair:Kerstin A. Carlson Le Floch
Saturday, April 11
9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Paper Session: Policy in Action: Professional Learning, Coaching Models, and Equity Commitments
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1
Paper:The Impact of Teacher Professional Learning Designed to Support Effective Use of High-Quality Instructional Materials
AIR Authors:Andrew Wayne,Sami Kitmitto,Cheryl Graczewski
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Paper Session: Costing Education: Evidence-Based Approaches to Equity and Adequacy in School Finance
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 2nd Floor, Platinum H
Paper:Determining Equitable Funding Levels for California Community Colleges: A Cost Function Approach
AIR Authors:Jesse Levin, Christopher Brooks
Paper: Understanding the Cost of Providing Adequate Educational Opportunity in Oregon
AIR Authors:Jesse Levin, Christopher Brooks, Brad Salvato
Paper: Understanding the Costs of Implementing Illinois’ Learning Renewal—Social Emotional Learning (LR-SEL) Initiatives in Schools
AIR Authors:Stephanie Levin, Christopher Brooks, Katherine Laird
Paper Session: Advancing In-Service Professional Development for TeacherSocio-emotional Competencies
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1
Paper:Teacher Value Beliefs for Professional Learning: Development and Associations with Enjoyment, Effectiveness, and Engagement
AIR Authors:Nayssan Safavian, Catherine Bitter,Jingtong Pan, Molly Cain, Katherine Laird, Deborah Rodriguez
1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Paper Session: Considering the Interplay between Generative AI and the Mathematics Classroom
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 2nd Floor, Platinum A
Paper:Mathematics Teacher Interaction Styles with Generative Artificial Intelligence: Personalization Approaches and Problem Quality
AIR Author:Tiffini Pruitt-Britton
3:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m.
Paper Session:Deeper Insights Through NAEP Innovation
Location: InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, Floor: 6th Floor, Broadway
Session Organizer:B. Jasmine Park
Symposium: Networked Continuous Improvement at Scale: Research Findings and Reflections from theNSI Initiative
Location: Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Lobby Level, San Gabriel A
Paper:Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative—Relationship Between Network Hub Strategies and Supports and School Implementation of CI Activities
AIR Authors:Michael Garet,Matthew Farmer,Ryan Eisner
Symposium: Evaluating the Impact of Community Schooling: Comparing Methodologies and Findings Across States
Location: InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, Floor: 7th Floor, Hollywood Ballroom I
Paper:Effectiveness Analyses Associated with the Chicago Community Schools Initiative
AIR Authors:Neil Naftzger,Dominique Bradley
Sunday, April 12
9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Paper Session: Beyond Access: How Policy, Data, and Tools Shape Students Educational Opportunities
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1
Paper:The Effects of An Automatic Notification Tool to Increase Participation in Advanced High School Courses
AIR Authors:Megan Austin, Michael Kruse,Matthew Farmer, Preeya Mbekeani, Sara Mitrano
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Poster Session: Constructing Early Childhood Education: Ideologies, Influences, and Discourses
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall – Exhibit Hall A
Paper:Transitional Kindergarten Expansion and School Segregation: District Perspectives and Policy Landscape Analysis
AIR Author:Karen Manship
Paper Session:Reimagining Tutoring and Personalized Learning for Student Success
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Ground Floor, Gold 4
Paper:Teachers Can do it with Support: Fidelity Across a Decade of Pathways-to-Success
AIR Author:Nicholas Sorensen
1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Paper Session: Meta-analytic and Systematic Reviews of Learning Environments
Location: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3
Paper:Detangling the Connection Between Teacher Support and Student Engagement in Math Education: A Meta-Analytic Perspective
AIR Authors:Qi Zhang, Li Yibing
AERA Ed Talk:e-Lightning Ed-Talk Session 23
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Exhibit Hall A – Stage 2
AIR Chair:Michael P. Cohen
NCME Presentations
Thursday, April 9
3:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m.
Paper Session:International Large Scale Assessment Research
Location: InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles, Silver Lake B
AIR Discussant:Paul Bailey
Friday, April 10
11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Paper Session: Redefining Readiness to Recognize Schools’ Civic Missions
Location: InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles, Majestic
Paper: Assessing Civic Learning Opportunities and Outcomes: A Landscape Analysis
AIR Presenter/Author:Samuel Rikoon
1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
Electronic Board Session: Practical Issues in Assessment Development and Measurement
Location: InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles, Hancock Park
eBoard 8:Two for the Price of One: Large-Scale Assessment Items in State Tests
AIR Presenters/Authors:Paul Bailey,Martin Hooper,Young Yee Kim
Saturday, April 11
9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
Electronic Board Session: Graduate Student eBoards: Validity, Score Reporting, and Accountability
Location: InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles, Hancock Park
eBoard 2: Psychometric Validation and Measurement Invariance of the Bangla Grit-O Scale
AIR Presenter/Author:Roti Chakraborty,AIR P3 Fellow, Georgia State University
About AIR
Established in 1946, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and provides technical assistance domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health, and the workforce. With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR has offices across the U.S. and abroad. Learn more atair.org.
CONTACT:
[emailprotected]
Dana Tofig
12024036347
SOURCE American Institutes for Research