Graduate School of Education scholars to present equitable education research at AERA conference

More than 50 faculty members and students—as well as numerous alumni—from the University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education will present their research at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), being held virtually and in person in San Diego, CA from April 21 through 26.

“Cultivating Equitable Education Systems for the 21st Century” is the theme of this year’s conference.

“AERA is the premier education research conference, nationally and internationally,” said Suzanne Rosenblith, PhD, GSE dean and professor. “Seeing our junior faculty and taking in as many of their presentations as possible is one of my favorite things to do at AERA. I don’t normally get a chance to see them in that light.”

Rosenblith will present at the conference alongside GSE researchers, including Elisabeth Etopio, PhD, Julie Gorlewski, PhD, Hailey A. Maza, EdM, Yuldonna Middleton, MS, and Amanda Winkelsas, PhD. Their session, “An Inductive Approach to Designing Induction Support for Graduates of an Urban Teacher Residency Program,” will explore how urban teacher residency programs can leverage pedagogies of relationality to facilitate networks of support between and among residents, mentor teachers and program faculty.

Rosenblith will participate in two additional sessions alongside GSE scholars, including:

• “’We’re Gonna Walk This Road Together’: Relationality and Networked Communities in an Urban Teacher Residency,” presented by Gary Crump, CAS, Elisabeth Etopio, PhD, Julie Gorlewski, PhD, Yuldonna Middleton, MS, Amanda Seccia, PhD, and Amanda Winkelsas, PhD.
• “A Case for Change in Teacher Education: Cultivating Equity Through a School-Based Residency Program,” presented by Elisabeth Etopio, PhD, Julie Gorlewski, PhD, Tiffany Karalis Noel, PhD, Erin Kearney, PhD, Amanda Seccia, PhD, Corrie Stone-Johnson, PhD, Amanda Winkelsas, PhD, and Ling Zhai, PhD.

A host of GSE students are also scheduled to speak. Among them are:

• Melodie K. Baker, a PhD student in the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, will present “The Effects of Ability Grouping on Black and Brown Students: A Meta-Analysis of 11 Primary Studies.”
• Sarah Block, Kavitha Muralidhar and Anthony Vargas, PhD students in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, will present “First-Generation Collegians Navigating the Transition Into Higher Education During the COVID-19 Global Health Pandemic” with Stephen Santa-Ramirez, PhD, assistant professor in the department.
• Michael Sheridan, a PhD student in the Department of Learning and Instruction, and X. Christine Wang, PhD, professor in the department, will present “Transitioning to Kindergarten During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Children’s Perspectives.”

“There’s a lot of excitement at AERA. I’m pleased with GSE’s representation and that we’re able to support students who are doing really fantastic research,” said Rosenblith.

AERA, a national research society founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

The annual conference is one of the largest nationwide for education researchers. A full schedule of UB’s contributions to the annual meeting can be found on AERA’s website.