Reflections on AERA

​It’s a rite of passage for education scholars around the world: presenting research at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual conference. This year, AERA was in Times Square, the heart of New York City. It is an incredible experience: thousands of presentations on topics ranging from technology to policy trends. Amid the bustle of a Sunday morning, I presented my own work.

This event was perfectly timed for me as a teacher and a consultant. Last week, you might have read my blog, How I Got Into The Work. Presenting on Sunday only fueled my belief that addressing gender disparity in education at every level is both critical and urgent. Other researchers highlighted this challenge from a host of different perspectives. Dr. Sonia Rodriguez of National University in California showed that there are fewer than 20 Latina superintendents each in the states of Texas and California, despite both states having student bodies that are more than 50% Hispanic. I was also impressed by the work of Dr. Rebecca Miner, a superintendent, who presented her research on superintendent mentoring with Washington State University faculty member Dr. Kristin Shawn Huggins. They identified a substantial need for quality mentoring in order to prepare practitioners for the superintendency and, further, suggested that this mentoring must happen in the early years of a leader’s career.

When I think about these two presentations in conjunction with our  work at AEC, two things become clear to me. First, we must eliminate gender disparities for students in public education so the next generation of young people realize all the possibilities available to them. Ample research documents the benefits that occur when students see teachers who look like them; the same is true for leaders. Second, we must support and mentor current teachers and administrators who are women, and more specifically women of color, to help one another seek, gain, and retain leadership positions in educational organizations. When I became a teacher, my mentor was an established veteran teacher who was also a woman of color. There weren’t any women, let alone women who represented diverse races or ethnicities, available to mentor me during my administrative practicum. Given the unique needs of the superintendent position, it is imperative that future educational leaders are provided with opportunities to analyze how race and gender intersect with their leadership practices.

Here at AEC, we understand and recognize that scholars produce quality research across the country, much of which helps students navigate the complexities of the world. We were fortunate to see some of that in action at AERA. Our goal is to partner with educational organizations to ensure that work and those opportunities are available to all students, teachers, and leaders, regardless of gender. Moreover, we want to participate in work that incorporates multiple perspectives and life experiences in order to to create a more equitable society. I’m grateful that so many perspectives were represented this weekend but there are many more that go unheard.

Here’s how you can help broaden the influence of women in research and leadership:

▪️Highlight the work of female researchers when you lead professional development, synthesize research, or suggest readings to your colleagues

▪️Follow these hashtags to see cutting edge research from women across subgenres of educational research: #womenalsoknowstuff, #womenleaded, #womenalsoedpolicy, #pocalsoedpolicy, and #citeblackwomen

▪️Seek out women, particularly women of color, as mentors and mentees because educational organizations often present a host of obstacles to the promotion of women - you can lead the way