Education Experts from the American Institutes for Research to Present at the 2026 American Educational Research Association, National Council on Measurement in Education[...]

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 B

Paper: 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 Teacher Socio-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 the NSI 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 at air.org.