UW College of Education Faculty Present at National Education Research Conference

Faculty and graduate students from the University of Wyoming College of Education showcased their work at the recent American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting in Denver, Colo., and virtually.

The AERA meeting is the largest gathering of education researchers globally, bringing together scholars across disciplines to share research and advances in the field.

Selection to present at AERA is highly competitive, with presenters contributing to national conversations that shape the future of education research, practice and policy. The participation of UW faculty and graduate students highlights the College of Education’s work in areas such as rural education, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning, Indigenous education and leadership -- all have direct impacts on Wyoming and the broader field.

Through their work at AERA, UW faculty and students are helping connect national research to local classrooms and communities across the state.

UW presentations, listed by category, name of the session title and participating faculty members:

Paper Presentations

-- “Communities of Productivity: Early Career Academics’ Experiences Within an Academic Writing Program,” presented by Anne Perry and Alison Mercier, both assistant professors in the School of Teacher Education; and Jonathan Carrier, Margaret Hudson, Robert Maddox and Mia Williams, all assistant professors in the School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy and Design.

The session shared insights on fostering sustainable writing practices among early-career faculty through structured writing communities.

-- “Mathematics and Science Achievement in Texas Urban Schools: A Multilevel Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis,” presented by Miriam Sanders, an assistant professor in the School of Teacher Education.

The session offered a detailed statistical analysis of achievement disparities and factors influencing student outcomes in urban settings.

-- “Rural Teaching Capital: Extending Professional Capital to Rural Contexts,” presented by Mercier; and Bolaji Akorede and P.J. Moran, both curriculum and instruction graduate students; and Alex Sivitskis, education research faculty and professional learning coach for Teton Science Schools.

The presentation introduced a conceptual framework for understanding the professional capital of rural elementary teachers and the strengths unique to rural contexts.

Poster Presentations

-- “A Policy Analysis of Personalization, Individualization and Differentiation for Students with Disabilities,” presented by Ling Zhang, an assistant professor in the School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy and Design.

The session examined how these educational approaches are defined and implemented in policy contexts, in collaboration with national partners.

-- “Sustaining Teachers’ Learning to Teach NGSS-Aligned Science and Engineering: Teachers’ Experiences with Modest Supports,” presented by Martha Inouye, a research scientist in the Science and Mathematics Teaching Center.

The presentation shared findings on how modest professional development initiatives influence science and engineering instruction aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.

Roundtable Sessions

-- “Concept-Focused and Procedure-Focused Instruction on Algebra Performance of Grade Nine Students,” presented by Jihyun Lee, an assistant professor in the School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy and Design.

The session discussed how different instructional focuses affect student learning and achievement in algebra.

-- “The Issues of Midwestern and Western Superintendents in the United States: The Voice of Superintendents,” presented by Courtney McKim, a professor and director of the School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy and Design.

The presentation explored the unique challenges faced by district leaders in these regions, including staffing, policy pressures and community engagement.

-- “Enhancing Preservice Teachers’ Mathematical Creativity via STEM Project-Based Learning: A Mixed-Methods Study,” presented by Miriam Sanders, a School of Teacher Education assistant professor, and Fay Quiroz, a curriculum and instruction graduate student.

The session presented evidence on the benefits of interdisciplinary project-based learning models for fostering creativity in future mathematics educators.

Virtual Poster Presentation

-- “Native American Educators’ Voices: Contextually Appropriate Meaningful Education for Indigenous Learners,” presented by Lydiah Nganga and John Kambutu, both professors in the School of Teacher Education.

The presentation emphasized the importance of cultural relevance and community-driven approaches in Indigenous education.

Collaborative Research

-- “Teaching, Research and Learning in Physical Education: Invisible in College Shaping Efforts to Support Effective Physical Education in Schools, presented by Kelly Simonton, an assistant professor in the Division of Kinesiology and Health.

The session contributed to a national conversation on strengthening physical education practices and visibility within school systems. Simonton is a member of the Kinesiology and Health Education program.

For more information about AERA and its national impact on education research, visit www.aera.net.