School of Education researchers attend local, national, and international conferences to collaborate with educators, scholars, policymakers, and stakeholders and share research that transforms learning spaces. From racial equity policy briefings to participatory science workshops, our faculty, staff, and students travel the globe to make a lasting impact on the educational system.

Read on to learn more about the School of Education’s recent conference presentations.

International School Choice and Reform Conference

January 17-20, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, FL
This event gathers scholars who study various forms of school choice, systemic reform, and educational innovation. Speakers included:

• Justin Luu, Ph.D. ‘24, “Charter School Attendance and College Going Rates in California.” Co-authored with Dr. Sherrie Reed and Prof. Heather Rose.

Hawaii International Conference on Education (HICE)

January 4-7, 2025 in Honolulu, HI
This event provided an opportunity for academics and professionals from across the education field and disciplines to gather and learn from each other’s work. Speakers included:

• Dr. Suzanne Abdelrahim, “Translanguaging and Extending the Repertoire of Supports in Standardized Testing” and “Addressing the Discord: Affordances and Limitations of Language Supports During Multilingual Peer Interactions in Math”
• Prof. Tony Albano, “Translanguaging and Extending the Repertoire of Supports in Standardized Testing”
• Prof. Margarita Jimenez-Silva, ”Translanguaging and Extending the Repertoire of Supports in Standardized Testing” and ”Addressing the Discord: Affordances and Limitations of Language Supports During Multilingual Peer Interactions in Math”
• Director of Educational Research and Evaluation Robin Martin, ”Translanguaging and Extending the Repertoire of Supports in Standardized Testing,” ”Evaluating What Works in Rural: Fit vs Fidelity in STEM-based Instructional Implementations,” and ”Addressing the Discord: Affordances and Limitations of Language Supports During Multilingual Peer Interactions in Math”
• Dr. Rachel Restani, ”Translanguaging and Extending the Repertoire of Supports in Standardized Testing” and ”Addressing the Discord: Affordances and Limitations of Language Supports During Multilingual Peer Interactions in Math”
• Ph.D. student Oscar Rios, ”Translanguaging and Extending the Repertoire of Supports in Standardized Testing,”
• Ph.D. student Xiaochen Xu, ”Translanguaging and Extending the Repertoire of Supports in Standardized Testing,”

UCLA Civil Rights Project

“A Civil Rights Agenda for California’s Next Quarter Century”
December 5, 2024 in Sacramento, CA
This event convened scholars, policymakers, and leaders to discuss two series of research papers that the Project commissioned to identify inroads toward racial equity. Speakers included:

• Prof. Marcela Cuellar, “The Potential of California’s Community College Baccalaureate for Closing Racial Equity Gaps”
• Prof. Michal Kurlaender, moderator for panel session “Persistent Inequality in the ‘Golden’ State”
• Prof. Alexis Patterson Williams, “Desegregating Classrooms and Developing Racial Literacy in our Schools”

2024 National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention

“Heart, Hope, & Humanity”
November 21-24, 2024 in Boston, MA
This event encouraged teachers, researchers, and policymakers to identify ways transform students’ learning through English and Language Arts teaching and inspire students to transform the lives of others through civic engagement. Speakers included:

• Ph.D. candidate Elizabeth Castro, “Telling Our Stories: Representation and Participation in Communities of Color”
• Prof. Jennifer Higgs, “Youth Ingenuity and Artificial Intelligence”
• Prof. Danny C. Martinez, chair of the NCTE Standing Committee on Research, “Creating Dialogue Across Generations of Scholars: Revolutionary Scholarship with and for Latinx Students, Families, and Communities,” “Youth Ingenuity and Artificial Intelligence,” “Intergenerational Civic Disruption and Organizing in the Current Political Context”
• Prof. Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica, “(Missed) Opportunities to Build Solidarity Through Children’s Books”
• Prof. Alicia Rusoja, “Intergenerational Civic Disruption and Organizing in the Current Political Context”

Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) 2024 Fall Research Conference

“Policymaking at the Federal, State, and Local Levels”
November 21-23, 2024 in National Harbor, MD
This event examined policy design and implementation that deploys thoughtful consideration of how policies play out and interact at multiple levels of government. Speakers included:

• Prof. Kevin Gee, “Declining Student Attendance in the Post-COVID Era: Consequences and Policy Responses”​
• Postdoctoral scholar Dr. Elizabeth Zeiger Friedmann, “Supporting Students through Innovative State Programs That Complement the Federal Pell Grant – The Effect of Paying Students for Full-Time Community College Enrollment”
• Postdoctoral scholar Dr. Robert Linden, “Do Condensed College Courses Work? Evidence from Four States – Evaluating the Impact of Short Courses on Student Completion”
• Ph.D. student and APPAM 2024 Equity and Inclusion Student Fellow Teresita Martinez, “Paying for College: Are Students Leaving Money on the Table? Impact of the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Aid on California Community College Student Success”

Presentation papers co-written by:

• Prof. Scott Carrell, “Paying for College: Are Students Leaving Money on the Table? Impact of the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Aid on California Community College Student Success,” “Supporting Students through Innovative State Programs That Complement the Federal Pell Grant – The Effect of Paying Students for Full-Time Community College Enrollment”
• Prof. Michal Kurlaender, “Do Condensed College Courses Work? Evidence from Four States – Evaluating the Impact of Short Courses on Student Completion,” “Paying for College: Are Students Leaving Money on the Table? Impact of the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Aid on California Community College Student Success”
• Prof. Paco Martorell, “Paying for College: Are Students Leaving Money on the Table? Impact of the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Aid on California Community College Student Success,” “Supporting Students through Innovative State Programs That Complement the Federal Pell Grant – The Effect of Paying Students for Full-Time Community College Enrollment”
• Dean Tom Smith, “Cultivating Tomorrow’s Teachers: Examining the Effects of “Grow Your Own” Teacher Recruitment Efforts - From Classrooms to Careers: A Descriptive Examination of High School Students’ Interest in Teaching Professions”
• Graduate student researcher Wenni Yang, “Supporting Students through Innovative State Programs That Complement the Federal Pell Grant – The Effect of Paying Students for Full-Time Community College Enrollment”

Association for the Study of Higher Education 2024 Conference

“I am a Scholar”
November 20-23, 2024 in Minneapolis, MN
This event asked attendees from a variety of institution types, associations, policy settings, unique identities, geographies, methodologies, epistemologies, and positions within and beyond academia to critically interrogate their role as scholars. Speakers included:

• Prof. Marcela Cuellar, “The Mid-Career Take-Off”
• Postdoctoral scholar Dr. Mayra Nuñez Martinez, “Towards an Understanding of Rural Critical Mentorship: Exploring Mentorship Programs at Rural Community Colleges”
• Ph.D. candidate Jaime Ramirez-Mendoza, “Resistance to Racialized Barriers: Financial Aid Experiences of First-Generation, Low-Income Latinx Students”
• ​​Ph.D. student Stephanie Luna-Lopez, “Resistance to Racialized Barriers: Financial Aid Experiences of First-Generation, Low-Income Latinx Students”

The Help Group Annual Summit

“Summit 2024: Imagining Possibilities”
November 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA
This event addressed the latest advancements in understanding and supporting emotional well-being and neurodivergence, including improving outcomes through early intervention, innovative educational and behavioral practices for school-age youth, effective strategies and support for young adults, and social and emotional wellbeing and mental health. Speakers included:

• Prof. Nicole Sparapani, Distinguished Speaker—“Language Interactions as Intervention: Best Practice Approaches to Engage and Motivate Neurodivergent Learners”

2024 California Science Education Conference

California Association of Science Educators
November 8-10, 2024 in Sacramento, CA
This event gathered educators from across the state to collaborate, share knowledge, and celebrate science education. Speakers included:

• Sacramento Area Science Project Executive Director Dr. Chris Griesemer, “Data to Decision Making! Explore Participatory Science on Elementary Campuses”
• Center for Community and Citizen Science Youth Education Program Manager Peggy Harte, ​“Data to Decision Making! Explore Participatory Science on Elementary Campuses” and the BioBlitz
• Prof. Cindy Passmore, Hosted a table for the Modelbasedbiology program