WestEd staff will present, chair, or serve as discussants in more than 24 sessions during the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Virtual Annual Meeting, April 8–12, 2021. With over 2,200 sessions this year, the meeting continues to be the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research. This year’s theme is “Accepting Educational Responsibility.”
As a leader in research, development, and service, WestEd advances research and provides a range of services including evaluations, technical assistance, professional development, and policy guidance. Our staff collaborates with education communities at all levels to help reduce opportunity gaps and promote positive outcomes for all children and adults.
View a comprehensive list of WestEd’s sessions below and be sure to visit us in the virtual exhibition hall to chat with our staff and learn about our career opportunities and emerging research.
We also hope you’ll join the live conversation by following @WestEd on Twitter and tagging your insights from the conference with #AERA21!
Sessions
Thursday, April 8
Roundtable Session: Feedback Teachers Find Useful, Formative Assessment and Student Self-Regulation, and Diagnostic English Language Arts Assessment (Grades 3–8)
Time: 9:00–10:00 am PDT / 12:00–1:00 pm EDT
Paper: The Association Between Teacher Formative Assessment and Student Self-Regulated Learning (Download the REL West Study)
Authors: Reino Makkonen (WestEd) and Karina Jaquet (WestEd)
Roundtable Session: Creative Solutions in Education, Transition, and Research
Time: 10:00–11:00 am PDT / 1:00–2:00 pm EDT
Paper: A Randomized-Controlled Trial of a Virtually Implemented Early Science Program During a Pandemic
Authors: Linlin Li (WestEd), Kim Luttgen (WestEd), Chun-Wei (Kevin) Huang (WestEd), Momo Hayakawa (Twin Cities Public Television), and Joan Freese
Roundtable Session: The Role and Nature of Digital Tools and Technology Resources in Mathematics Education
Time: 12:00–1:00 pm PDT / 3:00–4:00 pm EDT
Paper: Evaluation of a Personalized Game-Based Program Designed to Improve Early Elementary School Students’Math Performance
Authors: Hee Jin Bang (Age of Learning, Inc.), Linlin Li (WestEd), and Kylie Flynn (WestEd)
Friday, April 9
Paper Session: Contemporary Science Teaching and Learning: Issues and Challenges
Time: 7:40–9:10 am PDT / 10:40 am–12:10 pm EDT
Paper: Impacts of COVID-19 on K–8 Science Instruction and Enactment of the Next Generation Science Standards
Authors: Ashley Iveland (WestEd), Melissa Rego (WestEd), Meghan Macias (University of California, Santa Barbara), Maya Salcido White (WestEd), Elizabeth Arnett (WestEd)
Structured Paper Session: Innovations in Video-Intensive STEM Professional Development in Online and Blended Environments
Time: 7:40–9:10 am PDT / 10:40 am–12:10 pm EDT
Paper: Designing Flexible Asynchronous Online Professional Development to Impact Teacher Learning and Practice
Authors: Nanette Seago (WestEd), Catherine Carroll, and Angela Knotts (WestEd)
Paper Session: AERA Division H Invited International Session: Responsibilities in Assessment and Evaluation
Time: 1:10–2:40 pm PDT / 4:10–5:40 pm EDT
Discussant: Ellen Mandinach (WestEd)
Paper Session: Important Considerations for Survey Data
Time: 1:10–2:40 pm PDT / 4:10–5:40 pm EDT
Paper: Practical Considerations in Weighting Survey Results From Principals Across States
Authors: Reino Makkonen (WestEd), Matthew Gaertner (WestEd), and Karina Jaquet (WestEd)
Session: Data-Driven Decision Making in Education SIG Business Meeting
Time: 3:15–5:15 pm PDT / 6:15–8:15 pm EDT
Chair: Ellen Mandinach (WestEd)
Session: Improvement Science in Education SIG Business Meeting
Time: 3:15–5:15 pm PDT / 6:15–8:15 pm EDT
Participants: Jennifer Lin Russell (University of Pittsburgh), Marc L. Stein (Johns Hopkins University), Jonathan Dolle (WestEd)
Saturday, April 10
Paper Session: On the Road to Equity: Studies of the Impact and Influences of Education Policy
Time: 11:30 am–1:00 pm PDT / 2:30–4:00 pm EDT
Paper: The Road to English Proficiency: Identifying and Supporting Arizona English Learner Kindergartners Through Grade 3 (Download the REL West Study)
Authors: Vanessa Ximenes Barrat (WestEd) and Lenay Dunn (WestEd)
Structured Paper Session: The Complexity of Data-Based Decision Making: Evidence From the United States, Norway, New Zealand, and Belgium
Time: 1:10–2:40 pm PDT / 4:10–5:40 pm EDT
Chair: Ellen Mandinach (WestEd)
Paper: Misconceptions About Data-Based Decision Making in Education: An Exploration of the Literature
Authors: Ellen Mandinach (WestEd) and Kim Schildkamp (Universiteit Twente)
Sunday, April 11
Symposium: The Role of Research and Researchers in Supporting States to Take Responsibility and Action for Addressing Educational Equity
Time: 7:40–9:10 am PDT / 10:40 am–12:10 pm EDT
Paper: Attracting, Preparing, Supporting, and Retaining Education Leaders in North Carolina
Authors: Paul Koehler (WestEd) and Susan Mundry (WestEd)
Paper: Developing and Supporting North Carolina Teachers
Author: Angela Minnici (WestEd)
Paper: A Study of Cost Adequacy, Distribution, and Alignment of Funding for the State’s K–12 Public Education System
Author: Jason Willis (WestEd)
Symposium: Critical Dialogic Education: Sustaining Inclusive Discourse Practices in U.S. Schools
Time: 11:30 am–1:00 pm PDT / 2:30–4:00 pm EDT
Paper: A Vision for Critical Dialogic Education: Implications for Researchers and Educators
Authors: Amanda Kibler (Oregon State University), Aída Walqui (WestEd), and Guadalupe Valdés (Stanford University)
Symposium: Developing Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Scholars to Advance the Field: Projects and Training
Time: 11:30 am–1:00 pm PDT / 2:30–4:00 pm EDT
Discussant: Cameron Sublett (WestEd)
Poster Session: Technology, Instruction, Cognition, Learning: A Survey of Research
Time: 11:30 am–12:30 pm PDT / 2:30–3:30 pm EDT
Paper: Access to Science Learning Using Transmedia Resources: Design and Use With Children With Disabilities
Authors: Betsy McCarthy (WestEd), Daniel Brenner (WestEd), Marina Varfolomeeva (WestEd), and Momo Hayakawa (Twin Cities Public Television)
Paper Session: Accepting Educational Responsibility: Reaffirming the Roles of Indigenous Languages and Practices
Time: 1:10–2:40 pm PDT / 4:10–5:40 pm EDT
Paper: The Culture Factor: Dynamic Sociocultural Contexts and Authentic Indigenous Assessment
Authors: Jonathan Boxerman (WestEd), Sharon Nelson-Barber (WestEd), Zanette Johnson (Stanford University), and Matt Silberglitt (WestEd)
Paper Session: Charter School Leadership and Governance
Time: 1:10–2:40 pm PDT / 4:10–5:40 pm EDT
Paper: Charter Schools’ Early Indicators of Distress Prior to Failure: The Role and Perspective of Authorizers
Authors: Laura M. Groth (The George Washington University), Aimee Evan (WestEd), and Hannah Sullivan (Manhattan Strategy Group)
Monday, April 12
Paper Session: Communities, Collaborations, and Contexts of Science Teaching
Time: 6:30–8:00 am PDT / 9:30–11:00 am EDT
Paper: Shifting Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions About Science Teaching Using Modest Professional Learning Supports
Authors: Cathy Ringstaff (WestEd), Judith H. Sandholtz (University of California, Irvine), Bryan Matlen (WestEd), and Jessica Triant (WestEd)
Paper Session: Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning in STEM
Time: 6:30–8:00 am PDT / 9:30 am–11:00 am EDT
Paper: Middle School Teachers’ Implementation and Instructional Changes Associated With ASSISTments Online Homework Support for Mathematics
Authors: Jamie Gillespie (North Carolina State University) and Mingyu Feng (WestEd)
Symposium: (Re)Considering Special Education Resources, Funding, and Outcomes: Setting an Agenda for Research and Policy
Time: 8:10–9:40 am PDT / 11:10 am–12:40 pm EDT
Paper: A Using Cost Function Analysis in Studies of Special Education Costs
Authors: Jason Willis (WestEd) and Jesse D. Levin (American Institutes for Research)
Paper: Developing Alternative Outcome Measures for Students With Disabilities
Author: Sara Doutre (WestEd)
Paper Session: Social Emotional Learning Impacts in Various School Contexts
Time: 8:10–9:40 am PDT / 11:10 am–12:40 pm EDT
Paper: Positive Impacts of a Digital Social-Emotional Learning Platform and Successful Implementation Amid COVID-19 School Closures
Authors: Linlin Li (WestEd), Kylie Flynn (WestEd), and Gary Weiser (WestEd)
Poster Session: Evaluation of STEM Technology Programs
Time: 11:50 am–12:50 pm PDT / 2:50–3:50 pm EDT
Paper: Improving High School Students’ Knowledge of Heredity and Genetics Through a Virtual Reality–Enhanced Science Investigation
Authors: Andrew Grillo-Hill (WestEd), Michelle Tiu (WestEd), David Sarno, Rosanne Luu (WestEd), Charlie Mahoney (WestEd), Karen Melchior (WestEd), and Marina Varfolomeeva (WestEd)
Paper Session: Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Student Success
Time: 11:50 am–1:20 pm PDT / 2:50–4:20 pm EDT
Paper: Impact of Credit-Bearing Internships on Community College Technology Education
Authors: Lois Joy (Jobs for the Future), Tara Smith, Adrienne Quinn Washington (WestEd), and Valentine Pedroza (WestEd)
Structured Paper Session: Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships for Developing and Assessing Informal STEM Learning Experiences
Time: 11:50 am–1:20 pm PDT / 2:50–4:20 pm EDT
Paper: Benefits and Challenges Associated With Building Cohesive Researcher/Practitioner Partnerships Between Universities and Informal Educational Settings
Authors: Cathy Ringstaff (WestEd), Judy Brown (Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science), and Cheryl Juarez (Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science)