Call for Papers

SREE 2023 Conference

SREE encourages diversity in its membership and in Society activities. The 2024 Program Committee encourages submissions across the conference program that include the presence and perspectives of individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Presentation Formats
Study Types and Review Criteria
Submission Procedures
Sections

Presentation Formats

Symposia

Symposia provide the opportunity for investigators whose work has a common theme to present their findings in a single session. Each symposium proposal should include:

(1) a justification that describes the contributions of each individual paper and how the studies are related;
(2) abstracts for each of the individual papers (maximum of 4 permitted) being proposed;
(3) a description of the ways in which (a) the people involved in this session reflect various dimensions of diversity (e.g., diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, career stage, institutional affiliation, and role, including policy-maker and practitioner roles), and (b) the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices; and
(4) an independent discussant to provide comments on the papers, both individually and, more importantly, as a collection, sharing cross-cutting themes and policy implications.

Symposium sessions are 90 minutes long, and the organizer will be responsible for running the session and introducing the speakers. With respect to role, symposium organizers should think about how to incorporate individuals who are able to enact research findings highlighted in the session (e.g., a representative from a school district involved in an intervention or pilot study developed by a third-party research team).

Integrative Symposia
Integrative Symposia provide the opportunity for investigators with a diversity of perspectives, but whose work has a common theme, to present their findings in a single session. The integrative symposium could include two or all three of the following perspectives of (1) methods + (2) sections/content areas + (3) policy/practice voice. Each symposium proposal should include:

(1) a justification that describes the contributions of each individual paper and how the studies are related;
(2) abstracts for each of the individual papers (minimum of 3, maximum of 4 permitted) being proposed;
(3) a description of the ways in which (a) the people involved in this session reflect various dimensions of diversity (e.g., diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, career stage, institutional affiliation, and role, including policy-maker and practitioner roles), and (b) the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices;
(4) a description of the ways in which the session integrates from across two or more of the following: (a) methods, (b) sections/content areas, (c) policy/practice voices; and
(5) an independent discussant who will comment on the papers, both individually and, more importantly, as a collection, sharing cross-cutting themes and policy implications.

Integrative Symposium sessions are 90 minutes long, and the organizer will be responsible for running the session and introducing the speakers.

Moderated Discussions
Moderated Discussions provide an opportunity to explore an issue beyond paper presentations. A moderated discussion proposal should be closely aligned with the conference theme and should include:

(1) a moderator (who may also be the session organizer);
(2) a justification that promotes the session by describing the session (and any individual abstracts if the discussion format lends itself to more than a session description);
(3) an outlined plan for the session that includes audience participation;
(4) proposed panelists (maximum of 5 permitted);
(5) a description of the ways in which (a) the people involved in this session reflect various dimensions of diversity (e.g., diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, career stage, institutional affiliation, and role, including policy-maker and practitioner roles), and (b) the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices; and
(6) a description of the ways in which the session integrates from across two or more of the following: (a) methods, (b) sections/content areas, (c) policy/practice voices.

These moderated discussion sessions may take a variety of formats, such as a discussion with 2-3 panelists, a debate, an examination of a topic from different perspectives, or case studies. We encourage moderated discussions that actively engage the audience and seek to include multiple perspectives, including researchers and practitioners. NOTE: Moderated Discussion proposal reviews will not be blinded to allow reviewers to better evaluate the perspectives and experiences brought to the moderated discussion session.

Individual Papers

Individual papers with a similar focus will be assembled into a single session by the program committee. Usually, 3-4 papers are included in a session. In addition to an abstract, the proposal must include a description of the ways in which the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices.

General Posters
Presenters in the general poster session will have the option of using physical or electronic display. Presenters may upload their poster presentations to the conference website to allow pre- and post-conference viewing of materials in addition to the abstract. In addition to an abstract, the proposal must include a description of the ways in which the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices.

In-the-Pipeline Posters
In-the-Pipeline Posters allow presenters to share studies that are underway but do not yet have findings to report. Studies presented in these posters may also have interim findings that are not ready for presentation in a paper. The purpose of this session is to increase the SREE community’s awareness of research projects in the pipeline, facilitate networking among researchers conducting or contemplating similar work, and provide useful feedback to the presenters that can inform their work. In addition to an abstract, the proposal must include a description of the ways in which the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices.

Workshops
In conjunction with the SREE 2024 Conference, SREE will be offering in-depth workshops that support the conference theme on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. If you are interested in organizing and running one of these workshops, please submit a proposal.The proposal should include:

(1) Contact name, affiliation, and email address;
(2) Workshop Title;
(3) Instructor name(s), affiliation(s), and email(s);
(4) Proposed length of time (2-5 hours);
(5) Description of the session;
(6) Significance of the topic and how it supports the conference theme; and
(7) Target Audience.

Workshop proposals will be reviewed by the SREE conference committee. Applicants will be notified by June 21, 2024. If the workshop presenters do not have funding (from their institution or a grant, for example) to give their workshop, then conference registration may be provided for workshop presenters.

These workshops provide a valuable opportunity for professional development and knowledge transfer between members of the SREE community.

Study Types and Review Criteria

SREE will accept proposals for three types of studies: impact evaluations and/or cause-and-effect; research methods; and strategies and approaches for using evidence from cause-and-effect studies. This last category is aimed at encouraging the development of practices that connect rigorous research with on-the-ground practice in education settings. The review criteria for these three proposal types differ as noted below.

New for 2024: Studies that use descriptive methods, including qualitative approaches, may be included if the proposal addresses how the study or method informs the design, implementation, or interpretation of results from an impact evaluation or cause-and-effect study. These proposals may be identified as “Impact Evaluations and/or Cause-and-Effect” studies.

Review Criteria (Empirical) for Impact Evaluations and/or Cause-and-Effect Studies

Theoretical Criterion
To what extent does the study build upon and extend our understanding of key phenomena?

Pragmatic Criteria
To what extent does the study address an important problem of policy or practice in education?

To what extent does the study have the potential to inform critical decisions about educational policy or practice (e.g., quantifying and interpreting effect sizes, comparing realistic alternatives)?

Methodological Criteria
To what extent does the study employ elements of research design that attempt to eliminate potential sources of bias that may interfere with valid cause and effect conclusions?

For a study that is descriptive or qualitative, to what extent does the proposal address how study findings complement, inform, or help interpret knowledge gained from a causal impact evaluation?

Does the study include valid and reliable measures of key variables and outcomes?
Is the study sample adequately representative of the population of interest?

Thematic Connection (for Moderated Discussion, Symposium, Integrated Symposium Only)
To what extent does the proposal explicitly address the conference theme by contributing research that helps navigate the future of education research, as appropriate?

Diversity and Equity Criteria
To what extent do the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices?

If a Moderated Discussion, Symposium, or an Integrated Symposium, to what extent do the authors or session participants reflect various dimensions of diversity (e.g., diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, career stage, institutional affiliation, and role, including policy-maker and practitioner roles)?

Integration of Perspectives Criterion (for Integrated Symposia only)
To what extent does the session integrate from across two or more of the following: (a) methods, (b) sections/content areas, (c) policy/practice voices; and include an independent discussant who will comment on the papers, both individually and, more importantly, as a collection, sharing cross-cutting themes and policy implications.

Integration of Perspectives Criterion (for Moderated Discussions only)
To what extent does the session integrate from across two or more of the following: (a) methods, (b) sections/content areas, (c) policy/practice voices.

Review Criteria for Studies of Research Methods

Theoretical Criteria
To what extent does the study improve our ability to identify and/or report cause and effect relationships in education?

For a method that is descriptive or qualitative, to what extent does the proposed method directly complement, inform, or help interpret knowledge gained from a causal impact evaluation?

Pragmatic Criteria
To what extent does the study identify a problem with important implications for producing and/or reporting evidence of effectiveness in education?

To what extent does the study present a solution to a problem that will advance the capacity to design, conduct, and/or report research?

Methodological Criteria
To what extent does the study provide evidence of the utility and adequacy of the methods employed or proposed?

If the study uses real or simulated data, does the analysis provide compelling evidence that the proposed methods are an improvement over existing methods?

Diversity and Equity Criteria
To what extent do the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices?

Review Criteria (Applications/Practice) for Proposals of Strategies and Approaches for Using Evidence from Evaluation and/or Cause-and-Effect Studies

Theoretical Criterion
To what extent does the study extend our understanding of key phenomena related to using evidence from cause-and-effect studies in education?

Pragmatic Criteria
To what extent does the proposal address an important problem of policy or practice in education?

To what extent does the proposal have the potential to inform critical decisions about educational policy or practice (e.g., quantifying and interpreting effect sizes, comparing realistic alternatives)?

Methodological Criterion
To what extent is the strategy or approach anchored in an evidence-base with internal and external validities?

Diversity and Equity Criteria
To what extent do the methods and/or content of this submission embed equity principles and practices?

If a Moderated Discussion, Symposium, or an Integrated Symposium, to what extent do the authors or session participants reflect various dimensions of diversity (e.g., diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, career stage, perspective, institutional affiliation and role, including policy-maker and practitioner roles)?

Submission Procedures

Information for structuring abstract proposals follows. For a detailed list of information to be collected during the submission process for each submission type, please go to the Submit an Abstract page.

Individual Papers and Posters

Proposals for individual papers and posters should be submitted as a structured abstract, as outlined in the following paragraph. The abstract is limited to 1000 words, excluding references, tables, and figures.

We recommend that abstracts be organized using the following headings*:

Background/Context: Description of prior research on the subject and/or its intellectual context and/or its policy context.
Purpose/Objective/Research Question: Description of the focus of the research, including hypotheses.
Setting: Specific description of where the research took place.
Population/Participants/Subjects: Who, how many, key features or characteristics.
Intervention/Program/Practice: Specific description of the intervention, including key components of how it was implemented or administered, and its duration.
Research Design: Specific description of the research design, including strategies for eliminating sources of bias. For a descriptive and qualitative study, provide a description of the method, including how the study design complemented, informed, or helped interpret results from an evaluation or cause-and-effect study.
Data Collection and Analysis: Description of methods used in collecting and analyzing data.
Findings/Results: Description of main findings with specific details.
Conclusions: Description of conclusions, limitations, and recommendations of authors.

NOTE: In the submission, authors will be asked to submit a short statement (max. 250 words) describing the ways in which the methods and/or content embed equity principles and practices.

*Abstracts for proposals that are not studies of cause-and-effect do not necessarily need to include all recommended headings.

In-the-Pipeline Posters

Proposals for the in-the-pipeline poster session should be submitted as a structured abstract, as outlined in the following paragraph. The abstract is limited to 1000 words, excluding references, tables, and figures.

We recommend that abstracts be organized using the following headings*:

Background/Context: Description of prior research on the subject and/or its intellectual context and/or its policy context.
Purpose/Objective/Research Question: Description of the focus of the research, including hypotheses.
Setting: Specific description of where the research is taking place.
Population/Participants/Subjects: Who, how many, key features or characteristics.
Intervention/Program/Practice: Specific description of the intervention, including key components of how it is or will be implemented or administered.
Research Design: Specific description of the research design, including strategies for eliminating sources of bias. For a descriptive and qualitative study, provide a description of the method, including how the study design complemented, informed, or helped interpret results from an evaluation or cause-and-effect study.
Data Collection and Analysis: Description of methods that will be used in collecting and analyzing data.
(Optional) Preliminary findings: Description of preliminary findings.

NOTE: In the submission, authors will be asked to submit a short statement (max. 250 words) describing the ways in which the methods and/or content embed equity principles and practices.

*Abstracts for proposals that are not studies of cause-and-effect do not necessarily need to include all recommended headings.

Symposia, Integrated Symposia, and Moderated Discussions

Each element of a symposium, integrated symposium, or moderated discussion submission will be subject to the same limit of 1,000 words per abstract. In each case, the space limit does not include references, tables, or figures. For example, a symposium or integrated symposium with 3 papers would have a word limit of 3500 (1000 x 3 plus 500). A moderated discussion with a moderator and 3 panelists would have a word limit of 3500 (1000 x 3 plus 500), but a non-standard discussion might not have individual elements and simply require a moderated discussion justification (session description). In each case, the space limit does not include references, tables, or figures. For each session type (symposium, integrated symposium, moderated discussion), submitters will be asked to submit a short statement (max. 250 words) describing the ways in which the methods and/or content embed equity principles and practices.

*Note: The headings above were derived from Mosteller, Nave & Miech (2004), Why We Need A Structured Abstract in Education Research. Educational Researcher 30(1), 29-34.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ727552.pdf

Conference Program Limit
An individual may be a presenting author (in a symposium, integrated symposium, paper session, general poster session, or in-the-pipeline poster session) or moderated discussion participant (moderator or panelist) no more than twice in the conference program. This restriction does not include serving as a symposium organizer, symposium discussant, moderated discussion organizer, paper session chair, or workshop instructor. The presenting author must be identified in the abstract submission process for each paper or poster and will be designated in the conference program.

Sections

Early Childhood Education
Chair: Tyler Watts, Columbia University

The Early Childhood Education section encourages submissions that examine effects of promising education interventions and policies prior to Kindergarten, particularly at scale, and their carryover into subsequent developmental periods. This section is particularly interested in evidence demonstrating the types of academic and social/emotional knowledge that are important in early childhood, including number sense, spatial reasoning, early reading, and attention skills. Additionally, this section is interested in how learning in these areas relates to other cognitive and social developments, including support for later academic outcomes.

Postsecondary Education
Chair: Katharine Meyer, Brookings Institution

The section on Postsecondary Education invites submissions examining policies, programs, and practices designed to improve students’ access to, transitions into, and completion of postsecondary education. Studies of innovative reforms around equity, classroom experience (pedagogy or curriculum), student support services (e.g., counseling, advising, tutoring, mentoring), financing college, out-of-school activities, remediation, dual enrollment, non traditional students, student mindset, pathways, academic momentum, and career and technical education are all encouraged. Studies that describe collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers or studies that explicate transitions and facilitate effective and scalable action are welcome.

Educational Effectiveness in Global Contexts
Chair: Andreas de Barros, University of California - Irvine

The section on Educational Effectiveness in Global Contexts encourages submissions that explore the effectiveness of education interventions at all levels, including early childhood, primary, secondary, vocational/technical, and post-secondary education either: (a) in non-U.S. contexts or (b) with a focus on generalizability across multiple national contexts or in a global context. In the global arena, studies situated in (and/or originating from) low- and middle-income countries, as well as high-income countries other than the United States, are of particular interest. We encourage the submission of symposia and panels that pair findings from domestic and international settings as well as symposia that deliver cross-contextual lessons. Special consideration will be given to submissions that highlight the practical significance of the work and how it can inform real-time decisions in non-U.S. contexts in light of the complex demands for evidence and the implicit tensions and tradeoffs that exist in non-U.S. contexts.

Academic Learning in Education Settings
Chair: James Kim, Harvard University

The Academic Learning in Education Settings section invites proposals that examine types of instructional approaches that influence K-12 education trajectories. This section includes investigations focused on the development, implementation, and efficacy of classroom practices, as well as evaluations of specific interventions or programs. We welcome research examining instruction and instructional outcomes across content areas, including literacy, STEM, and social sciences. Results from studies or research syntheses focused on low-achieving or atypically-developing children are encouraged as a means of assessing strategies for improving academic learning from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Social and Emotional Learning in Educational Settings
Chair: Celene Domitrovich, Georgetown University

The section on Social and Emotional Learning in Educational Settings encourages submissions that advance knowledge of environments, schools, classrooms, teachers, and interventions that promote social and emotional development and well-being, and shape academic, social, and health outcomes from preschool through adulthood. Studies may target a wide variety of social and emotional student and teacher factors, including mindsets, beliefs, attitudes, attributions, skills, and behaviors. Proposals that expand the discourse on social and emotional development to include the role of structures and public policy are encouraged.

Special Education
Chair: Jason Chow, Vanderbilt University

The Special Education section invites submissions that examine effective instructional and intervention approaches that support learning, social, and behavioral outcomes for students with disabilities, educators, and their families. We encourage studies that use a diverse range of causal and descriptive research methods to examine, evaluate, and identify critical practices, policies, and approaches that improve life outcomes for students with disabilities. This section is particularly interested in submissions that focus on the intersection and/or overlap of systems that jointly, differentially, and synergistically contribute to or influence outcomes. Studies may focus on a wide range of factors that influence special education effectiveness, including but not limited to special education policy, educator preparation and retention, intervention efficacy/effectiveness, research promoting diversity and intersectional identities, and the uptake, implementation, and sustainment of programs, practices, and policy.

Teachers and School Leaders
Chair: Brendan Bartanen, University of Virginia

The section on Teachers and School Leaders seeks submissions exploring policies, programs, and practices related to supporting teacher and school leader effectiveness across a range of contexts. We encourage proposals that examine all phases of educators’ careers, including preparation, hiring, development, evaluation, and retention, as well as studies focused on measuring teacher and leader effectiveness. Such practices may include recruitment and screening procedures, incentive policies, preparation programs, staff evaluations, professional learning models, work culture, and innovative strategies to retain and promote effective staff, among others. Outcomes of interest include teachers’ and leaders’ attitudes, beliefs, mindsets, and identities; knowledge about content, pedagogy, and development; teaching, coaching, and leadership skills in practice; and impact on other staff and students.

Organization of Schools and Systems
Chair: Kaleen Healey, Mathematica

The Organization of Schools and Systems section encourages submissions that use rigorous research designs and analytic techniques to examine how schools, school systems, and other support systems can improve student outcomes. This section includes investigations focused on teacher collaboration, school and district leadership, improvement science, community and family engagement, school partnership approaches, charter school models, school turnaround, and other system-level educational reforms or interventions. We encourage proposals that focus especially on how the findings can be used to inform policy-makers and practitioners in real time.

Use of Research Evidence across Settings
Chair: Nate Schwartz, Brown University

The section on the Use of Research Evidence across Settings encourages submissions that rigorously examine the practices and conditions influencing how policymakers, practitioners, and other decision-makers utilize research evidence in education or in other contexts. Methods may include qualitative and/or quantitative analyses. Research evidence here is construed as any evidence resulting from systematic inquiry, whether conducted by traditional research organizations, in partnership, or in other venues. Outcomes of interest may address the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for using research evidence, the nature of evidence use, or the consequences of using research evidence. We are especially interested in proposals that evaluate how effectively the use of research evidence leads to impact on policy and practice.

Research Methods
Chair: Tracy Sweet, University of Maryland

The Research Methods section encourages submissions that advance methods directly addressing issues in education contexts and/or disseminate the application of state-of-the-art quantitative methods. This section prioritizes work that is strongly and explicitly situated in real-world education research concerns or examples. Submitted proposals should be presented clearly and without unnecessary complexity. They should clearly articulate the benefits and trade-offs of the proposed methods as compared to current practice.

Please note that an abstract with an education policy focus should be submitted under the content area with which it most aligns.