Some things you just can't unforget

At a time when education researchers are at risk of losing federal funding, they might want to focus on making the case that their work will help children learn reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic, history, science and civics and/or prepare young people for career and college success.

Or not, writes Rick Hess in a very funny Education Next piece. "Unforgetting histories and imagining futures" is the theme of the American Education Research Association's 2026 conference. What does that mean? (All APP statements are directly from the AERA program.)

APP: “The 2026 annual meeting theme is an invitation to collectively reflect on how to leverage our disciplinary and methodological diversity in service of unforgetting histories.”

Rick: Can you give me an example of questions that researchers might latch onto?

APP: “What could happen if education researchers take a ‘long path’ approach by ‘thinking and feeling beyond our individual life spans’? . . . Through which intersections of our research, practice, and partnerships will we prioritize and invest in futuring for education and education research in the sites and systems of formal and informal education that we choose to research?”

Rick: The recent cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences have fueled much discussion about the rigor and utility of education research. Given that, are there particular kinds of expertise you’re really hoping to see?

APP: “Nondominant communities have long engaged in active re-imagining of their lives and their children’s education, because institutions and institutional dynamics have so often isolated or excluded their ingenuity . . .  This call thus invites scholars and practitioners to consider the expertise of Indigenous, BIPOC, and LGBTQ communities in innovating for equitable futures, and maps that already exist, from prior generations who grappled similarly with teaching and learning for future thriving and preparing future generations.”

While the program doesn't mention research on literacy and numeracy, it does list some research priorities, including: “Teaching and learning in an era of polycrisis; neurodiversity and ability justice; climate justice and sustainability; restorative and transformative justice; equity-oriented scholarship examining intersectionality of race, class, gender identity, and abilities."