Hi NERA Members!
 
We are excited to share information and details regarding our intense planning for this year’s annual conference. First, we would like to thank all of those who responded to the 2017 conference evaluation survey. We most definitely used your feedback in planning this year’s conference. Also, we would like to thank the 2017 Conference Chairs, Whitney Smiley, Daniel Jurich, and Jason Kopp, as well as Past President Craig Wells for their excellent work in making the 2017 conference an amazing success.
 
This year’s conference will return to the Marriott Hotel in Trumbull, CT for the fourth time. The dates of the Conference are October 17-19, 2018. Membership and conference registration forms will be available on the NERA website (http://www.nera-education.org) this summer. This year’s conference theme is “Honoring the Past in Educational Research, While Looking Ahead: What Does the Future Hold?” Continuing from last year, we want to provide the opportunity for all members to connect their research to the conference theme. As you submit your proposals, we invite you to indicate whether your paper directly relates to the theme for possible inclusion in a Spotlight session.
 
Additionally, we have a number of other great sessions and activities planned:
 

Professional Development Workshops: There will be pre-conference workshops at this year’s conference. For the second time, we are soliciting proposals for workshops. A new and exciting feature is that this year workshop selections will be membership driven. Once the workshop deadline passes (5/14/18), we will compile the workshop descriptions and distribute to members for a vote. Stay tuned!
 
Mentoring: The mentoring program will provide graduate students with the opportunity to meet with professionals in the field. Mentors can provide individualized feedback on research projects and/or dissertations, as well as provide guidance during the conference.
 
Conference App: We will continue to use the conference app to provide conference information, facilitate interactions among NERA members at the conference, as well as allow researchers to share their slides and papers with colleagues easily.

 
We are excited to announce our keynote and invited speakers, who have expertise in a number of different areas:
 

Keynote Speaker: Our keynote this year will be given by Dr. Terry Mazany who served as the Past Chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board.
 
Keynote Panel: We will be hosting a panel discussing trends in Urban School Education. Currently, this panel will feature Dr. Ray Hart, Council of Great City Schools, Dr. Kyndra Middleton, Associate Professor at Howard University, Dr. Andrew Hudacs, Maine Department of Education, and Dr. Virginia Russell, Associate Professor at Hunter College.
 
GSIC Session: Learn how to effectively communicate your research with Bari Walsh of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

 
In addition to our amazing speaker and panelists, there will be several new and innovative offerings including a Parent Room for expectant and/or nursing moms (or for parents traveling with kids who just need a place to “be!”). Additionally, we are hosting a “Meet the Author” event for NERA members who have written a book and would love an opportunity to share it with others (if you are interested in learning more please email us ASAP).
 
We hope that you are planning to submit a proposal (the system is open until the deadline: June 4, 2018). If so, please visit the website to read the Call for Proposals and watch the interactive video that accompanies the Call. We also encourage you to distribute the Call to other educational researchers who may not have access to this publication. Even if you choose not to submit, we hope that you all are planning to attend the conference, and that you will also encourage friends and colleagues to attend.
 
We are looking forward to another successful and exciting NERA conference! For any questions, comments, or concerns pertaining to the conference, please feel free to reach out: nera18conference@gmail.com. We are enthusiastic to connect with all (and soon-to-be) members!
 
Thank you!
 
Best,
 

                        Dr. Tabitha McKinley                                          Dr. Jade Caines Lee
              New Jersey Department of Education                      University of New Hampshire
 

---