AERA 2015 – Education, Democracy and Justice: Transatlantic Perspectives

The 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) will focus on the topic "Toward Justice: Culture, Language, and Heritage in Education Research and Praxis". For this reason, we will enquire as to how education and justice can be allocated to each other on both sides of the Atlantic. What relationships were thus formed in the past, how were these developed in different contexts and what approaches can be found in research today to assess ideas of “democratic” education and “justice” in education?
The Meeting venue, Chicago, provides an ideal location for enquiring into how educational concepts oriented toward justice might be designed: It was here that at the end of the 19th Century, the Chicago School brought together experts from education, social science and philosophy, around John Dewey and George Herbert Mead, who also tried new paths in education. At the same time and in close dialogue, the Chicago Settlement movement (much noticed by German social reformers at the time) was initiated by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, who developed learning opportunities for immigrants in the Chicago district of Near West Side.
Drawing on the Progressive Era, we will investigate the development of concepts of justice in education and democratic educational concepts within a German-American seminar. We want to discuss how progressive education was continued, which new approaches emerged and how present trends can be detected and understood. We intend to highlight specific national contexts and search for possible overarching comparisons.
We would like to invite researchers to submit presentations dealing with a variety of aspects of the topics mentioned above as well as using different methodological approaches. Furthermore, the seminar shall offer room for networking and for identifying future research partners.

The Agenda is available here.

Organization

We welcome contributions focusing on the topic outlined above, particularly if they already pursue an internationally comparative design (not required). The German and American participants may either give a presentation or discuss their research in small groups. In order to compile and coordinate the program, we request submission of a title and brief abstract (in English, half page) and information regarding the type of the research project.  Together with the presenters we will decide on the kind of presentation that seems most appropriate (talk, poster, discussion in small group etc.). The seminar will be held in English.

Deadlines

Submission of title and abstract, information about the type of research project: October 31, 2014

Time and venue

The AERA Annual Meeting will be held in Chicago from April 16- 20 2015. Time and place of the seminar, which will be held in this setting, is subject to consultation with the AERA Committee – it will probably be announced in early 2015.

Costs

Ice will pay for room, technical equipment and refreshments during the seminar as well as AERA program fees. Participants are requested to pay for their own AERA admission fee, travel expenses and accommodation. We recommend early applications to relevant funding organizations. If necessary please ask us for certificates of attendance.

Contact

DIPF – Bildungsforschung und Bildungsinformation
International Cooperation in Education   
Schlossstr. 29
60486 Frankfurt am Main

Dr. Annika Wilmers        Dr. Sieglinde Jornitz        Ellen McKenney   
wilmers@dipf.de            jornitz@dipf.de                mckenney@dipf.de
Tel.: 069-24708735        Tel.: 069-24708340          Tel.: 069-24708372