Letter from the President
Dear CERA
Members and Colleagues,
As we approach our
87th annual California Educational Research
Association (CERA) conference, we can all be proud of the fact that
over the span of nine decades, much has been learned about how to
improve teaching and learning. Despite this wide array of
research
findings, however, the fact remains that many schools are falling short
of reaching their true achievement potential. This is especially
true
with subgroups of students facing challenges that include poverty,
special needs, and developing English language proficiency while
attempting to master academic content.
This year’s conference considers the theme of research about effective
teaching strategies, with a focus on evaluating what really works and
why. With continued pressure from No Child Left Behind, and with
Adequate Yearly Progress now ramping up yearly, there is no better time
to revisit past findings and share new research results with our
colleagues.
As always, the conference will feature prominent keynote speakers and
panelists who will help inform our practice and stimulate our thinking
as we face the educational challenges of today and tomorrow. We are
pleased to announce that our keynoters are David Berliner-Regents Professor,
Arizona State University and Russell
Rumberger-Professor
of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara and Director of
the Linguistic Minority Research Institute. In addition, David Long-California Secretary of
Education, has tentatively accepted our invitation to address the
Governor’s education agenda.
Other conference activities to look forward to include the presentation
of the CERA Lifetime Achievement Award to a researcher in the field of
education who has made significant contributions over the span of a
long and distinguished career. In addition, the CERA Outstanding Paper
award will be given to a deserving presenter who will then be able to
share those results the following spring at the annual American
Educational Research Association (AERA) conference.
Since the success of our conference relies heavily on our members’
submission of quality presentation proposals, I encourage you to begin
thinking now about research findings that you can share with your
colleagues.
Please join me at the lovely Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in sunny
Rancho Mirage (near Palm Springs) for the 87th annual conference.
The
conference will be held on December 4th and 5th and it directly follows
the California Department of Education County and District Evaluator
Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 3rd. For more
information
about the CERA conference, including information on registration and
submission of proposals, I invite you to visit our website at www.cera-web.org. Together, I’m
confident we can remain in the vanguard of educational research.
Tom Barrett
President, California Educational Research Association
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| CERA
Conference News |
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87th
Annual
CERA Conference
Effective Teaching & Learning:
Evaluating Instructional Practices
Rancho Las Palmas
Resort & Spa
Rancho Mirage, California
December 4-5, 2008
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