16TH ANNUAL MERC CONFERENCE SUBMISSION PORTAL

Question Title

The Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium seeks proposals for its 16th annual conference under the theme Advancing Educational Equity: Supporting Diverse Learners in Metropolitan Richmond Schools Through Community Engaged Research. The conference will take place on October 18, 2019 at the VCU Academic Learning Commons. We welcome proposals from a broad range of individuals invested in public education, including PK-12 school division-based researchers (students, teachers, school leaders, and other PK12 educators) and university-based researchers (faculty and graduate students). Collaborative works are encouraged, although individual submissions will also receive consideration. Proposals may include:

● School-based research and reflective practice
● University-based community engaged research
● Division-wide or regional school improvement research initiatives
● Participatory action research
● Research partnerships between schools, community, and universities

Presentations can include reports of findings from completed projects, discussions of work in progress, or classroom practices used to solve identified problems. The information below details the conference theme, collective goals, presentation formats, and the process for submitting proposals. Related to the theme of this conference, we define “equity” and “diversity” broadly to include race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity, language, ability, ambitions for life beyond high school, and other identifiers. We welcome presentations related to understanding or promoting equity across domains. Accepted proposals will receive discounted admission to the conference.

All submissions will be reviewed by the MERC Conference Planning Committee comprised of representatives from the VCU School of Education, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Goochland County Public Schools, Hanover County Public Schools, Henrico County Public Schools, Petersburg City Public Schools, Powhatan County Public Schools, and Richmond Public Schools.