Welcome to the NEERO January 2021 newsletter! In this issue you will find: 

• NEERO Circle: Transformation by Design
• NEERO 2021: Keynote Speakers 
• NEERO 2021: Registration Open!
• NEERO 2021: Information for Presenters
• NEERO 2021: Awards Deadline Extended
• NEERO Recommended Resources for Racial Justice, Equity, and Inclusivity

Please contact us with your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future newsletters.

Transformation by Design: Powerful Possibilities for Supporting Student Success

Presenter: Diana J. LaRocco, Ed.D., Dean, School of Applied Liberal Arts and Social Sciences & Director, Goodwin Institute for Learning Innovation, Goodwin University, East Hartford, CT

What can we do to reduce unnecessary learning barriers and design curriculum that support the success of the diverse student body that we encounter on a day-to-day basis? How can we transform our practice to build expert learners and improve student-learning outcomes? Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an asset-based pedagogy that is aligned with culturally relevant pedagogical practices. Asset-based pedagogies embrace a strengths-based approach to teaching and learning. In this highly interactive workshop, participants will explore the UDL framework as a lens for examining their professional practices and transforming them by design. 

Register for this FREE NEERO Circle via Eventbrite by February 10, 2021. 

Stay tuned for information on the March 2021 NEERO Circle, "Using Mendeley as a Reference Management Tool for Scholarly Writing" with Dr. Jeremy Visone and Dr. Jess Gregory. 

Dr. Luvelle Brown

NEERO 2021 Keynote: Cultivating a Culture of Love, Liberation, and Belonging in Schools

Dr. Luvelle Brown has served as the Superintendent of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) in Ithaca, New York since January 2011.  He has received various awards and recognitions including the 2017 New York State Superintendent of the Year  and has been listed by various publications as one of the nation's top educators and thought leaders.   Dr. Brown has been recognized by the National School Boards Association as a “20-to-Watch" and "Difference Maker", received the Center for Digital Education Top 30 Award, and received the eSchool News Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award.  

Dr. Cheryl E. Matias

NEERO 2021 Keynote: So you wanna be a racially just teacher?: Whiteness, Emotionality, and Teaching

Dr. Cheryl E. Matias was recently awarded the 2020 American Educational Research Association Mid-Career Award for her work on racial justice in teacher education! She is a Full Professor and Director of Secondary Teacher Education at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on race and ethnic studies in education with a theoretical focus on critical race theory, critical whiteness studies, critical pedagogy and feminism of color. Her other research interest is on motherscholarship and supporting woman of color and motherscholars in the academy. 

Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz

NEERO 2021 Keynote: The Archaeology of Self and the Journey Toward Anti-racism

Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz is an Associate Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her work takes her to schools, colleges, universities, non-profits, and other organizations all across the country and abroad. 

Yolanda's research has appeared as articles in several top-tier academic journals, and she is co-editor of three books. Her forthcoming book (written with Dr. Detra Price-Dennis) is titled: Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Activism For Equity in Digital Spaces.  Yolanda appeared in Spike Lee’s “2 Fists Up: We Gon’ Be Alright” (2016), a documentary about the Black Lives Matter movement and the campus protests at Mizzou. 

Allison Posey

NEERO 2021 Keynote: Learning and Unlearning to Reach All Learners

Allison Posey is a national leader for professional learning and implementation of Universal Design for Learning. She works at CAST as a Senior Editor and Producer, and she collaborates with researchers and educators to integrate and apply current understandings from brain research into instructional practices so that all students are able to access, integrate and become expert learners. Prior to coming to CAST, Allison was a life science teacher in high school and community college settings and she continues to teach courses at Lasell University. 

Professional Registration

• Benefactor Registration (for those who will attend the virtual conference and can contribute to the ongoing work of the organization): $200
• Professional Early Registration (through March 28, 2021): $100
• Professional Regular Registration (beginning March 29, 2021): $125

Full-Time Student or Emeritus/Retired Registration

• Full-Time Student or Emeritus/Retired Early Registration (through March 28, 2021): $50
• Full-Time Student or Emeritus/Retired Regular Registration (beginning March 29, 2021): $75

Membership ONLY

• Membership ONLY (not attending the virtual conference): $25 

The NEERO 2021 Virtual Conference will be hosted on the virtual platform, Hopin. More information coming soon. 

NEERO 2021 Presentation RSVP Deadline

Thanks to the NEERO 2021 presenters who have RSVP'ed for the NEERO 2021 Virtual Conference. The deadline to confirm presentations at the NEERO 2021 Virtual Conference was Monday, January 18, 2021 via OpenConf. If you have not yet RSVP'ed please do so as soon as possible. Contact NEERO if you have any questions or need any support with the RSVP process. 

NEERO 2021 Registration for Presenters

Register for the NEERO 2021 Virtual Conference by March 28, 2021 (early registration deadline) in order to create a profile in the virtual platform, Hopin. 

NEERO 2021 Hopin (Virtual Platform) Logistics

More information is coming soon about presentation logistics in Hopin. NEERO will also host Presenter Circles in March and April 2021 to support presenters with the Hopin virtual platform. 

NEERO 2021 Awards Call for Nominations

We encourage you to recognize and honor the great work of colleagues and graduate students. Consider submitting a nomination for the NEERO 2021 Awards!

Kim Fries Award (Extended Nomination Deadline: March 1, 2021): Established in 2012 in memory of Kim Fries, this award recognizes the work of contributing NEERO members who have demonstrated distinction in the early part of their professional careers. 

John Schmitt Award (Extended Nomination Deadline: March 1, 2021):  This award is recognizes outstanding research at the graduate level for a paper submitted to the NEERO conference.

The NEERO 2020 and 2021 award winners will be honored at the NEERO 2021 Virtual Conference. NEERO will also introduce the Charlie DePascale Scholarship at the upcoming conference!

As the Board of the New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO), we are compelled to speak out in response to the murders of Jacob Blake, Daniel Prude, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and a long list of Black people and people of color whose lives have been cut short by senseless acts of brutality, violence, and racism. We share an ongoing commitment to action. Black Lives Matter.

Click below for links and resources that support efforts to advance racial justice, inclusivity, and equity for educators and educational researchers.  

Intersectionality Matters! is a podcast hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory.

“Talking About Race: Being Antiracist”A guide from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.