Speak the Truth and Expose Lies: The Responsibility of Professors of Education in Hard Times

SPE 2018 Call for Proposals (Due 1/13/18)

As Spiderman’s Uncle Ben told us, “With great power comes great responsibility.” While it’s arguable whether his advice applies to professors of education, the Society’s conference theme for this year draws on Noam Chomsky’s reminder that even our limited power as intellectuals does come with responsibility. We invite you to join the conversation about what those responsibilities might entail in these difficult times.

What does it mean to be a professor of education in the current climate? How can we nurture in our students and ourselves the bravery that will allow us to face today’s challenges? What is the value of work in education as contrasted (or in collaboration) with other disciplines? How can scholars work more closely with teachers and other educational practitioners? How can we build bridges to other communities? What are our responsibilities for advocacy?

The Society of Professors of Education (SPE) invites proposals for presentations at its annual meeting, to be held during the 2018 AERA Annual Conference in New York City from April 13^th to 17^th. We are especially interested in presentations that are focused on the theme of “Speak the Truth and Expose Lies: The Responsibilities of Professors of Education in Hard Times.” Proposals not related to the theme but focused on the goals of the Society (below) are also welcome.

Founded in 1902, the Society of Professors of Education is a professional and academic association open to all persons engaged in teacher preparation, curriculum studies, educational foundations, and related activities. The Society’s primary goal is to provide a forum for consideration of major issues, tasks, problems, and challenges confronting professional educators. SPE is an interdisciplinary organization. Its members include both scholars and practitioners in education.

All presenters must be members of the Society of Professors of Education in order to be included in the conference program. We encourage you to join the Society at your earliest convenience. You will find a membership form at the Society of Professors of Education web page at:

http://societyofprofessorsofeducation.com

Please visit the Society of Professors of Education Facebook Group page (and join us!) at the following URL address:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Society.of.Professors.of.Education/

Proposals must be submitted electronically to the Program Chair Jason Lukasik no later than January 13, 2018. The proposal must be sent as a Word document attachment in an e-mail addressed to SPEsubmissions@gmail.com. The subject line of the e-mail message must read: “SPE 2018 Proposal.”

Cover Sheet: Each proposal should have a separate cover sheet that lists: 1) title of the paper; 2) names, affiliations and relevant backgrounds of all participants; 3) address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the person submitting the proposal and addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of all participants. The cover sheet will not be sent to proposal reviewers. Except for the cover sheet, the proposal must not contain any information that identifies participant(s).

Length: Proposals should be between 350-500 words. The proposal should restate the title of the presentation, its contents, its format of the presentation (e.g., paper session, roundtable, or symposium), and its significance. The proposal should NOT identify the presenters.

Call for Reviewers:

In addition to submitting your work, another way that you can participate in the Society is to volunteer as a proposal reviewer. The review process will take place soon after the deadline. Please contact Program Chair Jason Lukasik at lukasik@augsburg.edu if you are interested in reviewing proposals for the 2018 meeting.

Looking forward to seeing you at AERA in New York!

Best,

Isabel Nuñez
Professor, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
President, Society of Professors of Education