College of Education News

For some students in Educational Organization and Leadership (EOL), the opportunities to present their work before peers seemed few and far between. Rather than lament the issue, a group of four assembled last semester to remedy the situation: They proposed hosting a conference of their own, which culminated in the recent EOL Graduate Research Conference at the University of Illinois’ i-Hotel conference center.

“We wanted to provide an accessible forum to present work, yet didn’t involve travel, lodging, and everything associated with a professional conference,” said co-planner and 2nd-year graduate student Jason Taylor.

After garnering the support of professors Debra Bragg and Don Hackmann, the students secured a group of nine peers for the planning process.

“The faculty presented the idea of inviting the Illinois State Board of Education Superintendent as keynote speaker,” Taylor said. “So we were thrilled when Superintendent Chris Koch and Assistant Superintendent Linda Tomlinson agreed to present.”

Prior to Koch and Tomlinson’s keynote discussion, students shared a variety of materials – from final dissertation research, course papers, or independent work related to their interests. Master’s student Nicole Stewart (EOL) addressed the needs of community college students adapting to a university atmosphere, while Ed.D. student Ali Lewis (EOL) discussed colonization as a metaphor to understand the impact of No Child Left Behind on schools and communities.

Ultimately the event allowed students to refine their technique in preparation for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) meeting or to receive feedback on a paper they are considering for journal submission, Taylor said.

Approximately 50 graduate students and faculty attended the entire day, with an additional 40 joining for Koch and Tomlinson’s presentation, according to Taylor, who said he was pleased with the conference’s outcome.

Plans are already underway for enhancing the event next year. As Taylor and the co-planning team review conference evaluations, he said he would like to add alternative presentation formats—such as panel discussions—and also emphasize the conference to a more college-wide audience.

“We wanted to pilot, if you will, the conference on a smaller scale, so we mainly targeted EOL audiences,” Taylor said, adding that students from other departments did also present. “Given initial positive feedback, I think we have good momentum as we begin to think about and plan the event next year. For now I would like to thank the EOL Department, the Forum on the Future of Public Education, the Higher Education Collaborative, the Graduate College, the Student Organization Resource Fee, and the Graduate and Professional Affairs Committee. We could not have done this without their support.”

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