Westat staff are participating in the 2026 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California, April 8–12, 2026. This year’s theme, Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures: Constructing a New Vision for Education Research, sets the stage for forward-looking conversations about the role of research in shaping education. Westat’s participation reflects our ongoing commitment to advancing rigorous, relevant insights that inform policy and practice.
The following agenda provides more details about the activities of Westat staff (names in bold) at the conference. Note that all events are in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
Thursday, April 9
2:15-3:45 pm (PDT)
John H. Hitchcock. (Session Chair). Mixed-Methods Integration.
Friday, April 10
7:45-9:15 am (PDT)
John H. Hitchcock, Jeffrey A. Anderson, Nell Krahnke, and Eishi Adachi. (Paper). Evaluating a Program Designed to Improve High School Progress Among Foster Care Youth: Educational Liaisons.
1:45-3:15 pm (PDT)
Emily A. Diaz, Larrisa Wilkinson, Sarah Nelson Baray, Lauren Elizabeth Decker-Woodrow, and Cynthia Castillo. (Paper). Co-constructing and Designing an Early Learning Alliance Evaluation: Elevating Center Director Voice.
Saturday, April 11
7:45-9:15 am (PDT)
Babette Moeller, John H. Hitchcock, Jason Schoeneberger, and Teresa Garcia Duncan. (Paper). An Evaluation of the Math for All Professional Learning Program: A Report on Teacher Outcomes.
3:45-5:15 pm (PDT)
Judy H. Tang and Laura C. Egan. (Paper). Applying Human Opportunity Index to NAEP HSTS: Understanding Access to Advanced Coursework for All Students.
Sunday, April 12
9:45-11:15 am (PDT)
Judy H. Tang. (Symposium Chair). Advancing Educational Research for All With Large-Scale School Assessment Data: Insights From Innovative Approaches.
Mubarak O. Mojoyinola, Olasunkanmi James Kehinde, and Judy H. Tang. (Paper). Comparative Analysis on Item Difficulty Predictions Between National and International Assessment Programs.