Old Dominion University faculty and student researchers will be represented in strength at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting in Chicago, April 16-20.

A total of 49 faculty members and graduate students from Old Dominion's Darden College of Education will present research at AERA, a showcase for ground-breaking, innovative studies in a diverse array of areas - from early education through higher education, and digital learning to second language literacy.

Presentations at the conference are being delivered by faculty of four of the six departments of the Darden College, along with the University's Center for Education Partnerships.

Jane Bray, dean of the Darden College of Education, said she is extremely proud of the college-wide participation by faculty members and graduate students.

"Our faculty members are active researchers and leaders in their fields," Bray said. "The many faculty and graduate student presentations at AERA were selected through a rigorous peer-review process. In addition, many of our faculty members hold leadership positions in different divisions within this prestigious educational research association."

Highlighted presentations from Old Dominion researchers include:

• Perspectives of International Students Performing Service-Learning in the United States: A Case Study With Amizade, by Suzanne Unger, Shana Pribesh, Linda Bol and Daniel Dickerson;
• "Poverty Is Two Coins": Preschoolers Explore Global Social Justice Issues Through Children's Literature and Art, by Judith Dunkerly-Bean, Thomas Bean, Kristine Sunday, Raleta Chanel Summers and Joy Phelps;
• Development of Communities of Practice in School Library Education: Collaboration Within a Third Space, by Elizabeth Burns, Jody Howard and Sue Kimmel; and
• Teacher Beliefs, Teacher Concerns, and School Leadership Support as Influences on the Implementation of School Reform, by Elizabeth Hoag Carhart, Linda Bol and John Nunnery.

The AERA Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research, with an expected attendance of more than 14,000 and more than 2,600 sessions.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.