Dear Association Member Representatives on Council,

The World Education Research Association (WERA) 2024 Focal Meeting will be held in-person from 8-12 September 2024 at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom (UK) in collaboration with the British Educational Research Association (BERA).

WERA FOCAL MEETING INVITATIONAL SYMPOSIA:

As has become customary, we are inviting each WERA Association member to organise an Invitational Symposium at the WERA 2024 Focal Meeting. We think it is important for every WERA Association member to participate visibly in the WERA Focal Meeting and be seen as an integral part thereof. Given feedback following the previous WERA Focal Meetings, we would again like to foreground the vibrancy of research, including and especially international research, within each country or region that constitutes WERA. We have seen how it adds to the importance of worldwide meetings to show the depth of education research and the important role of WERA in stimulating research and creating linkages around the globe.

SUBSTANCE OF THE WERA INVITATIONAL SYMPOSIA:

We ask each of you to take the lead in organising a research symposium of high quality and merit with whomever you wish to work within your Association. These symposia are an opportunity to feature key research in your country or region. A symposium provides opportunities, not afforded by a single paper, to examine a specific education research problem or topic through an international, comparative, or worldwide lens and to bring to bear diverse perspectives, intensive discussion, or a wide range of expertise.

FORMAT OF WERA INVITATIONAL SYMPOSIA:

The format must follow the same guidelines and provide the required fields for symposia as depicted in the WERA Call for submissions for the WERA 2024 Focal Meeting. Therefore, each Invitational Symposium must indicate:

750 word abstract of the symposium, and must include the title and a paragraph about each paper (minimum of 3 papers and maximum of 5 papers in the symposium) in the symposium.
There is an additional 250 words for references.
The symposium as a whole must have a clear focus and each paper therein must be clearly related to the overall focus/theme of the symposium but also offer distinct perspectives.
If your abstract does not include a paragraph under the title of each paper, it will not be considered as an Invitational Symposia. Successful symposia will be allocated a 90 minute session.
Invitational Symposium proposals are submitted by an organiser who may or may not be a chair, presenter, or discussant. A WERA symposium includes a chair and discussant and between three and five participants. Participants include all presenters and any discussants.
The symposium can include presenters from other countries or regions – although this is not obligatory.

Assuming many or most of these symposia may focus on research or research policy issues within your own country or region, we do however ask that one participant (a possible commentator / discussant) consider the implications from a more international, comparative, or worldwide perspective.
We encourage drawing upon the research scholars with substantive expertise on the symposium topic you develop.
Of course, you or another leader from your Association may serve as a Chair even if outside of your own expertise.
Please do not invite each other (across Associations) to participate in these symposia.

SUBMISSION OF WERA INVITATIONAL SYMPOSIA:

Invitational Symposia will not go through the process of review that open submissions do in response to the WERA 2024 Focal Meeting Call. As the quality assurance is already screened by the relevant WERA Association member submitting the session.
Invitational Symposia must be submitted ONLY between 15 February 2024 – 15 March 2024.
Please do not submit any WERA Invitational Symposia through the open Call submission platform currently available.
Association members will be provided with the appropriate link for submission of Invitational Symposia in due course.
The submission platform for Invitational Symposia will be accessible from 15 February 2024.
No Invitational Symposia submissions will be accepted after the deadline of 15 March 2024.

The email comes with our warm regards and our excitement about this collaborative programming. As these are flagship WERA scholarship spaces, we aim for 100% participation for all WERA Association members. We look forward to receiving your Invitational Symposium between 15 February 2024 and 15 March 2024.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any additional information.

Kind regards,

Rocío García-Carrión

WERA Secretary General