Welcome to the Society of Professors of Education Website. Founded in 1902, the Society of Professors of Education (SPE) 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.

Founding members included John Dewey, Charles DeGarmo, and Walter B. Jacobs. Several other noteworthy early members were William Kilpatrick, George S. Counts, Elwood P. Cubberley, Harold O. Rugg, Edward L. Thorndike, and George Herbert Mead, symbolizing the diverse interests and ideological variety of the organization. Its current members include several award-winning theoreticians, researchers, and practitioners in education.

At this moment in time, it is especially important that scholars of education engage in dialogue about education and the future of our worlds. The membership of SPE strives to continue the spirit of socially engaged and responsible inquiry that the founders of the organization envisioned. The Society offers a variety of opportunities for its members to share their work with the educational community, including two peer-reviewed journals and a conference held in conjunction with the AERA annual meeting. SPE also recognizes significant work in the field with five awards.

Visit the the Library to view the SPE Constitution and Bylaws, membership lists from the early 20th century, and other archival materials. Photographs and other visual materials can be found in the Gallery.

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2025 SPE Annual Meeting

Where Do We Go from Here? Professors of Education, Our Changing World, and Pressing Concerns the Field Must Address

The 2025 Society of Professors of Education Conference

If the past decade has shown us anything, it is this: the world is ever-changing, and nothing is certain. From the COVID-19 pandemic to police violence, wars, and the demolishing of hard-fought democratic rights and freedoms, our nation and our world are reeling. Though it is unclear what lies ahead, education, specifically K-16 schooling, is under attack. Today, in the U.S., many states have banned efforts to teach about race and have created climates hostile to inequities across gender and sexuality. Colleges and universities have outlawed diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and most recently, calls to dismantle the Department of Education have reemerged with the incoming administration vowing to close this institution. . In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. published his last book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos to Community as a clarion call for hope during dark times. As educators, we stand at a pivotal moment that demands careful reflection and decisive action. We invite proposals from our SPE community that address the current sociopolitical moment, the evolving educational climate, and the critical challenges facing educators today and in the future.

Consider:

What are the theoretical, empirical, and practical questions this moment in history begs us to ask?
What lessons from the past can we learn from and even model? What clarity and wisdom might the legacy of SPE offer to decipher this sociopolitical moment?
How do we generate the imagination, ingenuity, and inspired inquiry needed for the work ahead?
How do we build community across differences to support and strengthen our work?

The Society of Professors of Education (SPE) invites proposals for presentations at its annual meeting to be held during the 2025 AERA Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, April 26th. We are especially interested in presentations that are focused on the theme of “Where Do We Go from Here? Professors of Education, Our Changing World, and Pressing Concerns the Field Must Address” Proposals not related to the theme but focused on the goals of the Society are also welcome. Abstracts accepted for presentation will appear in SPE’s conference proceedings; select papers may be published in Professing Education, SPE’s journal.

All presenters must be members of the Society of Professors of Education. To be included in the conference program, join the Society at your earliest convenience. See the Society of Professors of Education web page for the membership form: http://societyofprofessorsofeducation.com

Great thanks to SPE Program Chair, Dr. Saba Khan Vlach who has assembled an outstanding program of excellent presentation. Dr. Vlach and myself will manage the registration table at Denver I want to thank Dr. Vlach for her wonderful support this year. Additional gratitude is given to Drs. Bob Morris and Bill Schubert for their ongoing support as SPE Secretary-Treasurer and SPE Nominations Chair, respectively.

Much appreciation to the SPE Award Chairs–Drs. Joseph Polizzi, Rouhollah Aghaselah, Rob Helfenbein, Pamela Konkol, Seungho Moon, and Kelly Vaugan along with their committees who have accomplished important work to highlight powerful contributions to our field. Please join me in congratulating the 2025 SPE Awardees whose names may be found on the attached program.