AERA Presidential Address 2026 The Future Is Here: Historical Signals in Education Research

Abstract

This presidential address builds the case that innovations in education should both spark and be grounded in historical methods and foresight thinking. Drawing our attention to historical signals, Winn demonstrates the ethos and strategies of parents, educators, artists, and community members who collectively envisioned and established teaching and learning communities focused on institution building in the decade following the Civil Rights Movement. According to Winn, these visionaries and archival data capturing their outputs offer enduring lessons for how we imagine and pursue the future of education.

Keywords

archival intelligence Black Arts Movement Black education citizen archivist foresight futures futuring historical signals independent Black institutions worldbuilding

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