Unity as a Bridge to Freedom:Educational Leadership and the Interdependence of Research, Practice, and Community
The 40th annual UCEA Convention theme, “Unity as a Bridge to Freedom: Educational Leadership and the Interdependence of Research, Practice, and Community,” underscores the Convention's location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this city, history and landscape epitomize freedom, unity, and interdependence in driving transformative change. Pittsburgh’s iconic bridges, connecting 90 distinct communities across rivers, runs, and valleys (pittsburghpa.gov), serve as a metaphor for unity among people with diverse identities and experiences, unique in their being and thought. Pittsburgh also reflects a history of activism, with major labor organizations originating there. From labor conflicts in the 1880s to contemporary efforts, including one of the longest running strikes in the country, workers across sectors have made Pittsburgh a city of collective action (Alvarez, 2026; Hoerr, 2014). In that spirit, Pittsburgh today marks collaborative partnerships and networks among universities, foundations, school districts, museums, libraries, nonprofits, artists, and more that aim to inspire freedom of thought in our public education systems (Remake Learning, n.d.).
Proposals must be received by Sunday, May 3, 2026. All proposals must be submitted electronically through All Academic. This site will officially open March 9, 2026.
Sessions are typically between 70-75 minutes and there are a range of session types including paper sessions, practice-based presentations, ignite presentations, roundtables, community building sessions, terrace talks, workshop/development sessions symposia, international community-building sessions, innovative sessions/mini-workshops, and pre-Convention work sessions and workshops. Click for a complete description of each session type.
For individuals who are new to submitting a proposal to the UCEA convention, we recommend that you:
Carefully review all the following documents BEFORE beginning to craft your proposal.
Review the full "call for proposals" which is linked above so you understand the key intensions of this year's conference and the kinds of session topics that are being invited. As you are writing your proposal you will want to consider how to describe the alignment of your session to one or more topical areas that have been identified in the call for proposals.
Click the "Session Types" button above. You will see that there are a variety of types of sessions. For example, some sessions are specifically designed for the presentation of research. Other sessions are designed for the presentation of innovative practices or allow you and your team to conduct a session that is more developmental in nature. As you review the session types, you will gain insights about the length of time of these sessions and about how to write a proposal for these session types.
Review the "submission guidelines" which is linked above.
Sessions that are presenting research (empirical, analysis of existing literature), which oftentimes are submitted as a paper session, symposium, or roundtable, require the submission of a proposal that not exceed 3 single-spaced pages in length using 12-point font (Times New Roman) and with a reference list that does not exceed 1 single-spaced page. These submissions should include the following sections:
For research reports and policy analyses, the proposal summary should include the following elements: (a) statement of purpose, (b) review of related literature, (c) theoretical/conceptual perspectives, (d) methods and data sources, (e) findings, (f) conclusions/implications, and (g) references. Research does not necessarily need to have been completed but should be far enough along to report preliminary findings. •
For conceptual papers, the proposal summary should include the following elements: (a) statement of purpose; (b) review of related literature; (c) connections to previous frameworks or research that contribute to the development of a new/revised framework; (d) implications for leadership research, practice, or policy; and (e) references.
As an additional support for your submission, we are including two sample proposals so you can gain a better understanding of what a proposal would look like for: a) a paper session, and b) a symposium.
Doctoral students from UCEA member institutions are invited to submit proposals for this pre-Convention event. Further details regarding the Graduate Student Summit call for proposals can be found on the Graduate Student portion of the UCEA website:https://www.ucea.org/gss_summit.php
Instructions to Access All Academic
Instructions to access All Academic if you are at a
Member Institution
You will need to have a username and password to
access the website. If you registered for the Convention
last year, you have login credentials.
If you have login credentials:
Click the Member Login button on the top right of this
page to sign in (If you cannot remember your
password, use the Forgot Password link).
After you sign in, click the yellow All Academic button.
All Academic will open in a separate tab in your
browser.