History of Education Society 2025 Annual Meeting Providence, Rhode Island
November 6-9, 2025
The 2025 Program Committee for the History of Education Society invites proposals for its annual conference, which will be held in Providence, Rhode Island. The 2025 conference theme is Freedom to Teach; Freedom to Learn. Thematically complete sessions, individual papers, panel discussions, and workshop session submissions are welcome. Complete sessions organized around a coherent theme are especially encouraged.
This year’s conference theme—Freedom to Teach; Freedom to Learn—encompasses enduring questions about educational inclusion and struggles for equality. Conflicts over the freedom to teach have occurred in k–12 and higher education institutions and beyond. They have often centered on educators’ production and dissemination of knowledge and values within particular civic contexts. Conflicts over the freedom to learn have frequently involved struggles to access educational opportunities in the face of societal obstacles. They have also entailed battles to define the purposes of educational institutions and practices. Beyond this year’s conference theme, we invite all broadly conceived proposals related to the history of education. We welcome international representation at our meeting and encourage submissions showcasing perspectives from regions beyond the United States.
Participants are encouraged to create thematically coherent sessions and panel discussions by connecting with potential collaborators through the History of Education Society’s various Affinity Groups including: biography & life writing; carceral state; global/transnational/imperial; higher education; intellectual history; policy & reform; political education & social movements; popular culture; race; religion; sex & gender; teachers, teaching, & curriculum; teaching & research in history of education; West Coast U.S.; and 18th & 19th century.
Submission Guidelines
To submit a proposal, please go to the 2025 HES Conference Portal. If you don’t already have a CMT account, be sure to create one following these steps. The submission site is now accepting proposals, and the deadline for submission is March 17, 2025. Decisions on proposal submissions will be available by June 15, 2025.
The History of Education Society requires all presenters at the 2025 conference to be members. Invitations for membership and information about the conference will be sent to authors of accepted proposals.
Please direct questions to HES Vice President and program chair, Sevan Terzian, at the University of Florida (
Submission Formats
Proposals can take one of four forms: (a) an individual paper, (b) a thematically complete session, (c) a panel discussion, (d) or a workshop. Again, complete sessions are strongly encouraged.
Thematically Complete Session. Proposals should provide a prospectus for a coherent collection of 3-4 papers, including a title for the session, a title and summary of each paper, and a chair and discussant. A complete-session proposal should be single-spaced and between 1,500-2,000 words, excluding references. The proposal should include the topic and an overview of the findings or conclusions, a discussion of how the session relates to other scholarship in the field, and the sources. Please remove personal identifying information from the proposal document before uploading it, but include institutional affiliations and email addresses for all participants elsewhere as instructed.
Individual Paper. Submitting an individual paper involves proposing a standalone piece of research. If accepted, the paper is grouped with others on similar topics into a session where each presenter shares their work within a set time, hears comments from a discussant, and is often followed by a Q & A. An individual-paper proposal should be single-spaced and between 750 and 1,000 words, excluding references. Proposals should spell out the paper’s focus andrationale. It should include the topic and an overview of the findings or conclusions, a discussion of how the paper relates to other scholarship in the field, and the sources. Please remove personal identifying information from the proposal document before uploading it, but include institutional affiliations and email addresses for all participants elsewhere as instructed.
Panel Discussion. Proposals should outline a session where three or four qualified panelists present a series of thought pieces discussing important issues, research, or books in the field. A panel discussion proposal should be single-spaced and no more than 2,000 words, excluding references. The proposal should include an overview of the discussion topic, the major findings or conclusions, how the findings or conclusions contribute to the field, and a chair. The identities of panel members need not be anonymous. However, please include institutional affiliations and email addresses for all participants elsewhere as instructed.
Workshop. Proposals should explain the session's focus (e.g., research methods or teaching practices), the number of facilitators (no more than three), and how the session will proceed. A workshop proposal should be single-spaced, no more than 1,500 words, excluding references. The proposal should describe the plan of the workshop, the intended audience, the activities, and the workshop’s connections to more significant issues in the field. The identities of facilitators need not be anonymous. However, please include institutional affiliations and email addresses for all participants elsewhere as instructed.
Participants are encouraged to stay at our conference hotel—the Providence Marriott Downtown (details forthcoming)—because of our contract to secure a minimum number of rooms.