Innovation Day at the SREE Conference

September 23, 2026

 Be part of a community transforming education through meaningful, evidence-based collaboration.

With a generous sponsorship from Arnold Ventures, SREE is excited to host Innovation Day—a one-day, hands-on event designed to bring together practitioners and researchers to work together on a problem that needs to be solved and that can be informed by evidence. 

Innovation Day will bring together practitioners and researchers to address real-world challenges faced by school districts, early childhood education providers, and/or postsecondary education institutions. Through a collaborative, solution-focused approach, the event will foster meaningful relationships between researchers and practitioners that support continued collaboration, paving the way for actionable, evidence-based improvements in educational practice

Update 7/15/2026

2026 Innovation Day Project Descriptions

Researcher Application now open!

TIMELINE: 

 What To Expect?

Pre-Event 

Practitioner Applications - CLOSED

Individuals from school districts, local and state agencies, or other educational organizations are invited to submit applications outlining a critical problem or challenges their organizations face—ranging from boosting student achievement to overcoming implementation barriers to college completion. View selected projects here. 

Researcher Applications: Deadline July 24, 2026

For participating researchers, this event offers a unique opportunity to work directly with practitioners -  those with roles at local and state education agencies, administrative/policy positions at institutes of higher education, and individuals working at intermediary organizations that have a role in implementing programs at the latter types of organization - to inform concrete challenges in educational policy and practice, while helping to shape future research agendas that are grounded in real-world educational priorities.

We are looking to pair researchers with knowledge and skills that are relevant and helpful for practitioner-proposed projects. Those selected will receive a discounted conference registration rate of $345, accommodations for one night, and up to $400 in travel funding. 

Learn more about the specific projects here and if you feel you are a good match for a partner, apply here.

 Innovation Day (September 22-23, 2026)

Schedule
Tuesday September 22:  Dinner onsite at 7:00 PM
Wednesday, September 23: Innovation Day programming  8:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Innovation Day will take place on September 22-23, 2026. On September 22, the evening before Innovation Day, practitioners and researchers are invited to a networking dinner at 7:00 PM to meet fellow attendees and learn more about each other’s research and practice interests. On September 23, in the morning of the first day of the SREE conference, participants will work in structured, collaborative activities designed to foster meaningful partnerships. The event itself will be structured to maximize collaboration, offering researchers valuable opportunities to connect with practice and share feedback on emerging, collaborative project ideas. The day’s programming includes:  

• Facilitated engagement with experienced knowledge brokers to support collaborative discussions.

• Small-group sessions with researcher-practitioner teams, where researchers will help practitioners refine their questions and collaboratively develop research-informed strategies or measurement and evaluation designs.   

• Networking opportunities designed to broaden access to resources and partnerships across the field.  

• Opportunities for researchers to leverage theirr expertise and access tools to help bring collaborative solutions to life. 

 Who Should Participate?

Practitioners from districts and/or educational organizations with pressing problems or challenges in their work that they want to solve through research evidence. Examples of such questions could include: 

• More than 20% of our elementary students are absent on any given instructional day.  How should we address this problem of chronic absenteeism, and how will we know our efforts are improving attendance? 
• Our state test results show that less than 50% of our 8th graders are proficient in math. How should we address this problem and how will we know if our efforts are improving 8th grade math proficiency? 
• Our college has a very low retention rate for first-generation students. What intervention should we implement to improve retention?   

Why Attend? 

Develop a deeper understanding of how research can inform concrete challenges in educational policy and practice. 

Build meaningful relationships between researchers and practitioners that support continued collaboration. 

Shape future research agendas that are grounded in real-world educational priorities. 

Gain exposure to leading education funders and receive valuable feedback on emerging project ideas. 

Access tools and expertise to help bring collaborative solutions to life. 

Join us at SREE and Arnold Foundation Innovation Day and be part of a community transforming education through meaningful, evidence-based collaboration.