Academics throughout the Southeast will converge at the University of Alabama College of Education’s Southern History of Education Society Annual Conference this weekend to discuss various topics in the field.

“The event is important because it allows faculty members and students to share ideas and conclusions about the hundreds of years of education and schooling in the United States,” said Philo Hutcheson, head of the department of educational leadership, policy and technology studies.

Also known as the SHOES conference, the event will include presentations from several professors and students on historical topics in education. Established in the early 1970s, the conference usually attracts graduate students who can explore ideas for paper topics, theses and dissertations.

(See also “College of Education welcomes new dean“)

“There are many issues, for example diversity, that we take for granted in looking at schools,” Hutcheson said. “The research presented at SHOES offers new ways of understanding how we got where we are today.”

Kagendo Mutua, an associate professor in the College of Education, will co-present a paper at the conference with UA graduate student Olivia Robinson. The presentation will trace the historical names of intellectual disabilities. Mutua said historical narratives often do not account for the experiences of people with disabilities.

Mutua said there is a history of marginalizing, excluding and segregating people with intellectual disabilities that can be seen in schools today and that the topic highlights the importance of understanding and comparing historic and present-day educational practices.

“The learning of history should inform what we do and also point out some things that we should not be doing,” she said.

The conference allows participants like Mutua and Robinson to present works-in-progress and receive feedback from academics in attendance.

(See also “Is a college education truly worth its cost?“)

“I love the fact that you can do a work-in-progress and be able to have critique and input,” Mutua said. “That way, as you’re going forward, you’re able to incorporate some of the insights that you get from participants.”

Mutua said the conference also allows graduate students to network with other scholars in history and education.

“We are creating a community of learners among the graduate students, and also an opportunity for them to be able to speak in a smaller, intimate context [and] interact with big names in academia,” Mutua said.

Hutcheson described the usual conference atmosphere as informal and energetic. Peter Hlebowitsh, dean of the College of Education, said that anyone with an interest in education should attend.

The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday in 102 Graves Hall and from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday in the Bryant Conference Center. It is free and open to the public.

(See also “My college story: education, experience, challenge, change at the Capstone“)