Convened by the Center for Urban Ethnography at Penn GSE since 1980, the Ethnography in Education Research Forum is internationally recognized for its encouragement of original and in-depth ethnographic research on education broadly defined, within and outside the context of schooling. The Forum provides a space for ethnographers and practitioners in a range of disciplines and fields to come together across generations to share and learn from each other and, in so doing, to become part of a broader intellectual community. The Forum is committed to advancing systematic, rigorous, and engaged inquiry and to involving students in all phases of the meeting.

The Forum also remains committed to holding space for and honoring the work and ethos of practitioners engaging in inquiry. This year we hope to cultivate conversations across ethnography and practitioner inquiry, which will include practitioner-only panels, ethnography-only panels, and collaborative panels featuring both practitioners and scholars. We believe this model will honor the spirit of practitioner inquiry while building engagement across methodological traditions.

We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the outgoing leadership team for their dedication and exemplary service in organizing our conference. They have been apt stewards of the conference, its legacy, and its mission to foster meaningful connections among participants. As we embark on this new chapter, we hope foster a seamless transition of leadership, ensuring continuity and fresh perspectives. Our focus now shifts toward charting an ambitious path forward, with plans to expand the conference's scope and impact, promising an enriching experience for all attendees. We remain as dedicated as ever to sustaining the legacy of the Forum as the lead conference in the field of ethnography and education as well as an intellectual space that nurtures younger scholars and students. We look forward to sharing further updates on the Forum soon.

Faculty affiliates serve as valued members of the Ethnography Forum; we recognize their contributions to and commitment to the field, and in turn they enrich our academic community. Their association helps to foster connections between the work of the Forum and promote scholarly conversations.

Special thanks for this conference: Felicity Breedlove, Hidy Li, Charles Washington, Tony Delgozzo