At the recent CIES Annual Conference, held from 28th March to 1st April 2026 in San Francisco, USA, STRIDE was prominently represented by Halla Björk Holmarsdottir, Professor of Comparative and International Education at Oslo Metropolitan University and President of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Her participation and insights during the conference highlighted the significance of STRIDE in advancing discussions and developments within the field of comparative and international education.
This year’s conference’s theme was “Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World”. This theme aims to address pressing global and local concerns, encouraging a wide range of submissions from diverse contexts and promoting inclusive dialogue and varied perspectives. Across several key sessions, STRIDE was referenced and drew on its ideas and work, alongside broader research on educational inclusion, equity, and intersectionality.
In particular, STRIDE was mentioned in the following:
- On 1st April, a formal panel session, “Rethinking Girls’ Education in Shifting Worlds: Dialogues Across Perspectives, Contexts, and Knowledges”, which brought together contributions linked to a forthcoming special issue of the Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education (NJCIE).
The panel engaged with critical, feminist, postcolonial, and intersectional perspectives on girls’ education and addressed questions of equity, inclusion, and knowledge production in changing global contexts. The panel discussion reflects STRIDE’s report “Trends in Inequality in Educational Achievement in Europe” emphasis on how inequalities are shaped by intersecting factors and uneven access to resources and opportunities.
As part of this panel, “Reframing Equity, Gender, and Technology through a Care-Based Lens: Toward Peace in a Divided Educational Landscape” was presented by STRIDE researcher Halla Björk Holmarsdottir. Intersections of gender, technology, ethics of care, and educational inclusion were also discussed by using STRIDE research results.
- On 31st March, [CIES Presidential Address] – “Reimagining Care and Equity in Education: Navigating Inequalities and Digital Transformation”, where STRIDE was referenced in relation to equity, inclusion, democratic education, and digital transformation. STRIDE was referenced in relation to these debates as they reflect the project’s focus on inclusion, care and the challenges that are being faced were discussed in relation to rethinking equity and knowledge production in changing global contexts. This session highlights how STRIDE’s research both informs and is strengthened by ongoing international dialogue.
These sessions reached a broad international audience of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. In total, 2400 participants were registered for the conference from about 42 countries. The participants offered a rich diversity of perspectives, thoughtful and critical discussions, and a spirit of openness and collaboration through presenting research, facilitating sessions, or engaging in conversations and informal exchanges.
