The annual Badar Kauffman Conference on Special Education Research was held recently at the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center. The conference hosted over a hundred researchers and students from across the country and around the world. There were 36 presentations of new and emerging research focused on improving special education for students with disabilities.
This year, a special panel was held honoring the remarkable legacy of conference founder James (Jim) M. Kauffman, Ph.D., who passed away in September of 2024. Kauffman is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential scholars, researchers, and mentors in the field of special education.
Panelists included Dan Hallahan, John Lloyd, Mitch Yell, Dimitris Anastasiou, and Jeanmarie Badar, Jim’s wife and co-founder of the Badar Kauffman Conference. Additional leaders in special education served as discussants, with many more in attendance to celebrate Jim’s life and contributions to special education. Learn more about .
The keynote speaker for this year’s Badar Kauffman Conference was Rhonda Nese, Ph.D. Nese is an award-winning scientist with the Prevention Science Institute, a multidisciplinary research institute at the University of Oregon. Her research involves equitable intervention delivery within a multi-tiered behavior support framework focused on preventative practices, including addressing implicit bias in school discipline, effective classroom behavior management strategies, bullying prevention, and alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices.
The 2026 Badar Kauffman Conference is scheduled for March 25-27. You can find more information at the conference website, or by contacting Kent State faculty who are members of the Badar Kauffman executive committee – Committee Chair Nate Stevenson, Ph.D., at nsteve15@kent.edu; Ching-I Chen, Ph.D., at cchen46@kent.edu; or Andrew Wiley, Ph.D., at awiley5@kent.edu.
--Nathan Stevenson and Andrew Wiley