Application for Research Presentation Sessions

The National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA) invites submissions for research presentations at the 2025 NMSHSA Annual Conference, which will be held March 9 to 11, 2025 in Houston, Texas.

We welcome applied research presentations on a range of topics of relevance to farmworker families and their young children, MSHS programs, and the MSHS workforce, as well as topics relevant to the broader culturally and linguistically diverse Hispanic population of families with young children.

Submission Deadline: Friday, January 17th, 2025

You will find the application after the instructions below. If you wish to print a copy of this page, download the PDF version.

Research topics of particular interest for the 2025 NMSHSA conference include, but are not limited to:

Child Development:

Children of migrant and seasonal farmworker families;
Language and literacy development of dual language learners;
Infant and early childhood mental health and approaches to support young children’s social-emotional well-being;
Climate-related and other environmental impacts on children’s development and efforts to mitigate impacts; and
Innovative approaches to improve psychometrically sound measurement of outcomes for linguistically diverse children and classroom settings.

Program or Service Delivery:

Serving farmworker families and their young children;
Coordination and collaboration across HS/MSHS programs serving farmworker families with young children and the broader Hispanic population;
Approaches to serving young Hispanic and/or MSHS children with disabilities;
Innovative classroom instructional practices for linguistically diverse young children;
Virtual service delivery and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic; and;
Quality improvement efforts, including in settings serving infants and toddlers.

Workforce:

Effective approaches to recruit and retain a qualified early childhood MSHS workforce and address early childhood workforce shortages, particularly culturally and linguistically diverse staff;
Supporting the well-being, mental and behavioral health, and wellness of the MSHS and early childhood workforce;
Building competencies and career pathways for the MSHS and early childhood workforce; and
Efforts to increase compensation, wages, and benefits for the MSHS and early childhood workforce.

Engaging Families and Meeting Family Needs:

Approaches to expand access and otherwise meet the unique needs and preferences of farmworker families and other Hispanic families;
Health, mental and behavioral health, economic self-sufficiency, and other supports for farmworker families and other Hispanic families in early childhood programs, particularly during periods of heightened stress and increased need; and
Identifying and addressing barriers to serving children experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Equity:

Structural or systemic factors that shape MSHS and early childhood program access, affordability, utilization, services, and outcomes for communities that have been underserved or marginalized;
Delivery of equitable and culturally responsive MSHS and early childhood programs;
Strength-based approaches to advance equity and support underserved, under-resourced, or marginalized communities;
Methods to engage individuals with lived expertise throughout the research process; and
Embedding equity in early childhood standards, frameworks, guidelines, curricula, and quality measures.

Systems and Policies:

Innovations in building coordinated state early childhood mixed delivery systems, including coordinated application and enrollment systems;
Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic relief supports on the stability and quality of MSHS and early childhood systems;
Models to identify the costs associated with delivering MSHS and early childhood programs and various cost drivers; and
Innovative MSHS and ECE financing strategies and blending and braiding of funds.

NMSHSA encourages submissions from researchers at all career stages, including graduate and undergraduate students.

The information below explains the 2025 NMSHSA research submission types and submission procedures. We ask that you review carefully and adhere to the submission requirements to ensure the smooth operation of the submission, review, and decision notification process.

Submission Types for NMSHSA Research Presentations

There are 4 separate submission types: (1) Paper Symposium; (2) Individual Paper; (3) Individual Poster presentation; and (4) Conversation Roundtable.

1. Paper Symposium. A cohesive cluster of 2-3 applied research presentations focused on a specific topic along with an integration of findings We encourage representation from multiple institutions or organizations. In this format, the chair briefly presents the theme of the symposium, presenters speak for 15 minutes each, and a discussant provides an overview. At least 15 minutes MUST be set aside for audience discussion. Requirements: 1 chair with an optional 2nd chair if there is no discussant, 3 presentations, and 1 discussant.

Total time allotted to a Paper Symposium session is 90 minutes.

2. Individual Paper Submission. Applicants may submit individual papers, which are individual, free-standing applied research presentations focused on a specific topic along with an integration of findings. The review committee will then combine 2-3 of the accepted individual paper submissions into a 90-minute Paper Symposium session and will work with the authors to select a chair and discussant. Similar to the regular Paper Symposium format, the chair briefly presents the theme of the symposium, presenters speak for 15 minutes each, and a discussant provides an overview. At least 15 minutes MUST be set aside for audience discussion. Requirements: 1 chair with an optional 2nd chair if there is no discussant, 3 presentations, and 1 discussant.

Total time allotted for each of the 2-3 individual paper presentations is 15 minutes for a total of 90 minutes for the full Paper Symposium.

3. Individual Poster Presentation. Posters are individual, free-standing research presentations. They are the appropriate format when the material can be explained briefly, is suited for graphic or visual presentation, and the presenter would benefit from high levels of interaction and discussion with conference participants. They are also well-suited for student presentations. Each poster occupies one 8 ft (2.44 m) wide x 4 ft (1.22 m) high poster board.

Individual posters will be displayed in a 60-minute poster session.

4. Conversation Roundtable. This format is intended as a forum for a discussion of overarching questions/issues, not for the presentation of specific research findings. The roundtable is an engaging conversation between three or four individuals and the audience about ideas, methods, or professional- and research-related experiences. A conversation roundtable must have representation from multiple institutions/organizations. A central question or theme should serve as a focus for the roundtable. The broader purpose of a roundtable is to encourage networking among individuals or groups who may benefit from shared experiences or from hearing different views on a topic. The audience must be given 30 minutes to respond to the questions/issues raised and to introduce additional questions and comments to the panel.

Conversation Roundtables do not include PowerPoint slides or other audio-visual equipment.
Total time allotted to a session is 90 minutes.

Review Process and Criteria for All Research Presentation Submissions

Presenters and discussant(s) should not all be from the same project or organization. Proposals that do not conform to this requirement might not be sent for review. Submissions are strongly encouraged to include non-research voices, such as program participants, practitioners, or policymaker perspectives, as co-presenters or discussants. Paper symposia that include varied points of view or perspectives and foster discussion among persons of diverse theoretical approaches, methodologies, organizations, cultures, perspectives, countries, and backgrounds are strongly encouraged to submit.

Evaluation criteria for peer review of all submissions:

Appropriateness of subject matter as articulated in the above section of the Call for Presentations. This includes but is not limited to, appropriateness for expected attendees, alignment with goals of the conference, focus on cultural and linguistically diverse populations of interest, and/or examination of applied research topics of particular interest to the HS, EHS, and MSHS programmatic community.
Quality of the research methods. For all types of research submissions (e.g., program evaluations, primary or secondary data analyses, literature reviews, or syntheses), reviewers will assess the soundness of research design, methodology, and data analysis, and appropriateness to address the research questions of interest. Regardless of whether findings are available at the time of submission, reviewers will examine (as applicable) the quality of the sampling approach, hypotheses, research questions, psychometrically appropriate measures, methodology, data analytic strategy, and approach to engage those with lived expertise throughout the research process. If findings are not available at the time of the submission, reviewers also will assess the feasibility of the proposed timeline to complete the research.
Clearly articulated applied implications for early childhood programs and policies that will be disseminated during the presentation. The degree to which the submission strongly links the potential for the work to inform practice and policy. The degree to which the submission describes how practice and policy implications will be disseminated during the presentation.
Strong demonstration of how the presentation represents leading-edge research and furthers knowledge in the field. If original research, the extent to which the presentation represents a new or significant contribution to the early childhood field (e.g., filling gaps in research, exploring new methods or frameworks, identifying new factors, or advancing understanding of programs, policies, or practice). If a synthesis or literature review, the extent that the presentation provides a cohesive synthesis that clarifies the current state of the field and informs policy, practitioners, and future researchers about the next steps.

Additional evaluation criteria for peer review of integrative statements for multi-presenter formats (paper symposia):

Varied points of view or perspectives that will contribute to a dynamic presentation. This could include such factors as different theoretical approaches, contrasting methodologies, presenters from multiple projects/organizations, inclusion of non-research voices as discussant(s), and inclusion of diverse cultural perspectives, international perspectives, or diverse interpretations of the findings.
The cohesiveness of presentations. The degree to which the symposia will produce more information or insight on a particular topic, program, or population than would be derived from each presentation separately (e.g., new connections, directions, and/or implications).

Review Process:

Paper Symposia, Individual papers, Individual poster presentations, and Conversation roundtables must have representation from multiple institutions/organizations.
Submissions are reviewed according to the following criteria:
1. Represents leading-edge interdisciplinary research, intentionally and appropriately addresses culture and diversity, and/or has serious policy implications. Hence, submissions with one or more of these qualities signify that they represent leading-edge research that is desirable for the NMSHSA research track.
2. Clarity of formulation/conceptualization
3. Adequacy of research methods
4. Appropriateness of interpretations
5. Importance of topic
A submission that does not adhere to the rules and procedures will either receive a low rating or be disqualified from review. For example,
1. Do not include author names or other identifying material (i.e., grant support) in a poster or symposium submission. This will result in the submission being disqualified.
2. Submitting material more than once could result in a submission not being reviewed.
3. The abstract lacks sufficient data—coded and analyzed, even if not yet complete—to provide a basis for reviewer evaluation. Evaluation of the methods will be sensitive to qualitative and case study approaches as well as quantitative approaches.

Entering Data Into the Submission Portal

Research Submission Portal

For all submissions (Paper Symposium, Individual Paper, Individual Poster Presentation, and Conversation Roundtable), you will need to prepare:

Type of submission (Paper Symposium, Individual Paper, Individual Poster Presentation or Conversation Roundtable)
Title (limited to 250 characters)
Submission identifiers (see the end of this document for more information)
Complete contact information for submission organizer (full name, academic degree, title, organization, phone number, and email address)
Select identification information for session chairperson, discussant(s), and all authors (full name, academic degree, organization, and email address)

For Paper Symposium submissions (both paper and poster), you also will need to prepare:

An ABSTRACT of the submission. (Up to 75 words; may be copied/pasted into the system.) The abstract should provide a clear and concise description of the paper symposium. If the submission is selected for inclusion in the conference, the abstract will be published in conference materials.
An INTEGRATIVE STATEMENT. (Up to 500 words; may be copied/pasted into the system.) The integrative statement should include the following elements:
- Brief summary of the topic, themes, and papers as well as the links between the papers/posters, and the benefit of combining these works
- Variety of perspectives or points of view and how they will contribute to a dynamic session
- Implications for policy, practice, and research and how implications will be incorporated into the symposia
An OVERVIEW of each paper/poster included in the submission (up to 500 words). (May be copied/pasted into the system.) Each overview must include the following components:
- Introduction (100 words maximum) including background and hypotheses/research questions
- Methods (200 words maximum) including research design, methodology, and analytic techniques (if appropriate) and explanation of how the work represents leading-edge research and furthers knowledge in the field
- Results (100 words maximum) including preliminary or final findings or, if results are not ready at the time of submission, include variables under study, methodology, proposed data analytic strategy, and proposed timeline. (Up to two tables or figures may be included, as appropriate, but must be uploaded as attachments to your submission)
- Implications (100 words maximum) including applied implications for early childhood programs and policies. Key references for the overview must be included but do not count toward the word limit and will be collected in a separate field once the overview component fields and any table/figure attachments have been saved.

For individual poster submissions, you also will need to prepare:

An ABSTRACT of the poster. (Up to 75 words; may be copied/pasted into the system.) The abstract should provide a clear and concise description of the poster. If the submission is selected for inclusion in the conference, the abstract will be published in conference materials.
An OVERVIEW of the poster (500 words total) (May be copied/pasted into the system.) Each overview must include the following components:
- Introduction (100 words maximum) including background and hypotheses/research questions
- Methods (200 words maximum) including research design, methodology, and analytic techniques (if appropriate) and explanation of how the work represents leading-edge research and furthers knowledge in the field
- Results (100 words maximum) include preliminary or final findings or, if results are not ready at submission, include variables under study, methodology, proposed data analytic strategy, and proposed timeline. (Up to two tables or figures may be included, as appropriate, but must be uploaded as attachments to your submission)
- Implications (100 words maximum) including implications for early childhood programs and policies

Key references for the overview must be included but do not count toward the word limit and will be collected in a separate field once the overview component fields and any table/figure attachments have been saved.

All conference attendees must register with the appropriate registration fee, including those in a presenting role.

Submission Identifiers

[CHOOSE 1 PRIMARY IDENTIFIER, AND UP TO 2 ADDITIONAL IDENTIFIERS]

Access
Assessment/Measurement
Cognitive Development/Executive Functioning
Comprehensive Service Delivery
Developmental Delays/Special Needs/Early Intervention
Dual Language/Literacy Skills
Early Care and Education Monitoring/Licensing
Early Care and Education Quality/Effectiveness
Equity/Culture/Culturally Responsive Practice
Family Engagement
Family Well-being and Self-sufficiency
Farmworker children and families
Funding/Financing/Cost
Health
Home Visiting
Language/Literacy Skills
Math/Science/Engineering Skills
Mental Health
Parenting/Parent-child Relationship
Partnerships/Community Collaborations
Policy (Federal, State, Local, Program)
Prevention/Intervention
Program Improvement Effort/Implementation
School Readiness/Kindergarten Entry/Transitions to Kindergarten
Population: Children of Farmworker Families
Population: Children with Special Needs/Developmental Delays
Population: Dual Language Learners/English Language Learners
Population: Homeless − Population: Infants/Toddlers (Birth to 3-year-olds)
Population: Preschool-aged (3 to 5-year-olds)
Social-emotional Skills/Challenging Behaviors
Substance Use or Misuse
Systems Integration and Coordination
Workforce Development
Workforce Well-being and Self-sufficiency