NW26 received 170 initial submissions, of which 149 were accepted for presentation, representing a rejection rate of approximately 12.4%. The accepted programme included: o 130 papers o 5 posters o 1 panel discussion o 1 research workshop o 12 symposiums.
NW26’s collaboration with the Emerging Researchers’ Group. As part of ECER 2026, NW26 contributed a workshop on “Understanding Crises in School Organizations and the Use of AI to Support Crisis Incidents: A workshop in Educational Leadership.”
A further collaboration was developed between NW26 Educational Leadership and NW22 Research in Higher Education. The collaboration resulted in a joint special call on “Academic Leadership in Higher Education for Building a Fairer World and Fostering Trust in Polarised Times.” The call received 13 submissions from NW26 and 12 submissions from NW22.
The network currently has 23 convenors and welcomed five new colleagues, bringing the total to 28. The expansion was undertaken in response to the increasing number of submissions and with the aim of supporting the reviewing process and strengthening the geographical representation of the network.
The Network Meeting also marked the introduction of the NW26 Outstanding Contribution Award, established to recognise convenors for sustained service and long-term commitment to the network. The award recognises sustained service to NW26, with a minimum of five years of service, and may also highlight extended service of ten years or more. Recipients are nominated annually from among the network convenors, with the final selection decided through a vote among the convenors. The criteria include consistent delivery of high-quality and constructive reviews and active participation in ECER, including roles as presenters, chairs and discussants.
The first recipients of the NW26 Outstanding Contribution Award were announced during the Network Meeting:
Prof. Pierre Tulowitzki
Prof. Stefan Brauckmann-Sajkiewicz
Prof. Petros Pashiardis
Prof. Helene Ärlestig.