Share Your Work. Learn Across Contexts.
2027 IMA Global Summit
One System. Many Contexts. Every Learner.
July 21–24, 2027 | Bangkok, Thailand
The Call for Proposals is now open! Join a global community of scholars, educators, and leaders connecting evidence with implementation to improve outcomes for every learner.
Submit by December 11, 2026
Presenter notifications: February 1, 2027
A Different Kind of Summit Experience
Research informs practice. Practice deepens our understanding of what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
We are building that reciprocal relationship into the Summit itself. Scholars, practitioners, and system leaders come together as contributors and learners, connecting ideas across sessions and working toward meaningful application.
This approach reflects IMA’s commitment to scientific integrity, equity, inclusion, and collaboration. We value rigorous evidence, professional expertise, honest reflection, and the perspectives of those implementing change.
Before You Submit
Come to contribute and learn. Presenters are part of a collaborative Summit experience, with opportunities to connect scholarship, practice, and implementation.
Partners in Practice requires co-presenters. A leading scholar must present alongside a practicing partner they directly supported with implementation.
Featured Speakers have additional responsibilities. All must engage in Summit receptions, participate on panels, and lead implementation sessions.
Plan for registration. Presenters must pay a registration fee unless accepted as a distinguished or featured speaker. The later presenter rate will be higher than the current early bird rate.
Choose Your Session Format
Featured Speakers
Recognized scholarship. Research in action.
We welcome applications from well-published scholars with established name recognition and direct involvement in implementation at the school, district, state, or national level.
Featured Speakers commit to delivering a featured presentation, serving on panels, leading Implementation Labs, and actively engaging with participants at receptions—connecting scholarship and practice through shared learning.
Implementation Labs
Process the learning. Plan the action.
Apply to facilitate the Summit’s daily applied practice sessions. At the end of each day, teams reflect on sessions, connect evidence to their context, and begin mapping out a plan of action.
Facilitators help teams synthesize learning, identify priorities, and translate ideas into practical next steps.
Describe your expertise, facilitation experience, and approach to supporting teams as they connect learning across sessions and plan for implementation.
Partners in Practice Sessions
A leading scholar and practicing partner share implementation together.
Co-present with a practicing partner whom you have directly supported in implementing research-informed practices. Both partners must help design and deliver the session.
Explain the evidence, context, implementation process, challenges, and available outcomes. Share what each partner learned and what others could apply or adapt.
Solo presentations do not qualify. This format makes translational research visible—and shows how practice can strengthen scholarship.
Panel Discussions
Contribute your perspective. Deepen the conversation.
Apply to serve as a panelist examining an important MTSS question or as a Lead Scientist, presenting research outcomes followed by a panel discussion of the findings’ implications for practice and implementation.
IMA will assemble panels connecting scholarship, practice, and systems leadership. You do not need to organize a panel.
Describe your expertise, topics of interest, and preferred role. Lead Scientist applicants should also summarize the research findings they propose to share.
Problems of Practice
Learn ahead. Solve together in Bangkok.
Part 1 | Pre-Summit Webinar — 45 minutes
Deliver a standalone session introducing your topic, evidence, and practical implications.
Part 2 | Live Problem-Solving — Bangkok
Guide collaborative discussion around a related problem of practice, drawing on research and participants’ expertise to develop actionable solutions.
Proposals must describe both parts: learning outcomes, the problem to address, and your facilitation approach.
Poster Presentations
Share your findings. Spark a conversation.
Present a research brief or implementation effort through a visual poster and direct conversation with Summit participants. Share your methods, outcome data, and implications for MTSS research and practice.
All posters must provide outcome data. Conceptual-only proposals will not be accepted.
Describe your research or implementation effort, methods, key findings, and relevance to MTSS. Presenters must be available during the designated poster session to discuss their work.
Which topics are welcome?
We welcome proposals addressing:
Integrated MTSS, leadership, and sustainable implementation.
Literacy, language, and mathematics.
Behavior, social-emotional learning, and mental health.
Tier 1 instruction, intervention, assessment, and data-based decision-making.
Early childhood, inclusive education, and multilingual learners.
Equity, culturally responsive practice, and implementation across international contexts.
Proposals may connect multiple areas. Across all topics, make the connection between evidence, implementation, and learner outcomes clear.
Prepare a Strong Proposal
Help reviewers understand:
What: Your focus, intended audience, and learning outcomes.
Why: The research, data, or documented experience informing your work.
How: What participants will do and how you will support their learning.
Application: What participants can use or adapt in their own settings.
Contributors: Each presenter’s role and expertise.
Acknowledge limitations, distinguish evidence from interpretation, and share challenges as well as successes. We welcome thoughtful accounts of work in progress when its stage and evidence are clearly described.
Registration: Plan Ahead
Presenters must pay a registration fee unless accepted as a Featured Speaker.
The later presenter rate will be higher than the current early bird rate. If you plan to attend regardless of your proposal outcome, register early for the lowest current price.
Early bird pricing is limited by the number of tickets—not a calendar deadline. Once that allocation sells out, the next registration rate applies.
Capacity at the Mandarin Oriental is limited, and we expect the Summit to sell out quickly. Submitting a proposal does not reserve your place or guarantee admission.
Help build a Summit where every contributor leaves with new learning, stronger connections, and practical ways to support every learner.
Proposals close December 11, 2026
Presenter notifications: February 1, 2027
Questions? Contact globalsummit@mtssassociation.org