Presidential address—Championing educational research: <scp>BERA</scp>'s past in the present and leadership for the future

Abstract The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary year of the founding of the British Educational Research Association (BERA). In reaching this special milestone, and in the context of BERA's 50th annual conference playing host to the World Educational Research Association (WERA) focal meeting with close to 2000 educational research colleagues from over 70 nations in attendance from across the globe, Marlon Lee Moncrieffe's inaugural presidential address celebrates BERA in its dynamic identity and outlook as a scholarly community of cultural leadership for championing the power of educational research. By seeing BERA's past in the present through the foundational principle of looking outwards to the future across the diverse educational research community, the challenges and opportunities of this perspective lead to critical discussion of educational research for teaching and learning about national community, identity and culture, the social complexities and political tensions in this, and specifically the making and possible remaking of national curriculum policy for schools in England in aiming to address issues of diversities in society. This address concludes by discussing the power of opportunity for the BERA community in consolidation of its expertise for taking leadership action in bringing forth quality research evidence to support the redefinition of national curriculum educational policy for national community and public benefit, thus demonstrating our renown as embodying the best that is being thought and said in society through educational research.