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AERA announces 2022 Award Winners in Education Research

Recipients include exemplary scholars across fields and career stages and individuals advancing high-quality education research

American Educational Research Association

Washington, April 8, 2022 —The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has announced the winners of its 2022 awards for excellence in education research.

"We are excited to honor these exemplary individuals for their outstanding achievements in advancing education research," said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. "Their cutting-edge scholarship and tireless support of the education research field are making a difference in the lives of students, educators, and others."

AERA will honor the recipients at an awards ceremony at the 2022 Annual Meeting on Sunday, April 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PT in the San Diego Convention Center.

Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award

Recipient : William H. Schmidt (Michigan State University)

The Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award is the premier acknowledgment of outstanding achievement and success in education research. It is designed to publicize, motivate, encourage, and suggest models for education research at its best.

Distinguished Public Service Award

Recipient:  Peggy G. Carr (National Center for Education Statistics)

This award is granted annually in recognition of an individual who has worked to enact or implement policies that are well grounded in education research, or who has been at the forefront of efforts to increase recognition and support for education research.

Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award

Recipient:  Anya Kamenetz (National Public Radio)

This award recognizes a person who has made noteworthy contributions to reporting on findings, bodies of research, or scholarship in the field of education research in any medium of public communication. The award honors a media professional whose work exemplifies promoting a broader vision of the value of education research to society. 

Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award

Recipients:  Drew H. Gitomer (Rutgers University), José Felípe Martinez (University of California, Los Angeles), Dan Battey (Rutgers University), and Nora E. Hyland (Rutgers University)

“ Assessing the Assessment: Evidence of Reliability and Validity in the edTPA ”  American Educational Research Journal , Volume 58, Issue 5, February 2021.

This award recognizes the lifelong achievement of Palmer O. Johnson as a dedicated educator and for his pioneering work in educational research and methodology. The award is given for an outstanding article appearing in  AERA Open , the  American Educational Research Journal ,  Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis ,  Educational Researcher , or the  Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics .

Review of Research Award

Recipient:  Christa J. Porter (Kent State University) and Janice A. Byrd (The Pennsylvania State University)

“ Understanding Influences of Development on Black Women’s Success in U.S. Colleges: A Synthesis of Literature "  Review of Educational Research , Volume 91, Issue 6, December 2021

This award is given in recognition of an outstanding review of research article appearing in the  Review of Research in Education  or the  Review of Educational Research .

Outstanding Book Award

Recipient:  Jarvis Givens (Harvard University)

Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching

The Outstanding Book Award was established to acknowledge and honor the year’s best book-length publication in education research and development.

E.F. Lindquist Award

Recipient:  Daniel M. Koretz (Harvard University)

This award is presented jointly by AERA and ACT in recognition of outstanding applied or theoretical research in the field of testing and measurement. The award is meant to acknowledge a body of research of an empirical, theoretical, or integrative nature rather than a single study.

Early Career Award

Recipient:  Nelson Flores (University of Pennsylvania)

Established to honor an individual in the early stages of their career no later than 10 years after receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is granted for study in any field of educational inquiry.

Social Justice in Education Award

Recipient:  Tyrone C. Howard (University of California, Los Angeles)

Established in 2004, the Social Justice in Education Award honors an individual who has advanced social justice through education research and exemplified the goal of linking education research to social justice.

Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award

Recipient:  Kimberly A. Scott (Arizona State University)

Established in 2006, the Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award recognizes individuals for distinguished research, professional practice, and activities that advance public understanding of gender and/or sexuality at any level in the education community.

Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award

Recipient:  Robin Starr Zape-tah-hol-ah Minthorn (University of Washington, Tacoma)

This award is presented to an education research scholar or scholars in recognition of collaborative project(s) between researchers and practitioners that have had sustained and observable effects on contexts of practice.

Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award

Recipient:  Matthew A. Kraft (Brown University)

This award honors scholars exemplary in their capacity to communicate the importance of education research to the broad public, including education communities. It recognizes scholars who have excelled in conveying important findings and research to wide audiences and who have demonstrated the capacity to deepen understanding and appreciation of the value of education research in the public sphere.

2022 Scholars of Color Early Career Contribution Award

Recipient:  Krystal L. Williams (University of Georgia)

Presented to a scholar who is within the first decade of their career after receipt of a doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.

Scholars of Color Mid-Career Contribution Award

Recipient:  Sonya Douglass Horsford (Teachers College)

Presented to a scholar in mid-career who is beyond the first level of professional appointment and for whom 10 or more years have passed since receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.

2022 Scholars of Color Distinguished Career Contribution Award

Recipient:  Alfredo J. Artiles (Stanford University)

The  American Educational Research Association  (AERA) is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Find AERA on  Facebook ,  Twitter , and  Instagram .

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Original Source

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April 14, 2022

Faculty Member Heather McCambly Receives AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award

Heather McCambly, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, received the 2022 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division J.

AERA Division J is an international forum for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to promote and advance research, policy, and practice in all areas of postsecondary education. The organization will present the award to McCambly during the AERA 2022 Annual Meeting on April 24.

An interdisciplinary scholar of higher education, McCambly studies the role of organizations in producing and reproducing systemic racial inequalities. Her dissertation, “Change Agents or Same Agents?: Grantmakers and Racial Inequity in U.S. Higher Education,” explores how grantmakers influence postsecondary policy systems in ways that expand or constrain possibilities for minoritized students and the organizations that serve them.

McCambly earned her PhD in human development and social policy from Northwestern University. Prior to that, she worked in higher education policy in several capacities across the country, including the Association of American Colleges and Universities,  Oregon University System, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“The thing I learned through those experiences is that, with issues related to student success and equity, funders and grantmakers play a big role in determining what projects actually get off the ground,” says McCambly. “Researchers, policymakers, and folks in different advocacy roles are always thinking about what can get funded, but there’s often no critical lens applied to the politics of these environments.”

McCambly’s commitment to this work stems in part from her own experiences as a Latina, community college graduate, and first-generation college student.

“It means so much to me to have AERA express its excitement and commitment to work that trains its lens on systemic sources of racism and classism, rather than only on student behaviors,” says McCambly. “That’s exciting to me because it not only legitimizes my research, but legitimizes work that focuses on systemic mechanisms of oppression rather than the behaviors of black, brown, and poverty-affected students.”

Learn More:

Heather McCambly teaches in the Pitt School of Education’s Department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy . The programs are now accepting applications.

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MSU at AERA 2022: At a Glance

Faculty, graduate students and alumni from the Michigan State University College of Education are sharing research throughout the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) annual meeting. Several are also being recognized for their exemplary work. Below, learn about some of the honorees during the 2022 conference, held this year in a dual-format, both online and in-person in San Diego, CA:

Faculty recognitions

Peter De Costa , associate professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Teacher Education and the Department of Linguistics and Languages, is the recipient of the Mid-Career Award from the Second Language Research Special Interest Group (SIG). The award celebrates an individual who has advanced knowledge, encouraged others and promoted use of research to improve teaching and learning related to second language education. De Costa’s nominators include Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education alumna Christina Ponzio, who wrote: [De Costa] is very purposeful in supporting new scholars, like myself, to pursue our own lines of inquiry while offering his expertise and extensive network to support our own work.” Read more about De Costa and the award in a story from the MSU College of Arts & Letters .

Tasminda Dhaliwal is the recipient of the AERA Division L Outstanding Dissertation Award for her work on “No Place Like Home: A Three Paper Dissertation on K-12 Student Homelessness and Housing Affordability.” Noting how previous research has stressed how out-of-school factors, such as housing, has an impact on students and their schooling, Dhaliwal’s dissertation focused on the intersection of housing affordability and education. She analyzed data from the Los Angeles Unified School District and the state of Michigan, and provided “insights about the contexts and trajectories of students experiencing housing loss, which school and neighborhood resources matter for [students’] educational outcomes, and the educational implications of a large-scale affordable housing program.” Dhaliwal joined the College of Education in 2021.

Jungmin Kwon is the recipient of the Early Career Award from the Critical Perspectives in Early Childhood Education SIG. Kwon joined the College of Education in 2020 as an assistant professor of teacher education. The honor uplifts scholars who graduated within the past five years and whose work shows contributions and commitments to critical perspectives on early childhood education.

Katharine O. Strunk is co-author of “ Challenging the One Best System: The Portfolio Management Model and Urban School Governance ” (Harvard Education Press, 2020), which won the Outstanding Publication Award from the Districts in Research and Reform SIG. The book, written by leading education scholars is a comparative analysis “of the set of urban education governance reforms collectively known as the ‘portfolio management model.'” The book explores the design and enactment of the model across three cities, and offers considerations of its impact. Strunk is professor of education policy and, by courtesy, economics, and the Clifford E. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Education and the faculty director of the Michigan State University Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC). MSU Associate Professor Chris Torres and Assistant Professor Tasminda Dhaliwal are among the contributors to the book.

Strunk and Torres are also co-awardees of the Division L Outstanding Policy Report (Long). Their report, “ Partnership Turnaround: Year Three Report ,” was written with EPIC’s Erica Harbatkin (post-doctoral researcher) and Aliyah Mcilwain, Samantha Callum and Chanteliese Griskell (research assistants). Released in September 2021, the report was released as part of EPIC’s evaluation of the Partnership Model and “includes analyses of student academic outcomes, educator outcomes, surveys of teachers and principals in Partnership districts … and interviews with Partnership district system leaders.”

Sara Witmer was named an AERA Research Grant Awardee . Awardees are chosen for their research that impacts educational contexts such as policy, equity and inclusion, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The awardees, chosen from a highly competitive pool, are supported by the AERA-National Science Foundation Grants Program (of which Barbara Schneider , John A. Hannah University Distinguished Professor, is the chair). As part of the honor, Witmer, associate professor of school psychology, will receive up to $35,000 for a maximum two-year study and participate in professional development and other related opportunities. Witmer will also present the awarded research—”Exploring the Role of Meaningful Accessibility Tool Use for Addressing Math Test Score Validity Concerns”—in a poster session during the conference.

Student Honor

Brittany Jones , a doctoral student in the college’s Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education (CITE) program, received the Outstanding Graduate Paper Award from the Teaching History SIG. The paper—”‘Difficult-ish’: Amplifying Black Social Studies Teachers’ Pedagogies to Reimagine What We Mean by Difficult Histories”—examined Black teachers’ attitudes toward “difficult histories” and the ways in which they taught about them in the classroom. Jones is presenting the paper at AERA on Sunday, April 24.

Alumni Awards

Joshua Rosenberg , Ph.D. ’18 (Educational Psychology and Educational Technology), received the Early Career Scholar Award from the Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning SIG. Rosenberg is an assistant professor of STEM education at the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Education and a faculty fellow in the college’s Center for Enhancing Education in Mathematics and Sciences. Learn more about Rosenberg and the award in a story from the University of Tennessee .

Add your accolade to this list so we may celebrate you, too! Reach out to [email protected] to learn more.

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Dr. Susana Beltran-Grimm - AERA 2022 LRI Outstanding Dissertation Award

Susana's dissertation examined Spanish-speaking Latine mothers in co-design workshops to co-create mathematics activities for their young children. The study's framework centered on the social and cultural context that latine mothers use to engage their children ages 2-5 in mathematics learning and development. Susana's research yielded both a system prototype and a set of design principles that can be used to inform future research and development on co-design methodologies for early learning and family studies.

Susana Beltrán-Grimm is a postdoctoral research associate in the Human Development and Family Studies at Purdue University. Susana holds an EdD in Learning Technologies from Pepperdine University. Her program of research and practice includes the study of community-based research through participatory methods like co-design approaches to produce equitable learning environments for Latine families and children.

Learn more about our Education in Doctoral Programs .

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Eupha Jeanne Daramola wins AERA dissertation award

The Education Policy and Politics Division of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) has named Dr. Eupha Jeanne Daramola, a postdoc at UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School, as one its 2023 Dissertation Award winners. Daramola’s dissertation, written to complete her Ph.D. work at the University of Southern California, is titled Fever Dreams: The Promise and Limitations of BIPOC Parent Organizing During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic .

The award will be presented at the AERA Annual Meeting in Chicago in April. Education Policy and Politics, Division L of the AERA, stimulates informed and systematic analysis, research, evaluation, and debate about the education policy, including political, economic, legal, and fiscal issues.

Daramola is currently serving as a UC Santa Barbara Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow for 2022-23, under the mentorship of the Department of Education’s Dr. Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj. Daramola finished her Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy at the University of Southern California in May 2022. Her research examines the ways in which racism and racial dynamics shape K-12 policy design and implementation. She uses qualitative methods to explore how these dynamics relate to community engagement, school discipline, school leadership, and school choice. Her research is informed by her time as a 9th-grade literature teacher in Philadelphia. Daramola has a Ed.M. in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Human Development from Northwestern University.

School of Education shines at AERA 2022 Annual Meeting

The American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) 2022 Annual Meeting recently wrapped up after being offered both in person in San Diego and virtually.

And once again, scholars from across the UW–Madison School of Education were well  represented at this major event, which ran April 21-26. In all, more than 125 faculty, staff, and students from the School presented at the conference.

Scholars from the School discussed topics ranging from the joy of teaching and the role of curiosity in learning outcomes, to examining the history of Black educators and rethinking “learning loss” in the wake of the pandemic.

One highlight in San Diego took place on Sunday night, April 24, when about 200 faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends joined us for the School’s annual AERA Reception, which was held at the Hard Rock Hotel. ( Take a look at some of the wonderful images captured at this major event by School photographer Sarah Maughan. )

In addition to delivering presentations, engaging during roundtable discussions, and taking part in poster sessions, scholars from the School of Education were also honored and recognized for their contributions to the field of education research.

For example:

• Aydin Bal, a professor with the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education , was a recipient of an Early Career Award from AERA’s Cultural Historical Research special interest group (SIG). The award recognizes an education researcher’s scholarly contributions to research grounded in cultural-historical, sociocultural, and activity theoretic approaches.

Bal’s work focuses on the interplay among culture, learning, and mental health across local and global education systems. He examines social justice issues in education, and has developed the Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework and Learning Lab methodology , in which local stakeholders (students, families, educators, policymakers, and community representatives) — especially those from historically marginalized communities — collectively design and implement culturally responsive behavioral support systems.

• Khadejah Ray, a PhD student with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis , was awarded a Minority Dissertation Fellowship from the American Educational Research Association.

This one-year research fellowship includes $25,000 to support Ray’s dissertation research — which will explore how Black doctoral students are socialized into the academic, cultural, and social norms within social science disciplines. She will then present on the results of this work at the 2023 AERA Annual Meeting. The award also provides networking and professional development opportunities.

• And a book from Julia Eklund Koza — ” ‘Destined to Fail:’ Carl Seashore’s World of Eugenics, Psychology, Education, and Music. “ — was selected as the winner of the Outstanding Book Award for 2021 by AERA’s Curriculum Studies division. Koza is a professor emerita in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and with the Mead Witter School of Music .

Her widely published research primarily focuses on equity issues in education, music, and music education. Her book dives into the relationship between eugenics and prominent U.S. psychologist and educator Carl Seashore’s views on ability, race, and gender. Koza concludes that Seashore promoted eugenics and its companion, euthenics, because he was a true believer, and she discusses the longstanding silence surrounding Seashore’s participation in eugenics.

AERA and its more than 25,000 members from around the world form an interdisciplinary research association that’s devoted to the scientific study of education and learning.

The School of Education hopes to see everyone again next spring in Chicago for AERA 2023, which will run from April 13 to 16.

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AERA-NSF Grant Proposals DUE January 25, 2022

AERA-NSF Grants Program

Proposal Deadline: January 25, 2022

The AERA-NSF Grants Program is currently accepting proposals for both its Dissertation and Research Grants. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Program provides dissertation grants to graduate students and small research grants to doctoral level scholars using large-scale data sets in their research.

The AERA-NSF Grants Program emphasizes the advanced statistical analysis of data sets from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, NSF, and other federal agencies. The program also supports studies using large-scale international data systems (e.g., PISA, PIRLS, or TIMMS) that benefit from U.S. federal government support. In addition, statewide longitudinal administrative data systems enhanced through federal grants are also eligible for consideration. Proposals are encouraged from a variety of disciplines, such as, but not limited to, education, sociology, economics, psychology, demography, statistics, and psychometrics.

AERA Dissertation Grants . AERA provides dissertation support for advanced doctoral students to undertake doctoral dissertations using data from large-scale data sets. The award provides professional development, training, and networking opportunities for students. The selection process is competitive. AERA-NSF Dissertation Grants are awarded for one-year for an amount of up to $27,500. 

AERA Research Grants. AERA provides small grants for faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and other doctoral-level scholars to undertake quantitative research using data from large-scale data sets. The selection process is competitive. AERA-NSF Research Grants are awarded for up to $35,000 for a maximum of 2-years.

The proposal deadline is Tuesday, January 25, 2022 (11:59PM PT). Please reach out to the AERA-NSF Grants Program via email ([email protected]) or phone (202-238-3200) if you have any questions regarding the program.

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Elianny Edwards Named Recipient of 2023 AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award in Field of School Climate

Elianny C. Edwards, a 2022 doctoral graduate of the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies has been named the recipient of the American Educational Research Association 2023 Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Field of School Climate.

“This award from AERA means so much to me -- not only because of the work that went into this project but because of the ideas it affirms. I am incredibly passionate about racial equity in education and excited to continue working toward supporting educators and schools and Black youth and families,” said Edwards. “This work is important, it matters, especially at a time when curriculum bans, racial injustice, political divides, and structural inequality significantly threaten the safety of Black youth in schools. We need discourse around these topics as just that -- issues of safety and wellness. I'm grateful to be able to do this work, and to be recognized by AERA and leading experts in the field is incredible and a huge honor.”

Edwards’ dissertation, “Centering Racism to Examine School Safety for Black High School Students,” challenges the here-to-fore colorblind discourse of school climate and safety to address institutional racism in schools as a threat to Black youth. In her research, Edwards used a traditional single-item measure of school safety to highlight racial-ethnic disparities among ninth-grade high school youths across California. Her work then applies a racial lens to assessing Black youths’ feelings of school safety, demonstrating how they can provide novel and valuable insight into relevant factors that influence the safety of Black youth in school — factors that would otherwise go unnoticed via traditional colorblind measures of school safety. 

Edwards’ research showed that Black ninth-grade students felt significantly less safe at school than their white peers. Further, the effect of race-ethnicity on feelings of school safety was significantly moderated by sex, violent victimization, and academic motivation. The research also showed that Black student safety significantly predicted Black youths’ feelings of school safety. Racial-cultural, academic, and physical-environmental safety were stronger predictors of caring relationships, academic outcomes and goals and aspirations for Black youth than the single-item measure of school safety.  

Edwards contends that the findings from her dissertation emphasize a need for more comprehensive, multidimensional frameworks and instruments for assessing the safety of Black youth in schools, writing,  

“Promoting the safety of Black youth is about more than ensuring they are protected from external physical harm. It requires nurturing an inclusive school environment and community that promotes equitable outcomes and allows Black students to be empowered and engaged participants.” 

"In her dissertation, Elianny studied how perceived school safety impacts Black students in public middle schools and high schools.  She knows from her educational background and her experiences as a teacher how important feeling safe is for academic success," says Sandra  Graham, Distinguished Professor and UC Presidential Chair in Education and Diversity in the UCLA Department of Education, and chair of Edwards’ dissertation committee.  "The innovativeness and theoretical richness of Elianny’s thinking about safety in schools is quite remarkable for an early career educational psychologist and I anticipate a potential impact on the larger field of school climate research. She is an excellent emerging scholar who shows great promise.”

Edwards is currently a visiting assistant professor at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College in Massachusetts.

She   received   a   doctoral degree from the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies in June 2022. Edwards’ research is centered at the intersection of education, psychology, and human development. Her research interests include racial equity in K-12 education, school climate, and safety, anti-blackness in schools, and the role of race, gender, social class and culture on teaching among other related topics.  While at UCLA she was the lead author of a research brief,  Keeping Students Safe in Los Angeles , examining student safety and school policing in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  She was also the recipient of the UCLA Academic Senate 2022 Graduate Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.

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Mayra Puente receives AERA award for 'Platicando y Mapeando' educational research methodology

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Mayra Puente, an assistant professor at the UC Santa Barbara Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, has received the AERA (American Educational Research Association) Division J Outstanding Publication Award for the article “Platicando y Mapeando: A Chicana/Latina Feminist GIS Methodology in Educational Research.” Published in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, the piece was co-authored with Verónica N. Vélez, a professor at Western Washington University Woodring College of Education.

Puente and Velez together developed the “Platicando y Mapeando” (talking and mapping) methodology in educational research, using Chicana/Latina feminist pláticas (conversations) methodology and geographic information systems (GIS) software and maps, along with U.S. Census quantitative secondary data to track the experiences of rural Latinx youth in pursuing higher education. 

From the “Platicando y Mapeando” methodology research, Puente wrote her dissertation to complete her Ph.D. in education at UC San Diego in 2022. Her dissertation, “Ground-Truthing en el Valle de San Joaquín: A Mixed Methods Study on Rural Latinx Spatiality and College (In)Opportunity,” earned two awards from AERA last year. In March 2023, she received the AERA Rural Education Special Interest Group (SIG) Dissertation Award, followed by the AERA Division G 2023 Dissertation Award in April. In addition, she was a semi-finalist in the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education and Educational Testing Service 2023 AAHHE & ETS Outstanding Dissertation Competition. 

“Ground-Truthing en el Valle de San Joaquín” examines the intersectional roles that Latinx identity, racialized rural space and college opportunities or lack of opportunities played in the college access and decision-making of rural Latinx youth from California’s San Joaquín Valley agricultural region. By mapping socio-spatial narratives of rural Latinx youth in Tulare County, Puente demonstrated barriers to higher education access and choice experienced by this student group, with implications for researchers, policymakers and practitioners invested in addressing these barriers.

Puente first joined the Gevirtz School in November 2022. Prior to her graduate studies at UC San Diego, she earned her B.A. in political science, with a concentration in race, ethnicity and politics from UCLA, where she also pursued minors in education studies and Chicana/o studies. 

Her passion for higher education access and equity for Latinx populations is driven by the educational barriers she faced as a first-generation college student from a Mexican immigrant farm-working family, and her higher education advocacy work for rural Latinx youth in the San Joaquin Valley. As a UCSB professor, Puente seeks to extend her research and service to California’s Central Coast, studying the higher education (in)opportunities of institutionally marginalized students and communities within the region.

Read more about Puente’s research and the “Platicando y Mapeando” research in the Gevirtz School’s LAUNCH magazine.

Maria Zate [email protected]

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Mayra Puente

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2019 AERA Division D: Outstanding Dissertation Award goes to Xu Qin

Published February 7, 2019

Xu Qin (Ph.D., 2018, Department of comparative Human Development University of Chicago) received the 2019 AERA Division D: Outstanding Dissertation Award for her dissertation, “Causal Mediation Analysis in Multisite Trials with an Evaluation of the Job Corps Program.”

To qualify for this competition the dissertation should be focused on Section 1: Educational Measurement, Psychometrics, and Assessment, Section 2: Quantitative Methods and Statistical Theory, Section 3: Quantitative Research methods, and Section 4: Multi-Method and Mixed Methods and must be completed during the 2016-2018 academic years. There is only one recipient of this award each year at the AERA annual meeting. Dr. Qin was previously a Quantitative Methods in Human Development and Education Predoctoral Fellow (2012-2017), a Spencer/NAEd Dissertation Fellow (2017-2018), and a Committee on Education (COE) Fellow. She is currently a tenure-stream Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Her dissertation committee members included Guanglei Hong (Chair), Don Hedeker, Stephen Raudenbush and Margaret Beale Spencer.

Research presents at the 2024 National AERA Conference

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SOE Presents at 2024 AERA Annual Meeting

School of Education (SOE) EdD program alum Dr. Francesca Smith , '23, was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Dissertation Award by the Bilingual Education Research Special Interest Group (SIG 12) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The award is her second prestigious honor for the dissertation after winning the 2023 Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Dissertation in Practice of the Year Award.

"At my dissertation defense last year, my mom shared with me for the first time that when she was searching for a kindergarten program to enroll me in - as she and my dad were recent immigrants from Mexico - she was told by a school administrator that she needs to stop speaking to me in Spanish if she wanted me to enroll and succeed in their program," Smith reflected during her acceptance speech at AERA's 2024 Annual Meeting. "Thankfully, she did not enroll me there, and we continued to speak Spanish at home. Now, as a multilingual adult and educator, it's an honor to have my work acknowledged and share this space with so many inspiring individuals advocating for the gift of bilingual education and the assets of multilingualism."

A key consideration for her research agenda was whether dual-language schools in the U.S. – which attract students with linguistic, racial, and socioeconomic privilege – are intentionally supporting the specific needs and assets of emergent bilingual (EB) students from Latinx families.

The dissertation’s principal research examined how early intervention in a first-grade dual-language classroom could refocus EB students via both structured literacy instruction and parent partnership using cultural practices and bodies of knowledge that are embedded in the daily practices and routines of families, also known as funds of knowledge.

“The power of dual-language education is that students learn to read in two languages, which is a gift in and of itself, but is a particularly powerful gift for students from Latinx immigrant backgrounds and Spanish-speaking homes,” Smith said in 2023. “These students can use this gift to sustain their cultural roots but also to gain a research-proven academic advantage through learning in their native language. Maintaining this promise of dual-language education for equity and empowerment was at the center of my work.”

SIG 12 was exceptionally moved by Smith’s findings: an 11-week exploration of “how a teacher could build upon EB students’ Spanish language and literacy competencies within small-group English instruction at the beginning of their formal bilingual education” resulted in quantitative findings showing “that grounding early English reading instruction in the transfer and non-transfer of Spanish literacy skills supported students’ progress toward grade-level expectations for English decoding and letter sound knowledge” the group reported, among other significant findings.

"I am so grateful to the Bilingual Education Research SIG's recognition and the opportunity to connect with so many brilliant leaders in the bilingual education field at AERA. At past AERA meetings and, specifically, at the Bilingual Education Research presentations, I was able to connect with several scholars who provided the foundations of my research. It was exciting to be a part of the conversations in the field and have my work validated in that space," Smith said. "I also want express sincere gratitude to the members of my dissertation committee, Alida Anderson , Katarina Brito, and Amelia Tseng, as well as to the rest of my EdD and SOE community at American University." SOE’s EdD in Education Policy and Leadership program is becoming well-known in the field of education’s academic circles for its acclaimed award-winning dissertations. In addition to Dr. Smith’s wins, last year, program alum Dr. Cheyenne E. Batista , '22, received Outstanding Dissertation awards from both AERA (2023, Division A) and CPED (2022) for her dissertation, “’I Am Not Scary. I Am Strong. There’s a Difference.’ Disrupting Misogynoir and Transforming Interpersonal Conflict for Black Women Education Leaders: A Multiple Case Study.” __________________________

SOE Research Highlighted at 2024 AERA Annual Meeting  SOE Faculty, Students, and Staff Presented

American University's School of Education was significantly represented among the 2,500 sessions that took place at the  American Educational Research Association's (AERA) 2024 Annual Meeting  in Philadelphia April 11-14. Themed "Dismantling Racial Injustice and Constructing Educational Possibilities: A Call to Action," the meeting was held entirely in-person this year.

Presentations from SOE faculty included ( view the entire program here ):

Thursday, April 11

9:00-10:30 a.m..

Dr. Amaarah DeCuir , Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Muslim Student Experiences of Anti-Muslim Racism: Stories From Elementary and Middle School " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 110A

Dr. Brian McGowan , Provost Associate Professor (pictured above, left), " Toward a Conceptualization of Mentoring for Black People in STEM: A Multigenerational-Multidirectional Approach " in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 112A

10:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m.

Dr. Rodney K. Hopson ,   Acting Co-Dean and Professor, " Teaching and Learning Black Studies: Towards an Evidence-Based Model for Curricular and Cultural Transformation in U.S. Schools and Systems " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 200, Room 201B

2:30-4:00 p.m.

Dr. Asia S. Thomas Uzomba , Postdoctoral Fellow, " Where the Mirror Starts to Crack: Anna Julia Cooper, Womanist Teaching, and Sustainable Teacher Education " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 104A

4:20-5:50 p.m.

Assistant Professor  Dr. Kenjus Watson   was a panelist for the discussion " Forging a Research Agenda on the Role of Mental Health in Advancing Racial Equity " in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 119B

Friday, April 12

9:35-11:05 a.m..

Dr. Toks S. Fashola , Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Undergraduate Teaching Assistants and STEM Gateway Courses in the Historically Black College and University Setting " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

Dr. Eugene Pringle , Senior Professorial Lecturer (pictured above, far left), " Teacher Preparation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as Transformative Incubators of Social Activism " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

11:25 a.m.-12:55 p.m.

Dr. Robert Shand , Assistant Professor (pictured above),  Dr. kecia hayes , Senior Professorial Lecturer, and  Dr. Reuben Jacobson ,   Director of Education Policy and Leadership Program and Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Reimagining Whole-School Reform: The Intersection of Community Schools and School Turnaround " at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Level 4, Franklin 10

3:05-4:35 p.m.

4:55-6:25 p.m.

Dr. Sarah Irvine Belson ,   Professor, and  Danielle G. Sodani , Director of the Institute for Innovation in Education, " Literacy Instruction Innovation in Special Education " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

5:30-7:00 p.m.

SOE Reception at AERA 2024 - Sonesta Philadelphia Riddenhouse Square Hotel

6:45-8:15 p.m.

Dr. Francesca Smith , EdD '23, received the Outstanding Dissertation Award at the Bilingual Education Research Special Interest Group business meeting - Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 109B

Saturday, April 13

7:45-9:15 a.m..

Dr. Jasmine Rogers , Adjunct Instructor, " An Exploration of Black Language in Structured Literacy Lessons " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 111B

Dr. Sung Ryung Lyu , Assistant Professor (pictured above, right), " Transformative Identity Formation: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Exploration of Womxn of Color Researchers' Experiences in Higher Education " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 104B

Dr. Toks S. Fashola,  Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Quantitative Research Shapes Educational Policy and Practice: Are You In? " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 204 AB

Dr. Rodney K. Hopson , Acting Co-Dean and Professor, chaired " The 27th Conversations With Senior Scholars on Advancing Research and Professional Development Related to Black Education " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 204 AB

AERA President and SOE Advisory Board member  Dr. Tyrone Howard (pictured above)   delivered the AERA Presidential Address, " Examining Our Past to Imagine a Better Future: Recognition and Redress of Racial Injustice in Education " at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Upper Grand Hall, Ballroom AB

Dr. Antonio L. Ellis , Senior Professorial Lecturer / Book Signing of " Teachers as Critical Storytellers: Effective Teachers and Windows " at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown; Floor: Level 4, Franklin 2 Division G Business Meeting / Hosted by Teachers College Press

Sunday, April 14

Dr. Emily G. Peterson , Assistant Professor, " Accect and Motivation in Mathematics Education " in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 108A

Dr. Brian McGowan , Provost Associate Professor, " Mentoring Relationships and Black People in STEM " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 200, Room 201B

Dr. Robert Shand ,   Assistant Professor, chaired " Analyses of School Finance Equity and the Impact of Resources in the U.S. and Abroad " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

Dr. Amaarah DeCuir , Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Muslim Student Leaders Disrupt Anti-Muslim Racisms " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 117

Dr. William N. Thomas IV ,   Director of EdD Program and Professorial Lecturer, chaired " Stakeholder Perspectives in Charter Schools " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

1:15-2:45 p.m.

Dr. Brian McGowan , Provost Associate Professor, presented a paper by  Dr. Corbin M. Campbell ,   Acting Co-Dean and Professor " Systemic Levers that Support Broad-Scale Institutional Change for Equity-Based Teaching: An Organizational Landscape Analysis " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 103A

Dr. Emily G. Peterson , Assistant Professor, chaired " Emotions and Motivation in Technology-Based Environments " in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 108B

View the  entire program here .

The  AERA Annual Meeting  is the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research, with typically 13,000 of its 24,000 members in attendance. It is an event to showcase groundbreaking, innovative studies in a diverse array of areas: from early education through higher education, from digital learning to second language literacy. Ideas and data are presented and discussed that will shape tomorrow’s education practices and policies, and where to connect with leading thinkers from the U.S. and around the world. Photographs by Lumumba Dunduza

Jessica Stovall wins Outstanding Dissertation Award at AERA

The Department of African American Studies would like to congratulate our 2023-2024 Anna Julia Cooper Fellow, Jessica Lee Stovall, on receiving the Outstanding Dissertation Award at the Critical Educators for Social Justice business meeting last week at the AERA (American Education Research Association) conference in Philadelphia.

Stovall also participated in the Roundtable discussion: “A Choreography of Difference: Exploring the Racial Choreographies of Un/Scripting Unapologetic Blackness in Education” and presented a paper at an invited presidential session called “Choreographies of Gender: Disrupting Anti-Blackness and Its Others Through a Queer Black Male Perspective”.

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Fellowships, Scholarships, and Awards

Applications for the below awards are now closed.

NEW (see https://acorjordan.org/2024jordangrants/ for more details) : Excavation Grant for Jordan: We expect to provide one grant for work to occur in 2024 and one grant for work to occur in 2025. Each grant of up to $25,000 will be made to a Jordanian scholar for the purpose of conducting an archaeological excavation in Jordan that: 1) supports Jordanian student participation and 2) is considered salvage excavation by the Department of Antiquities. More details can be found at: https://acorjordan.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Excavation-Grant-for-Jordan-1.pdf

Online Course Development Grant for Jordan: We are pleased to offer a grant in the amount of $3,000 to a Jordanian scholar to prepare and record a generously illustrated “History of the Middle/Near Eastern Region” course. The course should cover the Bronze Age to present but may cover a greater depth of history. ACOR will assist with the consistency and format of the visuals (i.e., provide a PowerPoint format), the recording of the course, and the addition of English subtitles, but the course content and design are solely the responsibility of the grantee. More details can be found at: https://acorjordan.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Online-Course-Grant.pdf

Applications should be submitted online: https://orcfellowships.smapply.org/

Inquiries regarding all opportunities should be directed to [email protected]

One award is available for use in the 2025 calendar/academic year, commencing on or after June 1, 2024, and completed by December 2025.

One award of six months for use between late 2024 and December 2025, for a scholar who has a PhD or has completed their professional training. Fields of research include but are not limited to: modern and classical languages, linguistics, literature, history, jurisprudence, philosophy, archaeology, heritage studies, comparative religion, ethics, and the history, criticism, and theory of the arts. Social and political scientists are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or foreign nationals living in the U.S. three years immediately preceding the application deadline. An award for six months is expected to be $30,000, of which $18,000 is for stipend and travel and the remainder is for ACOR room and board. This fellowship provides residency at ACOR’s center in Amman, Jordan; should a fellow elect to reside elsewhere in Jordan for a portion of their fellowship, the fellow is responsible for such costs. The award must  commence on or after June 1, 2024 , and may be used at any time through the end of calendar 2025. Award is contingent on peer review and it is possible that no award will be made. Further details: ACOR NEH Fellowship .

Funding for this fellowship is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship Programs at Independent Research Institutes (FPIRI).

The National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Center of Research together: Democracy demands wisdom.

ACOR-CAORC Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Two or more two- to six-month fellowships for postdoctoral scholars and scholars with another terminal degree in their field, pursuing research or publication projects in the natural and social sciences, humanities, and associated disciplines relating to the Middle East. U.S. citizenship is required. Maximum award is $34,200. Awards must be used between June 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, and fellows must reside at the American Center of Research. Funding for this fellowship is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

ACOR-CAORC Graduate Student Fellowship:  Two or more two- to six-month fellowships for master’s and doctoral students. Fields of study include all areas of the humanities and the natural and social sciences. Topics should contribute to scholarship in Middle East studies. U.S. citizenship required. Maximum award is $27,600. Awards must be used between June 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, and fellows must reside at the American Center of Research. Funding for this fellowship is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

S. Thomas Parker Memorial Fund: One award of $1,750 for an undergraduate student, graduate student, or postdoctoral researcher of any nationality. Proposals are accepted for support for fellowships, field projects, and events. Preference is given to archaeological fieldwork or publication efforts, but proposals in all areas of academic inquiry are welcome and encouraged. The most compelling proposal will receive the award.

Lawrence T. Geraty Travel Scholarship: One award of $1,250 for an undergraduate or graduate student from an accredited institution to conduct CAP-affiliated excavation and/or research in Jordan. The award is intended to assist in travel costs and/or accommodation at the American Center of Research, based on need. Funding may be combined with other fellowships and must be spent within a calendar year.

Jennifer C. Groot Memorial Fellowship:  Two awards of $3,000 each to support beginners in archaeological fieldwork who have been accepted as team members on archaeological projects in Jordan. The fellowship is intended to help defray the costs of participation in excavations. Open to undergraduate or graduate students of U.S. or Canadian citizenship, with a preference for individuals who graduated in the past 12 months (i.e., January to December 2023) and/or have been accepted to a graduate program for fall 2024.

Bert and Sally de Vries Fellowship: One award of $2,500 to support a student for participation on an archaeological project or research in Jordan. Senior project staff members whose expenses are being borne largely by the project are ineligible. Open to enrolled undergraduate or graduate students of any nationality except Jordanian citizens.

Harrell Family Fellowship:  One award of $2,500 to support a graduate student for participation on an archaeological project or for research in Jordan. Senior project staff members whose expenses are being borne largely by the project are ineligible. Open to enrolled graduate students of any nationality except Jordanian citizens.

Pierre and Patricia Bikai Fellowship:  Two awards for one month each, or one two-month award, for residency at the American Center of Research in Amman. The fellowship is open to enrolled graduate students of any nationality, except Jordanian citizens, participating in an archaeological project or conducting archaeological work in Jordan. The fellowship includes room and board at the American Center of Research and a monthly stipend of $800.

Burton MacDonald and Rosemarie Sampson Fellowship:  One award either for: a four-week residency at the American Center of Research for research in the fields of ancient Near Eastern languages and history, archaeology, biblical studies, or comparative religion, or for a travel grant to assist with participation in an archaeological field project in Jordan. The residency fellowship option includes room and board at the American Center of Research in Amman and stipend of $1,500. The travel-grant option provides a single stipend of $2,500 to help with any project-related expenses. Both options are open to enrolled undergraduate or graduate students of Canadian citizenship or landed immigrant status.

Kenneth W. Russell Fellowship:  One award of $2,500 to support a graduate student participation in an archaeological project or pursuing independent research in Jordan. For the 2024–2025 cycle, the Russell fellowship is open only to enrolled graduate students of Jordanian nationality.

James A. Sauer Fellowship: One award of $1,500 without residency at ACOR or $500 award and one month residency at ACOR for a student enrolled in an archaeology or cultural heritage degree program in any country. For the 2024–2025 cycle, the Sauer Fellowship is open only to enrolled graduate students of non-Jordanian nationality.

Frederick-Wenger Memorial Endowment:   Two awards of $2,000 to assist a Jordanian student with the cost of their education. Eligibility is not limited to a specific field of study, but preference will be given to study related to Jordan’s cultural heritage. Candidates must be Jordanian citizens and currently enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students in a Jordanian university.

Jordanian Graduate Student Scholarship:  One award of $3,000 to assist a Jordanian graduate student with the annual costs of their academic programs during the period June 1, 2024, through May 31, 2025. Candidates must be Jordanian citizens and currently enrolled in either a master’s or doctoral program in a Jordanian university. Eligibility is limited to students in programs related to Jordan’s cultural heritage (for example: archaeology, anthropology, linguistics/epigraphy, history, conservation, museum studies, and fields related to cultural resource management).

Conference Travel Award for Jordanians: This award is intended to assist Jordanians resident in Jordan participating in and delivering a scholarly paper at an international conference held in the United States or Canada. One award of $3,500 will be made for in-person paper presentation, and one award for paper presentation in a virtual conference (i.e., conference registration, membership when required) will be available annually. Awards are eligible in any field of study related to ACOR’s mission. Poster presentations are not eligible.

Applications should be submitted online at orcfellowships.smapply.org/ .

Inquiries should be directed to [email protected] .

International conflict, Covid-19/variants, and similar matters should be taken into consideration by all applicants. ACOR’s covid-19 procedures (e.g., https://acorjordan.org/overview/ ) change from time-to-time depending on the caseload and regulations in Jordan, and as advised by the U.S. CDC and others. While ACOR makes diligent efforts in regard to such external factors, fellows and awardees assume all the risks and liabilities inherent in taking up these fellowships (e.g., international travel, conducting research, working with subjects, etc.).

Dr. Tamara Clegg Recognized for Involving Practitioners in Education Research

AERA Staff - April 8, 2024

News Release: AERA Announces 2024 Award Winners in Education Research

Dr. Tamara Clegg Presenting Research at the 2022 HCIL Symposium

Washington, April 8, 2024 —The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has announced the winners of its 2024 Excellence in Education Research Awards.

“We are pleased to present the 2024 awards to this commendable and exemplary group of education scholars and champions,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “They each have contributed tremendously to education research, across all career stages and fields, that have made and continue to make a difference in the lives of students and educators.”

AERA will honor the recipients at an awards ceremony at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia on Friday, April 12, from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET in the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

2024 Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award

Recipient: Tamara Clegg (University of Maryland, College of Information Studies)

This award is presented to an education research scholar or scholars in recognition of collaborative project(s) between researchers and practitioners that have had sustained and observable effects on contexts of practice.

2024 Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award

Recipient: Kris D. Gutiérrez (University of California, Berkeley)

The Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award is the premier acknowledgment of outstanding achievement and success in education research. It is designed to publicize, motivate, encourage, and suggest models for education research at its best.

2024 Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award

Recipient: Sarah Dockery Sparks (Education Week)

Established in 2016, this award recognizes a person who has made noteworthy contributions to reporting on findings, bodies of research, or scholarship in the field of education research in any medium of public communication. The award honors a media professional whose work exemplifies promoting a broader vision of the value of education research to society.

2024 Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award

Recipients: Juan Del Toro (University of Minnesota), Ming-Te Wang (University of Chicago) “ Police Stops and School Engagement: Examining Cultural Socialization From Parents and Schools as Protective Factors Among African American Adolescents ”

This award recognizes the lifelong achievement of Palmer O. Johnson as a dedicated educator and for his pioneering work in educational research and methodology. The award is given for an outstanding article appearing in AERA Open, the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Researcher, or the Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics.

2023 Review of Research Award

Recipients: Lolita A. Tabron (University of Denver), Amanda K. Thomas (University of the Southern Caribbean) “ Deeper than Wordplay: A Systematic Review of Critical Quantitative Approaches in Education Research (2007–2021) ”

This award is given in recognition of an outstanding review of research article appearing in the Review of Research in Education or the Review of Educational Research.

2024 Outstanding Book Award

Recipient: Camika Royal (Morgan State University) Not Paved For Us: Black Educators and Public School Reform in Philadelphia

The Outstanding Book Award was established to acknowledge and honor the year’s best book-length publication in education research and development.

2024 E. F. Lindquist Award

Recipient: Gregory Cizek (University of North Carolina)

This award is presented jointly by AERA and ACT in recognition of outstanding applied or theoretical research in the field of testing and measurement. The award is meant to acknowledge a body of research of an empirical, theoretical, or integrative nature rather than a single study.

2024 Early Career Award

Recipient: Travis Jackson Bristol (University of California, Berkeley)

Established to honor an individual in the early stages of their career no later than 10 years after receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is granted for study in any field of educational inquiry.

2024 Social Justice in Education Award

Recipient: Leah P. Hollis (Pennsylvania State University)

Established in 2004, the Social Justice in Education Award honors an individual who has advanced social justice through education research and exemplified the goal of linking education research to social justice.

2024 Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award

Recipient: Jennifer Esposito (Georgia State University)

Established in 2006, the Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award recognizes individuals within AERA for distinguished research, professional practice, and activities that advance public understanding of gender and/or sexuality at any level in the education community.

2024 Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award

Recipient: Thomas S. Dee (Stanford University)

This award honors scholars exemplary in their capacity to communicate the importance of education research to the broad public, including education communities. It recognizes scholars who have excelled in conveying important findings and research to wide audiences and who have demonstrated the capacity to deepen understanding and appreciation of the value of education research in the public sphere.

2024 Scholars of Color in Education Early Career Contribution Award

Recipient: Nichole Margarita Garcia (Rutgers University)

Presented to a scholar who is within the first decade of their career after receipt of a doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.

2024 Scholars of Color in Education Mid-Career Contribution Award

Recipient: Francesca Lopez (Pennsylvania State University)

Presented to a scholar in mid-career who is beyond the first level of professional appointment and for whom 10 or more years have passed since receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.

2024 Scholars of Color in Education Distinguished Career Contribution Award

Recipient: Felicia Moore Mensah (Teachers College, Columbia University)

Presented to a senior-level scholar, usually 20 years or more after receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.

Media Contact : Marla Koenigsknecht, Communications Associate, American Educational Research Association (AERA),  [email protected] , (202) 238-3233

About AERA The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. .

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Biophysics Graduate Program

Quantitative Science in the Biological World

Graduate students win Dissertation Completion Fellowship Awards

Graduate students Wayne Water Vigil Jr. and Giulia Alboreggia have each won a Dissertation Completion Fellowship Award. The award, given by the UCR Graduate Division , is given to doctoral students for up to two quarters.