Nolan Cabrera University of Arizona
The 2026 Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award is presented to Dr. Nolan Cabrera. His research on the value of ethnic studies for marginalized youth, and more broadly on examining race and racism in U.S. education, shows a deep commitment to scholarly excellence and public facing communication. He has assisted as an expert in major litigation challenging Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act” and challenging Arizona’s ban on Mexican American Studies in Tucson. Working with reporters, he has explained how research applies to important educational issues in venues such as NPR, CNN, NBC, MTV, and USA Today. He has written for broad audiences in venues such as the Washington Post and The Conversation – and his TEDx talk has over 68,000 plays. Dr. Cabrera’s work, translating research for judges, lawmakers, mentees, media, parents and communities, reflects the best of public communication of education research.
The Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award is presented to honor scholars exemplary in their capacity to communicate the importance of education research to the public. Each year, the award recognizes a scholar who has excelled in conveying important findings and research to wide audiences and who has demonstrated the capacity to deepen understanding and appreciation of the value of education research in the public sphere. Awardees are notable for their commitment to effective communication, whether sustained over a long period of time or substantial in its significance.
The nomination deadline for the 2026 AERA Awards has now passed. Award winners will be announced in early 2026 prior to the AERA Annual Meeting.