Distinguished Career Contribution Award Valerie Kinloch Johnson C. Smith University
The recipient of the 2025 Scholars of Color in Education Distinguished Career Contribution Award is Dr. Valerie Kinloch. Dr. Kinloch’s research and leadership have consistently advanced equity, justice, and transformative action in K-12 and higher education. Through her work, she has redefined the role of the scholar and leader by centering community engagement, institutional transformation, and student empowerment. This includes pioneering initiatives in literacy education, creating spaces that elevate the voices of Black and Brown youth, and leading large-scale equity-driven reforms in academic institutions. Her distinguished career exemplifies a lifelong commitment to challenging systemic barriers, fostering inclusive learning environments, and ensuring that education serves as a vehicle for justice and institutional change.
The Scholars of Color Distinguished Career Contribution Award is awarded to a senior-level scholar, usually 20 years or more after their receipt of the doctoral degree. Scholars of Color Mid-Career Contribution Award Tisha Lewis Ellison University of Georgia
The recipient of the 2025 Scholars of Color in Education Mid-Career Contribution Award is Dr. Tisha Lewis Ellison. Her scholarship is dedicated to advancing equity in digital and STEAM literacy education, particularly for Black families and Black and Latina/o/x/é youth. Her pioneering research challenges deficit narratives by illuminating how these communities leverage digital technologies and multimodal tools for empowerment, racial equity, and social change. Her work critically examines the intersections of race, literacy, and technology, emphasizing the importance of culturally responsive and inclusive educational practices. Currently, she investigates the racialized impact of artificial intelligence and digital technologies on marginalized youth, employing innovative methodologies to reimagine ethical and inclusive digital spaces that foster equity in education.
The Scholars of Color Mid-Career Contribution Award is awarded to a scholar who is beyond the first level of professional appointment and for whom at least 10 years have passed since receipt of the doctoral degree. Scholars of Color Early Career Contribution Award Roderick L. Carey University of Delaware
The recipient of the 2025 Scholars of Color in Education Early Career Contribution Award is Dr. Roderick L. Carey. His scholarship at the intersection of education, social psychology, and critical theory has significantly advanced the understanding of the educational experiences of racially and ethnically marginalized youth. A widely recognized expert, his insights have been featured by PBS NewsHour, NBC News, and multiple academic and public platforms. His pioneering research employs interdisciplinary qualitative methodologies to examine how Black and Latino boys conceptualize their “postsecondary future selves” and how they experience “Black boy mattering” in educational settings. Currently, he is expanding his Black Boy Mattering Project to explore the significance of racialized mattering for diverse student populations, integrating community-based research to inform school policies and practices. The Scholars of Color Early Career Contribution Award is awarded to a scholar who is within the first ten (10) years of their career after receipt of the doctoral degree. These three awards are intended to recognize (1) scholars at different stages in their careers who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues which disproportionately affect minority populations, and (2) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to educational research and development. The AERA Committee on Scholars of Color in Education is charged by AERA Council with serving as the selection committee for these awards.
Distinguished Career Contribution Award 2024 - Felice Moore Mensah 2023 - William A. Smith 2022 - Alfredo J. Artiles 2021 - Zeus Leonardo 2020 - María Estela Brisk 2019 - Patricia A. Edwards 2018 - Rubén Donato 2017 - Antonia Darder 2016 - Walter R. Allen 2015 - Patricia C. Gándara 2014 - Award not given 2013 - Jo-ann Archibald 2012 - Celia S. Genishi 2011-Henry T. Frierson 2010 - Carol Camp Yeakey 2009 - Caroline Sotello Viernes Turner 2008 - James D. Anderson 2007 - Karen Swisher 2006 - Sonia Nieto 2005 - Donna Ford 2004 - Enrique "Henry" T. Trueba 2003 - Okhee Lee 2002 - Samuel S. Peng 2001 - Richard R. Valencia 2000 - Joyce King 1999 - Flora Rodriguez Brown 1998 - Walter G. Secada 1997 - Valerie Ooka Pang 1996 - James Banks 1995 - Ronald Takaki 1994 - Edmund Gordon 1993 - Carl Grant
Mid-Career Contribution Award 2024 - Francesca Lopez 2023 - Thandeka K. Chapman 2022 - Sonya Douglass Horsford 2021 - Megan Bang 2020 - Adrienne Dixson 2019 - Karolyn Tyson 2018 - Kakali Bhattacharya 2017 - James L. Moore III 2016 - Sherick A. Hughes 2015 - Kevin K. Kumashiro 2014 - Janelle T. Scott 2013 - Sharon Nelson-Barber 2012 - Christine Jean Yeh 2011 - Jerlando F. L. Jackson 2010 - Dolores Delgado Bernal 2009 - Cynthia Hudley 2008 - Carol D. Lee and Francisco A. Rios 2007 - Kris Gutierrez 2006 - Madonna G. Constantine 2005 - Maria E. Franquiz 2004 - Michèle L. Foster 2003 - No award presented 2002 - No award presented 2001 - Christian J. Faltis 2000 - Lin Goodwin 1999 - Kofi Lomotey 1998 - Asa G. Hilliard III 1997 - Jacqueline Jordan Irvine 1996 - Celia Genishi 1995 - Christine Sleeter 1994 - Kenji Hakuta 1993 - Concepcion M. Valadez
Early Career Contribution Award 2024 - Nichole Margarita Garcia 2023 - Mildred Boveda 2022 - Krystal L. Williams 2021 - Bianca Baldridge 2020 - Jessica Harris 2019 - Aydin Bal 2018 - Nicole M. Joseph 2017 - María C. Ledesma 2016 - Roberto G. Gonzales 2015 - Ebony O. McGee 2014 - Dorinda Carter Andrews and Eve Tuck 2013 - Vichet Chhuon 2012 - Brendesha M. Tynes 2011 - Bic H. Ngo 2010 - Valerie Kinloch 2009 - Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy 2008 - Lamont A. Flowers 2007 - Tyrone C. Howard & Michele S. Moses 2006 - Rich Milner 2006 - Gregory Tanaka 2005 - Cornel D. Pewewardy 2004 - Linda C. Tillman 2003 - Xin Ma 2002 - M. Christopher Brown II 2001 - Alfredo J. Artiles 2000 - William F. Tate 1999 - John W. Young 1998 - Vivian L. Gadsden 1997 - Oscar Kawagley 1996 - Donna Yvette Ford 1995 - Gloria Ladson-Billings 1994 - Ana Maria Villegas 1993 - Violet Harris