Heinrich, C. J., Darling-Aduana, J., Good, A., & Cheng, H. (2019). A look inside online educational settings in high school: Promise and pitfalls for improving educational opportunities and outcomes. American Educational Research Journal, 56(6), 2147-2188.
This multi-layered, mixed methods study is an extraordinary example of the power of the genre. Drawing on 7 million records of online instructional sessions linked to student records, the authors were able to examine both short-term (course pass rates) and medium-term (growth on achievement tests) outcomes in a large urban district, and identify which students were able to benefit from online instructions. Qualitative methods allowed the authors to identify that insufficient instructional support was provided for the traditionally marginalized, less well prepared students, who were most likely to be assigned to these courses and least likely to benefit from them. The committee found the research to be comprehensive in its scope and depth, carefully executed, and extremely timely, providing critical policy guidance for districts engaged in online instruction.
This award is in recognition of the lifelong achievement of Palmer O. Johnson as a dedicated educator, and further in recognition of his pioneer work in educational research and methodology. His former colleagues and students founded this award to be given for an outstanding article appearing in an AERA-sponsored publication. It was first awarded in 1967 for an article appearing in the American Educational Research Journal. In 2000, the scope of articles eligible for the award was expanded to include those published in the American Educational Research Journal, the Journal for Educational and Behavioral Statistics, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and Educational Researcher. Since 2017, AERA Open articles are also considered for this award.