American Educational Research Association

Founded in 1916, the American Educa­tional Research Association (AERA) is the national sci­entific association for more than 25,000 members engaged in research on education. AERA aims to ad­­vance knowledge about education, encourage schol­­ar­ly inquiry related to education, and promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. The scientists and scholars in this inter­disciplinary field consider funda­mental prob­lems that relate to education across the life span and con­texts of learning. Researchers consider all aspects of education from the proc­esses of teaching and learn­ing, curriculum develop­ment, and the social or­gan­i­za­tion of schools and educational institutions to the effects of education on cognitive and so­cial capac­ity, human development, workforce preparedness, and health and at-risk be­haviors. AERA em­braces the role of improving the nation’s education research capac­ity by promoting application of sci­entific stan­dards, and by providing training prog­rams, research and mentoring fellowships, and semi­nars on ad­vanced methodological and statistical tech­niques. AERA publishes six highly ranked, peer reviewed journals, issues Standards for Report­ing on Em­pirical Social Science Research in AERA Pub­­li­­ca­tions, promotes the highest standards for re­search in­teg­rity through its Code of Ethics, and pro­duces (in collaboration with the American Psych­ological As­so­ci­­ation and the National Council on Measure­ment in Education) the Standards for Educational and Psych­ological Testing. AERA has 12 research divi­sions, including in Postsecondary Education and Measure­ment and Research Method­ology.

Co-Signers

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
The American Association for the Advance­ment of Science (AAAS), founded in 1848, is the world's largest general scientific society, represent­ing 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, and serving 10 million individuals. AAAS fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and publication of the journal Science. AAAS is committed to promoting the highest quality standards for the conduct of science and engineering. AAAS supports accurately pre­senting valid and reliable science in all matters (see our amicus brief in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharma­ceuticals, 509 U.S. 579 (1993)). Consonant with core scientific principles, AAAS maintains that any scien­tific claim should be regarded skeptically until it has been subject to rigorous peer scrutiny. AAAS also expects scientific studies to reflect intellectual honesty in reporting research. Further­more, AAAS is strong­ly committed to broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); a board-appointed committee advises AAAS in working toward this goal.

American Sociological Association (ASA)
The American Sociological Association (ASA) is the national professional and scholarly association of sociologists in the United States. Founded in 1905, the Association is dedicated to ad­vancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profes­sion serving the public good. With over 14,000 members, ASA encompasses sociologists who are faculty members at colleges and universities, re­search­ers, practitioners, and students. Most socio­logists holding doctoral degrees from accredited universities are ASA members. About 20 percent of ASA members pursue scientific careers in govern­ment, business, or non-profit organizations. ASA publishes nine leading peer-reviewed journals covering research in the discipline, including the American Sociological Review, Sociology of Educa­tion, and Sociological Methodology. Since 1967, ASA has had a dedicated scholarly section on sociology of education. In addition, since 1969, the Association has had a Code of Ethics adopted by the membership that specifies standards of scientific responsibility and integrity.

American Statistical Association (ASA)
Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the American Statistical Association (ASA) is the world’s largest community of statisticians and the second oldest continuously operating professional so­ci­ety in the United States. For more than 170 years, the ASA has supported excellence in the develop­ment, application, and dissemination of statistical science through meetings, publications, membership services, education, accreditation, and advocacy. Its members serve in industry, government, and aca­demia in more than 90 countries, advancing research and promoting sound statistical practice to inform pub­lic policy and improve human welfare.

Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)
Founded in 1976, the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) fosters schol­ar­­­ly inquiry of the highest standards of excel­lence for the purpose of increasing knowledge about and un­der­standing of higher education. ASHE works to ad­vance research and scholarly inquiry on all as­pects of higher education, including teaching and learn­ing, curriculum, students, faculty, organization, policy and social analysis, and finance. The Associ­ation's more than 2000 members include faculty active­ly in­volved in research and teaching; policy­makers and institutional leaders who contribute to framing, dis­semination, and use of research; and re­searchers in training. The Association promotes the development of the next generation of higher educa­tion scholars, policymakers, and leaders committed to excellence, relevance, and impact in research, teach­ing, edu­ca­tional programming, and provision of equity in op­portunities to learn. Through its annual con­ference and its peer-reviewed journals and report series, the Association advances research into key high­er educa­tion issues.

Law and Society Association (LSA)
Founded in 1964, the Law and Society Association (LSA) is dedicated to advancing know­ledge about law, legal processes, and the inter­relationship of law and social, political, economic, and cultural life. The Association promotes rigorous interdisciplinary social scientific research regarding how legal policy and practice affect individuals and institutions as well as how social and political forces shape law. LSA also encourages humanistic inquiry so important for shaping research questions and for interpreting the significance of empirical findings. Committed to scholarship of the highest standards, since 1966, the Association has published the Law & Society Review—a peer reviewed journal highly ranked both among social science and law journals. LSA currently includes approximately 1,400 mem­bers with training in law, sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, economics, history, lin­guis­­tics, literature, communication, and related fields; many members have dual J.D. and Ph.D. de­grees. Nearly all members are employed in uni­versity and research institute settings.

Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
Founded in 1924, the Linguistic Society of Ameri­ca (LSA) is the major professional society in the U.S. that is exclusively dedicated to the advance­ment of the scientific study of language. Language is a defining characteristic of the human species and impacts virtually all aspects of human experience. For this reason, linguists seek not only to discover properties of language in general and of languages in particular, but also strive to understand the inter­face of the phenomenon of language with culture, cog­nition, history, literature, and other fields of schol­­ar­ship. The LSA plays a critical role in sup­port­ing and disseminating linguistic scholarship, as well as facilitating the application of current re­search to scientific, educational, and social issues con­­cerning language. With over 4,000 members, the LSA speaks on behalf of the field of linguistics and also serves as an advocate for sound educational and public policies that affect all segments of society.

National Academy of Engineering (NAE)
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a non-profit, private organization that was created in 1964 under the Congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences. NAE has over 2,000 peer-elected members and foreign associates; election to membership is considered one of the high­est professional honors that an engineer can achieve. The members of NAE are leaders in business, aca­demia, and government. In 1999, NAE began a “Diver­sity in Engineering” initiative whose mission is to increase the diversity of the U.S. engineering workforce by developing a strong domestic talent pool. The NAE has influenced the nature and content of engineering education through its Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Educa­tion, its Frontiers of Engineering Education prog­rams, and major reports, including The Engineer of 2020. The NAE believes that encouraging and sus­tain­ing a diverse population of engineers is one of the major challenges facing the profession and the nation today, and that the scientific evidence supports the con­clusion that diversity in higher education is crit­i­cal to creating and maintaining a diverse engi­neer­ing workforce and leadership