2026 Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award

Recipient: Vivian Gadsden (University of Pennsylvania)

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.

2026 Distinguished Public Service Award

Recipient: James L. Moore, III (National Science Foundation/Ohio State University)

This award is granted 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.

2026 Outstanding Book Award

Recipient: Gabrielle Oliveira (Harvard University)
Now We Are Here: Family Migration, Children's Education, and Dreams for a Better Life

2026 E. F. Lindquist Award

Recipient: Michael Kolen (University of Iowa)

2026 Dr. Felice J. Levine Distinguished Contributions to Mentoring in Research and Leadership Award

Recipient: Vivian Gadsden (University of Pennsylvania)

This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring students and early career scholars to become exemplary researchers and leaders who contribute to the knowledge base of our field. This award is bestowed on a senior researcher at least twenty years after receiving their doctorate.

2026 Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award

Recipient: Sarah Carr (Contributing editor, The Hechinger Report/Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship)

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.

2026 Early Career Award

Recipient: Cati de los Rios (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.

2026 Social Justice in Education Award

Recipient: Angela Valenzuela (University of Texas at Austin)

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.

2026 Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award

Recipient: Lara Perez-Felkner (Florida 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.

2026 Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award

Recipient: Nicole Patton Terry (Florida State University)

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.

2026 Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award

Recipient: Nolan Cabrera (University of Arizona)

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.

2026 Scholars of Color in Education Early Career Contribution Award

Recipient: Terrell R. Morton (University of Illinois Chicago)

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.

2026 Scholars of Color in Education Mid-Career Contribution Award

Recipient: Chezare A. Warren (Vanderbilt 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.

2026 Scholars of Color in Education Distinguished Career Contribution Award

Recipient: William Perez (Loyola Marymount 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.

2026 Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award

Recipients: Sean Darling-Hammond (University of California, Berkeley) and Eric Ho (University of California, Los Angeles)

“No Matter How You Slice It, Black Students are Punished More: The Persistence And Pervasiveness of Discipline Disparities"
AERA Open, Volume 10, November 2024.

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.

2026 Review of Research Award

Recipients: Rebecca A. Cruz (Johns Hopkins University), Catherine M. Kramarczuk Voulgarides (City University of New York), Allison R. Firestone (San Francisco Unified School District), Logan McDermott (Johns Hopkins University), and Zhihui Feng (Johns Hopkins University)

"Is Dis-Ability a Foregone Conclusion? Research and Policy Solutions to Disproportionality"
Review of Educational Research, Volume 94, Issue 6, December 2023.