December 2020

AERA News
Resource of Interest to Education Researchers
Research Policy and Funding News
AERA Publications News
AERA Calls
AERA Editor Call
New Videos from AERA
Beyond AERA
In Memoriam
AERA in the News

AERA News

Registration for 2021 AERA Virtual Annual Meeting to Open January 12
Registration for the 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting will open on Tuesday, January 12. The meeting will be held Thursday, April 8–Monday, April 12. Read more

AERA Asks for 2020 End-of-Year Giving to Support Graduate Fellowships and Research Service in Communities
AERA has reached out to members and other friends of education research to urge end-of-year giving tied to broadening inclusion in the field and supporting public service by education researchers. Read more

AERA Opens Interactive Presentation Gallery—Visitors Welcomed; 2020 Annual Meeting Paper Authors Can Create Presentations until December 31
AERA has opened the Interactive Presentation Gallery, with the inaugural site featuring presentations from 2020 AERA Annual Meeting accepted paper authors. Read more

AERA Virtual Research Learning Series Now Available on Demand—Registration Open in the Virtual Research Learning Center
AERA is now providing on demand the nine research courses that were offered in the 2020 Virtual Research Learning Series through September. Read more

AERA–National Academies Forum Examines Educational Equity Indicators​
On December 15, AERA and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held an interactive forum to examine the research needs and implications of the Academies’ 2019 report Monitoring Educational Equity. Read more

AERA Announces 2020 Education Research Conference Grant Recipients
AERA has announced the selection of six proposals to receive funding through the Education Research Conferences Program. The six were selected from a high-quality pool of proposals received during the 2020 submissions cycle. Read more

Resource of Interest to Education Researchers

National Academies Releases Digital Resource for Communicating Newsworthy Social and Behavioral Science
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education has released a digital resource for helping researchers communicate newsworthy insights. Read more

Research Policy and Funding News

Trump Appointments to NBES Raise Serious Concerns on Appropriate Expertise on Education Research
In a surprise move, the Trump administration this month announced its intent to appoint 14 members to the National Board for Education Sciences, which is the advisory board for the Institute of Education Sciences. Read more

Congress Clears FY 2021 Funding and COVID-19 Relief Package, Trump Expected to Sign
On December 21, Congress advanced a package of two bills that would fund federal agencies for FY 2021 and a COVID-19 relief package totaling $900 billion. Read more

National Science Board December Meeting Focuses on COVID-19 Impact and Equity in STEM
On December 8 and 9, the National Science Board held its quarterly meeting, covering a range of topics surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting women and underrepresented groups in STEM education and the workforce. Read more

NSF SBE Advisory Committee Holds Winter Meeting
The National Science Foundation’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate Advisory Committee held its winter meeting on December 3–4. Read more

AERA Publications News

AERA Releases New Book on Early Childhood Research, Forging Connections across Early Education, Child Development, and Child Care
The new AERA volume Advancing Knowledge and Building Capacity for Early Childhood Research is now available for purchase. Read more

New Associate Editors Added to Educational Researcher and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Two of AERA’s journals, Educational Researcher and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, recently added new associate editors to their teams. Read more

AERA Kicks Off Holiday and New Year’s Book Sale—Buy for Yourself or Give as a Gift
To celebrate the publication of three significant new books at the conclusion of a very difficult year, AERA has launched a Holiday and New Year’s Book Sale through January 15, 2021. Read more

AERA Calls

Call for Proposals for AERA Education Research Service Projects—Deadline: January 8, 2021

Call for Proposals for Education Research Conferences Program—Deadline: February 26, 2021

AERA Editor Call

Call for Editors, RRE 2023, 2025—Deadline Extended: March 1, 2021

New Videos from AERA

AERA–National Academies Forum on Monitoring Educational Equity

Cassandra R. Davis and Alberto Ortega discuss the new ER article “Distance Learning and Parental Mental Health During COVID-19”

Matthew P. Steinberg and Lauren Sartain discuss the new EEPA article “What Explains the Race Gap in Teacher Performance Ratings? Evidence From Chicago Public Schools”

Beyond AERA

IES is inviting applications for its Transformative Research in the Education Sciences Grant Programs. Letters of intent are due January 7, 2021. Read the request for applications.

IES is also requesting applications to form Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Education Policy and Practice. Letters of intent are due January 7, 2021. Read the request for applications.

The William T. Grant Foundation is accepting proposals for research grants on reducing inequality and on improving the use of research evidence. The next deadline for letters of inquiry is January 13, 2021.


Visit the Beyond AERA webpage for professional advancement opportunities from other organizations, including calls for papers and submissions, meetings and conferences, and other activities.

In Memoriam

AERA Members who have recently passed away

Garrett Albert  Duncan, 59, associate professor of education and of African and African American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, died on December 8. He was vice president of Division G–Social Context of Education in 2008–09, and also served on the AERA Technology Committee, the AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship Committee, and the AERA Scholars of Color in Education Committee. Read more

Alphonso Walter Grant, 50, died on December 3. He was an assistant professor of art education and affiliate faculty in African and African American studies and gender studies at the University of Arkansas. He was a member of Division B–Curriculum Studies. Read more  

AERA in the News

Recent media coverage of AERA and AERA-published research

Parents Feel the Strain as Pandemic Adds New Role: Teacher
U.S. News & World Report, December 22

If You Want Black Students To Do Well At School, It Helps If You’re Positive About Black Students
Forbes, December 16

16 Charts that Changed the Way We Thought About America’s Schools This Year
The 74, December 15

Op-ed Urging Jill Biden to Drop ‘Dr.’ Honorific Sparks Heated Critiques of Sexism and Elitism
Diverse Issues In Higher Education, December 14

Researchers Balk at Trump’s Last-Minute Picks for Ed. Science Board
Education Week, December 14

Teachers in High-Poverty Schools Penalized Unfairly on Observations, Study Says
Education Week, December 14

Researchers decry Trump picks for education sciences advisory board
Science, December 11

New study says Chicago’s teacher evaluation may penalize Black educators
Chalkbeat Chicago, December 10

Study: Evaluations penalized teachers in low-income schools
Education Dive, December 10

State Matching Fund Drives Up Private Donations, Study Shows
Inside Higher Ed, December 8

As First Lady, Jill Biden to ‘Bring a Lot More Power’ to Helping Students in Military Families
The 74, December 1

More AERA in the News

AERA Highlights is published by the American Educational Research Association monthly to inform members and others interested in education research about the latest news and developments in AERA and in the field.

Editor: Felice J. Levine
Managing Editors: Tony Pals and John Neikirk

Contributors: Audrey Poe, Christy Talbot, Tong Wu, and Martha Yager