AERA News 2021 Annual Meeting News AERA Publications News Research Policy and Funding News AERA Calls Beyond AERA In Memoriam AERA in the News
2022 Annual Meeting Presidential Program Theme Released; Call for Submissions Coming May 12 The 2022 Annual Meeting Presidential Program theme—“Cultivating Equitable Education Systems for the 21st Century”—calls on us to “identify, study, and enhance existing efforts to move systems toward equity to support all learners across the lifespan, from early childhood to K-12 to higher education and adult learning.”
Preeminent Scholar Edmund Gordon Named AERA Honorary President On April 12, AERA installed distinguished education researcher Edmund W. Gordon as AERA’s honorary president during a special ceremony at the association’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting. Read more
AERA-ICPSR PEERS Data Hub to Hold Workshop on Qualitative Meta-Synthesis Methods on May 20—No Fee, Register Now The AERA-ICPSR PEERS Data Hub will hold a no-fee workshop on “Introduction to Qualitative Meta-Synthesis Methods: Achieving STEM Equity and Inclusion through Syntheses” on May 20, 1:00 pm–4:00 pm ET. Read more
Eight Education Researchers Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Eight education researchers, including three AERA presidents, have been elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The academy announced the 2021 election of 252 individuals as new members on April 22. Read more
More than 13,000 Education Researchers Gather for 2021 AERA Virtual Annual Meeting The 2021 AERA Virtual Annual Meeting brought together nearly 13,300 scholars, graduate students, policy leaders, and practitioners from 68 countries for the largest education research conference in the world. Read more
Major Annual Meeting Lecture Speakers Examine Significant Topics in Educational Equity The 2020 AERA Distinguished Lecture and the 2021 and 2020 Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lectures featured prominent scholars engaging attendees in important conversations about educators’ responsibility, racial education, and community colleges at this year’s virtual Annual Meeting. Read more
Presidential Sessions Engage Attendees in Key Issues in Education Research This year’s AERA Presidential Sessions provided rich and compelling content for Annual Meeting attendees to reflect on the meeting theme of “Accepting Educational Responsibility.” Read more
Research and Science Policy Forum Features Key Federal Agency Leaders, Recent Research Publications The 2021 AERA Virtual Annual Meeting featured 18 invited sessions in a Research and Science Policy Forum that included conversations with leaders of federal education research agencies and discussion on research directions in recent reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and on the development of education research infrastructure. Read more
New RRE Volume Explores What Constitutes Quality Evidence in Education Research The 2021 volume of Review of Research in Education, titled “Quality of Research Evidence in Education: How Do We Know?” raises questions about how to address the persisting disparities in education by rethinking assumptions, study designs, the quality of research collected, and who participates in research teams and in studies. Read more
AERA Recognizes 2020 Outstanding Reviewers Editors of AERA journals have named 59 scholars as Outstanding Reviewers for 2020, recognizing individuals who rendered outstanding professional service to the journals, to AERA, and to education research. Read more
President Biden Releases FY 2022 “Skinny” Budget Request with Large Increases for Education Department, NSF, NIH On April 9, the Biden administration released a summary of topline budget requests for federal agencies for FY 2022. The full budget request is expected to be released in May. Read more
American Jobs Plan Proposes Significant Investment in Federal Research On March 31, the Biden administration announced details of the American Jobs Plan, the first of two proposals on infrastructure. The American Jobs Plan would provide significant investments in federal research and development programs, including $50 million for the National Science Foundation. Read more
National Academies to Conduct Three Studies on IES The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will be conducting three studies directed by the Institute of Education Sciences this year, with the purpose of providing recommendations on the agency’s programs. Read more
Call for Volunteer Reviewers for 2022 Annual Meeting—Deadline: May 20
Call for Applications for AERA Grants Program—Deadline Extended: June 15
Call for Applications for AERA Fellowship Program on the Study of Deeper Learning—Deadline: May 24
Visit the Beyond AERA webpage for professional advancement opportunities from other organizations, including calls for papers and submissions, meetings and conferences, and other activities.
Rebecca Kantor, 67, died on April 22. She was dean of the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver. Kantor had been a member of Division K–Teaching and Teacher Education. Read more
Melvyn Semmel, 89, died on February 25. He was a professor emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s department of education, from which he retired in 1994. Read more
Colorado’s public colleges may be going test optional. Will it help more students graduate? Chalkbeat, April 28
Later school start time gave small boost to grades but big boost to sleep, new study finds Hechinger Report, April 26
Gifted Education Comes Up Short for Low-Income and Black Students Education Week, April 23
‘High-Surveillance’ Schools Lead to More Suspensions, Lower Achievement Education Week, April 21
Gifted programs provide little to no academic boost, new study says Hechinger Report, April 19
Test-Optional Admissions Yields Benefits Inside Higher Ed, April 19
A switch to test-optional led to modest gains in underrepresented students: study Higher Ed Dive, April 13
Study links later middle, high school start times to better student achievement K-12 Dive, April 13
Science Teaching and Learning Found to Fall Off in Pandemic Education Week, April 12
Cameras Are Being Used To Punish Students, Not Stop School Shooters Forbes, April 11
Want To Stop Charter Schools Cherry-Picking The ‘Best’ Students? Use The Carrot Not The Stick. Forbes, April 9
Growth Mindset: The Classroom ‘Gimmick’ That Could Be The Real Deal Forbes, April 8
AERA Stands in Support of Transgender and Non-Binary Community in Statement Before Annual Meeting Diverse Issues in Higher Education, April 7
Science is rescuing us from COVID—it's time for the US to return the favor The Hill, April 2
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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