For Immediate Release April 9, 2026
Contacts: Tony Pals, tpals@aera.net (202) 238-3235
Marla Koenigsknecht, mkoenigsknecht@aera.net (202) 238-3233
AERA Selects Daniel Solorzano to Deliver 2026 Brown Lecture in Education Research
Washington, D.C., April 9, 2026—Daniel Solorzano, Professor of Social Science and Comparative Education and Chicana/o and Central American Studies and the Director of the Center for Critical Race Studies in Education at the University of California, Los Angeles, has been selected by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) to present the 2026 Brown Lecture in Education Research. The public lecture will take place on Thursday, November 5, at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Solorzano is known for his work in critical race theory in education, racial microaggressions, racial microaffirmations, and critical race spatial analysis. He has authored more than 100 research articles, book chapters, and books on issues related to educational access and equity and underrepresented student populations.
“Through the depth and reach of his work in critical race studies, Dr. Solorzano has helped shape multicultural and diverse education in meaningful ways,” said AERA Executive Director Tabbye Chavous. “It is an honor to spotlight a scholar whose contributions continue to inspire and whose insights will inform and engage audiences at the lecture and beyond.”
He is co-author of Racial Microaggressions: Using Critical Race Theory to Respond to Everyday Racism (Teachers College Press) and co-editor of The Chicana/o Education Pipeline: History, Institutional Critique, and Resistance (UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press).
Solorzano was elected an AERA Fellow in 2014 and is a past member of AERA Council (2022–2025). He is recipient of AERA’s Social Justice in Education Award. He has also received the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award and the Critical Race Studies in Education Association’s Derrick A. Bell Legacy Award. In 2020, he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Education.
Solorzano received his B.A. in sociology and Chicano studies and M.Ed. in urban and multicultural education from Loyola Marymount University, and his M.A. in educational policy and Ph.D. in sociology of education from Claremont Graduate University.
The Brown Lecture, now in its 23rd year, was inaugurated by AERA in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court took scientific research into account in issuing its landmark ruling ending legal racial segregation in public schools.
The 2026 Brown Lecture Selection Committee included AERA Social Justice Action Committee Chair Denise M. Taliaferro Baszile (Wayne State University), AERA President-Elect Jerome E. Morris (University of Missouri–St. Louis), AERA President Maisha T. Winn (Stanford University), AERA Social Justice Action Committee Member Ruth María López (University of Arizona), AERA Social Justice Action Committee Member Rand Quinn (University of Pennsylvania), AERA Executive Director Tabbye M. Chavous, and AERA Director of Professional Development and Diversity Officer George L. Wimberly.
About AERA The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Find AERA on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.