The Law & Education SIG is authorized by AERA to present three awards annually, which recognize excellence at different career stages within the field of law and education.

• The Distinguished Scholar Award honors an established scholar with a sustained record of impactful research, leadership, and service that has advanced the field and aligns with the SIG's mission.
• The Emerging Scholar Award recognizes an early-career scholar whose work shows strong promise through meaningful engagement with issues at the nexus of law and education.
• The Outstanding Dissertation Award recognizes a recent doctoral graduate whose dissertation research aligns with the SIG's mission and purpose.

The Distinguished Scholar Award

The Distinguished Scholar Award is presented to an individual with an established record of scholarship and service to the field of education law. The award is given to an established scholar who has been nominated through the SIG's awards process and selected by the Distinguished Scholar Award Committee. The award provides $500.00 towards conference travel and a commemorative plaque.

Distinguished Scholar Award Winners

2026: Kimberly Jenkins Robinson

The Emerging Scholar Award

The Emerging Scholar Award is presented to a graduate student conducting and presenting research in the area of education law. The award is given to the graduate student who submits the conference proposal that has the highest quality of legal research, quality of analysis and results, and the most significant impact to the field of law and education, as determined by the Emerging Scholar Award Committee. Graduate students who are sole authors or first authors are considered for the award. The Emerging Scholar Award provides $250.00 towards conference travel, a commemorative plaque, and the recipient will also present her or his paper during a Law and Education SIG panel at the annual meeting.