June 2019

Later this summer, AERA will release two groundbreaking volumes. Both focus, from different perspectives, on the needs of underserved students.

• Condition or Process? Researching Race in Education, edited by Adrienne D. Dixson, William T. Trent, Gloria J. Ladson-Billings, James D. Anderson, and Cecilia E. Suarez
• Improving Research-Based Knowledge of College Promise Programs, edited by Laura W. Perna and Edward J. Smith

In Condition or Process? the contributors examine the persistence of discriminatory actions (processes) and the normalization of the use of race and class (conditions) to justify growing inequality. They challenge educators to look at the reasons and patterns behind racial disparities in academic performance, and to recognize that the disparities are not normal and cannot be justified in terms of the racial, ethnic, or economic composition of schools. Click here to view the table of contents.

In the introduction to Improving Research-Based Knowledge of College Promise Programs, editors Laura Perna and Edward J. Smith give an overview of current research on college promise programs, which are private or government-sponsored programs that provide financial and other forms of assistance to help students attend college, building on existing federal or state aid. The contributors examine the effects of promise programs on the communities where they are implemented as well as on students’ college enrollment decisions and destinations. They also investigate the importance of program design to student outcomes, including the importance of creating awareness of the offerings among eligible students. Click here to view the table of contents.

In July, the volumes will be available for advance purchase on the AERA website. Both volumes will be available in print, ebook, and print–ebook bundle formats.