34 Education Researchers Join AERA Fellows, Bringing Total to 820

The American Educational Research Association has named 34 scholars as its 2026 class of Fellows, extending a recognition program that now spans 820 individuals whose research has shaped education science over the past several decades.

The selection process is peer-driven: nominees are put forward by colleagues, reviewed by the Fellows Committee, and approved by the AERA Council - the association's elected governing body. Induction takes place during the 2026 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on April 9.

"We are thrilled to honor the 2026 AERA Fellows as they join a distinguished community of scholars," said AERA Executive Director Tabbye Chavous. "Their significant contributions to education research demonstrate the highest standards of academic excellence and scholarship."

The 2026 AERA Fellows

The incoming class spans research universities across the United States and internationally, with expertise ranging from measurement and assessment to equity, literacy, and the science of learning:

Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Arizona State University; Anthony Artino, George Washington University; Robert Balfanz, Johns Hopkins University; Keith Barton, Indiana University Bloomington; Margaret Beier, Rice University; Robert Q. Berry III, Indiana University Bloomington; H. Gerald Campano, University of Pennsylvania; Joseph R. Cimpian, New York University; Timothy Cleary, Rutgers University; Laurie Cutting, Vanderbilt University; Jimmy de la Torre, The University of Hong Kong; Eric Dearing, Boston College; Thurston Domina, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ravit Golan Duncan, Rutgers University; David Feldon, Utah State University; John Ferron, University of South Florida; Megan Franke, University of California, Los Angeles; Brian French, Washington State University; Hunter Gehlbach, Johns Hopkins University; Krista Glazewski, North Carolina State University; Socorro Herrera, Kansas State University; Shouping Hu, Florida State University; Odis Johnson, Johns Hopkins University; James Kim, Harvard University; Matthew Kraft, Brown University; Jessica Nina Lester, Indiana University Bloomington; Xiufeng Liu, University of Macau; Julie Marsh, University of Southern California; Cheryl Matias, University of San Diego; Jennifer Randall, University of Michigan; Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, University of California, Los Angeles; Ivory Toldson, Howard University; Vasti Torres, Indiana University; Lisa Wolf-Wendel, University of Kansas.

What AERA Fellowship Represents

Founded in 1916, AERA is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. The Fellows program, which does not carry a specified quota, reflects both the breadth of education research and the rigor of peer evaluation.

The 2026 cohort adds to an accumulation of recognized work spanning multiple methodological traditions - from randomized controlled trials to ethnographic and qualitative approaches - and multiple levels of the education system, from early childhood through higher education. Represented institutions include public research universities, private universities, and institutions serving historically underrepresented student populations.

The Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, where the induction ceremony will take place, is one of the largest gatherings in education research, drawing thousands of scholars to present findings and engage across subdisciplines.