(Press-News.org) Washington, March 5, 2026—The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has announced the winners of its 2026 awards for excellence in education research.
“We are honored to recognize the recipients of the 2026 awards, an outstanding and inspiring group of education researchers and leaders,” said AERA Executive Director Tabbye Chavous. “Their contributions continue to advance education research and positively impact countless students, educators, and the environments in which they live, learn, and work.”
AERA will honor the recipients at the Awards Ceremony Luncheon at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 9, from 11:45 am to 1:15 pm PT in the Los Angeles Convention Center.
2026 Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award
Recipient: Vivian Gadsden (University of Pennsylvania)
The Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award is the premier acknowledgment of outstanding achievement and success in education research. It is designed to publicize, motivate, encourage, and suggest models for education research at its best.
2026 Distinguished Public Service Award
Recipient: James L. Moore, III (National Science Foundation/Ohio State University)
This award is granted annually in recognition of an individual who has worked to enact or implement policies that are well grounded in education research, or who has been at the forefront of efforts to increase recognition and support for education research.
2026 Outstanding Book Award
Recipient: Gabrielle Oliveira (Harvard University)
Now We Are Here: Family Migration, Children's Education, and Dreams for a Better Life
The Outstanding Book Award was established to acknowledge and honor the year’s best book-length publication in education research and development.
2026 E. F. Lindquist Award
Recipient: Michael Kolen (University of Iowa)
This award is presented jointly by AERA and ACT in recognition of outstanding applied or theoretical research in the field of testing and measurement. The award is meant to acknowledge a body of research of an empirical, theoretical, or integrative nature rather than a single study.
2026 Dr. Felice J. Levine Distinguished Contributions to Mentoring in Research and Leadership Award
Recipient: Vivian Gadsden (University of Pennsylvania)
This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring students and early career scholars to become exemplary researchers and leaders who contribute to the knowledge base of our field. This award is bestowed on a senior researcher at least twenty years after receiving their doctorate.
2026 Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award
Recipient: Sarah Carr (Contributing editor, Hechinger Report/Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship)
Established in 2016, this award recognizes a person who has made noteworthy contributions to reporting on findings, bodies of research, or scholarship in the field of education research in any medium of public communication. The award honors a media professional whose work exemplifies promoting a broader vision of the value of education research to society.
2026 Early Career Award
Recipient: Cati de los Rios (University of California, Berkeley)
Established to honor an individual in the early stages of their career no later than 10 years after receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is granted for study in any field of educational inquiry.
2026 Social Justice in Education Award
Recipient: Angela Valenzuela (University of Texas at Austin)
Established in 2004, the Social Justice in Education Award honors an individual who has advanced social justice through education research and exemplified the goal of linking education research to social justice.
2026 Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award
Recipient: Lara Perez-Felkner (Florida State University)
Established in 2006, the Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award recognizes individuals within AERA for distinguished research, professional practice, and activities that advance public understanding of gender and/or sexuality at any level in the education community.
2026 Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award
Recipient: Nicole Patton Terry (Florida State University)
This award is presented to an education research scholar or scholars in recognition of collaborative project(s) between researchers and practitioners that have had sustained and observable effects on contexts of practice.
2026 Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award
Recipient: Nolan Cabrera (University of Arizona)
This award honors scholars exemplary in their capacity to communicate the importance of education research to the broad public, including education communities. It recognizes scholars who have excelled in conveying important findings and research to wide audiences and who have demonstrated the capacity to deepen understanding and appreciation of the value of education research in the public sphere.
2026 Scholars of Color in Education Early Career Contribution Award
Recipient: Terrell R. Morton (University of Illinois Chicago)
Presented to a scholar who is within the first decade of their career after receipt of a doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.
2026 Scholars of Color in Education Mid-Career Contribution Award
Recipient: Chezare A. Warren (Vanderbilt University)
Presented to a scholar in mid-career who is beyond the first level of professional appointment and for whom 10 or more years have passed since receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.
2026 Scholars of Color in Education Distinguished Career Contribution Award
Recipient: William Perez (Loyola Marymount University)
Presented to a senior-level scholar, usually 20 years or more after receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.
2026 Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award
Recipients: Sean Darling-Hammond (University of California, Berkeley) and Eric Ho (University of California, Los Angeles)
“No Matter How You Slice It, Black Students are Punished More: The Persistence And Pervasiveness of Discipline Disparities"
AERA Open, Volume 10, November 2024.
This award recognizes the lifelong achievement of Palmer O. Johnson as a dedicated educator and for his pioneering work in educational research and methodology. The award is given for an outstanding article appearing in AERA Open, the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Researcher, or the Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics.
2026 Review of Research Award
Recipients: Rebecca A. Cruz (Johns Hopkins University), Catherine M. Kramarczuk Voulgarides (City University of New York), Allison R. Firestone (San Francisco Unified School District), Logan McDermott (Johns Hopkins University), and Zhihui Feng (Johns Hopkins University)
"Is Dis-Ability a Foregone Conclusion? Research and Policy Solutions to Disproportionality"
Review of Educational Research, Volume 94, Issue 6, December 2023.
This award is given in recognition of an outstanding review of research article appearing in the Review of Research in Education or the Review of Educational Research.
###
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.
END
AERA announces 2026 award winners in education research
2026-03-05
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Saving two lives with one fruit drop
2026-03-05
Japanese red elder plants safeguard their own survival when they drop fruits infested by Heterhelus beetle larvae, as well as the survival of these larvae. The Kobe University study changes the narrative on how a plant and its pollinator can keep benefits balanced.
When an insect pollinates a plant and then uses the fruit as a nursery for its young, biologists speak of “nursery pollination mutualism.” Kobe University botanist SUETSUGU Kenji says, “These interactions are fascinating because they sit on the boundary between cooperation and conflict.” Famous examples ...
Photonic chips advance real-time learning in spiking neural systems
2026-03-05
WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed photonic computing chips that overcome key limitations for a type of neural network known as a photonic spiking neural system. By enabling fast learning and decision making using purely light-based processes — no electronics-based computation required — the new chips could improve autonomous driving technologies and enable robotic systems that learn through real-world interactions.
“Photonic spiking neural systems use brief optical pulses, or spikes, to emulate ...
Share of migratory wild animal species with declining populations despite UN treaty protections worsens from 44% to 49% in two years; 24% face extinction, up 2%
2026-03-05
Bonn / Campo Grande – An interim update to the landmark State of the World’s Migratory Species of 2024 warns that 49% of migratory species populations protected under a global treaty are declining, up 5% in just two years, and 24% of species face extinction, up 2%.
The new warnings will be presented to the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP15), a legally-binding UN treaty, in Campo Grande Brazil March 23-29.
The week-long COP is one of the most important global meetings for wildlife conservation. With high-level political attention from host-country ...
One in 20 babies experiences physical abuse, global review finds
2026-03-05
About one in 20 infants worldwide is subjected to physical abuse by a caregiver in their first two years of life.
That’s the central finding of a new study co-led by researchers from the UBC faculty of medicine and Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), the first to bring together anonymous reports from caregivers about behaviours like spanking, slapping, shaking and hitting.
“About four to five per cent of parents are behaving in physically aggressive ways toward their babies,” said Dr. ...
Tundra tongue: The science behind a very cold mistake
2026-03-05
Touching your tongue to frozen metal must be a rite of passage if you’re a five-year-old boy from a cold place. It’s possibly more irresistible than hopping in mud puddles or sampling a newly frosted cake. But it is dangerous?
Anders Hagen Jarmund knows all about this particular temptation. Yes, he’s gotten his tongue stuck.
“I’m from a small place called Hattfjelldal, which is quite cold in the winter,” he said. “I don’t remember if it was a signpost or a lamppost behind the school, but I remember licking it and my tongue got stuck.”
Turns out he wasn’t alone.
“This ...
Targeting a dangerous gut infection
2026-03-05
Affecting roughly half a million Americans each year, bacterial infections caused by Clostridioides difficile—commonly known as C. diff—are a serious and persistent problem for patients and hospitals alike. The bacterium can cause severe diarrhea, life-threatening inflammation of the colon, and recurring illness that dramatically reduces quality of life—especially for older adults, who face the highest risk of complications and death.
C. diff remains difficult to control for a combination of factors. The bacterium survives many disinfectants, allowing it to easily spread in health care settings, where ...
Scientists successfully harvest chickpeas from “moon dirt”
2026-03-05
As the U.S. plans to return to the moon with the upcoming Artemis II mission, a question endures: What will future lunar explorers eat? According to new research from The University of Texas at Austin the answer might be chickpeas.
Scientists have successfully grown and harvested chickpeas using simulated “moon dirt,” the first instance of this crop produced in this medium. The research, which was conducted in collaboration with Texas A&M University, is described in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Sara Santos, the principal investigator of the project, said that the work ...
Teen aggression a warning sign for faster aging later in life
2026-03-05
Teens who frequently lash out at others may face lasting physical health consequences later in life, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The study found that aggressive behavior in early adolescence is linked to faster biological aging and higher body mass index (BMI) by age 30.
“This study highlights the potential lasting health consequences stemming from social challenges that emerge in early adolescence,” said lead author Joseph Allen, PhD, of the University of Virginia. “Accelerated aging has been linked to an increased risk ...
Study confirms food fortification is highly cost-effective in fighting hidden hunger across 63 countries
2026-03-05
A comprehensive new systematic review published in The Journal of Nutrition provides the latest evidence that large-scale food fortification is a highly cost-effective intervention for reducing global malnutrition.
The research team, made up of scientists from Cochrane Collaboration, the Food Fortification Initiative, Emory University, and TechnoServe, examined 56 studies presenting over 200 economic analyses from 63 countries, including more than 40 low- and middle-income economies and found that the vast majority of food fortification programs deliver substantial health benefits relative to costs.
Hidden ...
Special issue elevates disease ecology in marine management
2026-03-05
In the last several years, more than five billion sea stars have died around the world, with population declines exceeding 90 percent in some, once-abundant species. In the Bering Sea, over 10 billion snow crabs starved between 2018-2021, leading to the first-ever closure of one of the nation’s most lucrative fisheries. Meanwhile, in southern New England, a disease that causes shells to degrade emerged in the early 2000s just as the once-thriving lobster fishery collapsed. And the current avian flu pandemic has devastated marine mammal populations, killing 97 percent of elephant seal pups in one colony in Argentina in 2023.
In some ...