The American Educational Research Association: Advancing Education Through Scholarly Inquiry

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) stands as a prominent international professional organization dedicated to advancing educational research and its practical application. With a rich history and a diverse membership, AERA plays a crucial role in shaping the landscape of education research and influencing educational practices worldwide.

AERA's Mission and Scope

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is concerned with the improvement of educational research and practice through the conduct of scholarly inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas related to education. AERA's core mission revolves around improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. In essence, AERA strives to be more global in its outreach programs to involve important scholarship wherever it occurs.

Education research is the scientific field of study that examines education and learning processes and the human attributes, interactions, organizations, and institutions that shape educational outcomes. Scholarship in the field seeks to describe, understand, and explain how learning takes place throughout a person’s life and how formal and informal contexts of education affect all forms of learning. Education research embraces the full spectrum of rigorous methods appropriate to the questions being asked and also drives the development of new tools and methods.

A Diverse and International Membership

AERA's strength lies in its diverse membership, comprising over 25,000 faculty, researchers, graduate students, and other distinguished professionals with rich and diverse expertise in education research. These members work in a range of settings from universities and other academic institutions to research institutes, federal and state agencies, school systems, testing companies, and nonprofit organizations.

AERA is international in scope. Nearly 14% of members, representing over 96 countries, reside outside the United States. Over 30% of AERA members are students-approximately 7,750 graduate students and 230 undergraduate students. Over three-quarters (78%) of AERA members report that education is the field of their highest degree.

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Historical Roots and Evolution

Founded in 1916 (originally known originally as National Association of Directors of Educational Research), AERA emerged from an interest group within the National Education Association Department of Superintendence. The association's eight founders - Burdette R. Buckingham, Albert Shiels, Leonard P. Ayres, Frank W. Ballou, Stuart A. Courtis, Edwin Hebden, George Melcher, and Joseph P. O'Hern - were all directors of education research in various parts of the United States. They met at the 1915 NEA Department of Superintendence annual meeting and came up with the idea of starting an organization to advance educational research.

Early topics of interest for the AERA included research bureau operations, measurement techniques, and particular school situations. Active membership in the early association was reserved for research bureau directors and their assistants. The association's early years revolved around the annual convention.

By the end of World War I in 1918, the association had 36 active members and four honorary members, and was affecting public policy, visible in the school districts that started to change student coursework and education practices as a result of standardized tests.

The association's evolution was shaped by several factors: Mental testing developments, primarily psychometrics as a result of the First World War, new sub-fields of education, and the growth of education research at the post-secondary level challenged the association to widen its mission. The ability of education research to guide for education practitioners was a struggle throughout the association's beginnings, with only ambiguous known relationships between testing and learning outcomes. The association recognized the need to establish theoretical foundations for the field of education research.

During the Great Depression, the association's public school affiliates struggled with tight finances and uncertain employment, but at the same time, university education researchers dominated the field and emerged as a unique social entity. Also during this time, AERA officials grew their relationships with like-minded associations, and a new journal, the Review of Educational Research, began as a reference work, summarizing recent studies.

The role of education research in the progressive education movement was a source of contention between education researchers, some of whom felt that it should play an active role in policy issues, and others who felt that it should be used primarily for professional discourse. As the field continued to advance, much of the knowledge did not translate into practice, an issue that is still widely debated today. These divisions in the field made it difficult for education researchers to speak with one voice.

Divisions and Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Within the AERA community of education researchers, members belong to one or more of the 12 divisions and over 150 special interest groups (SIGs). Each of AERA’s 12 Divisions focuses on a substantive professional area. More than 160 topics, ranging from literacy to technology in the classroom, command AERA members’ attention through SIGs.

Key Activities and Initiatives

AERA's Annual Meeting held every spring is the largest gathering of scholars in the education research field with approximately 14,000 participants. The five-day conference is a showcase of research studies across education disciplines at all levels.

AERA also hosts the annual Brown Lecture in Education Research, which highlights the role of research in advancing equality in education. The first Brown Lecture was held in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brown v.

AERA participates in the open access movement. AERA currently offers Educational Researcher (journal) open access, as well as an Online Paper Repository and i-Presentation Gallery containing presentations from the 2010 Annual Meeting forward.

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On the policy front, AERA is actively involved in revisions to the common rule. Executive Director Felice J. Levine served on the National Research Council committee charged with reviewing proposed regulations.

AERA selects and appoints scholars as AERA Fellows in a process based on peer nominations.

AERA is involved in several education research initiatives, ranging from specific advocacy topics to supporting projects that serve the larger community. AERA supports the Education Research Conferences Program, which awards grants for conferences on ground-breaking topics. In 2013, AERA submitted an amicus brief in Fisher v. AERA et al".

Publications and Journals

AERA disseminates research findings through various publications, including its flagship journal, Educational Researcher (ER). Educational Researcher (ER) is published nine times per year. It contains scholarly articles of general significance to the educational research community from a wide range of disciplines.

International Collaboration

AERA governance includes the International Relations Committee (IRC). One of the tasks of the IRC is to encourage international participation in the AERA annual meeting by involving international scholars in the program and awarding travel funds for their attendance. IRC sponsored six symposia and three paper sessions at the annual meeting. They also co-sponsored six Presidential Invited Sessions with other AERA governance entities. In addition, AERA International Aligned Organizations presented nine sessions at the annual meeting. Examples include: Current Perspectives on Leadership in the UK. Interrogating Transformative Praxis in Teaching and Teacher Education: Cases from the Pacific. Quality of Education; Indicators to Improve Quality of Education at School and Classroom Level. Australian Association for Research in Education; Psychological, Contextual, and Gender Influence on Achievement in Canadian Schools. Canadian Society for Studies in Education; Policy and Practice in Early Years Education in the UK: Methodological Issues in Research on Effectiveness. Research-Based Leadership Development Across the Commonwealth. Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management; and Challenges and Potential in School Effectiveness and Improvement Internationally.

Connecting Researchers and Media

AERA staff link reporters with education researchers who represent a range of research interests, from early childhood education to education policy and analysis, and can serve as sources for background information or quotes. AERA can connect reporters with the latest research and prominent researchers on key education topics, at all levels of education.

The Importance of Education Research

Education research is an indispensable public good-one that turns evidence into impact for every learner, in every classroom. Today, the field stands at a pivotal moment.

Leadership

WinnExecutive DirectorTabbye M. Maisha T.

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