American Educational Research Association (AERA) Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education Research

The AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship Program in Education Research seeks proposals from advanced graduate students who are from racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in higher education. The Fellowship Program encourages studies that examine a wide range of education research topics such as students’ school experiences, STEM education and learning, ethnic studies/curriculum; tracking; measurement of achievement and opportunity gaps; English language learners; or bullying and restorative justice. These studies may focus on students, teachers, schools, and/or educational contexts across multiple educational stages including early childhood education and development, k-12 education, postsecondary education, and the workforce. Studies should use rigorous scientific research methods within quantitative, qualitative, archival, and/or mixed method techniques. Studies that examine issues of specific racial and ethnic groups, social classes, genders, or persons with disabilities are encouraged and supported by the Fellowship Program.

Eligibility

The AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education Research is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are members of racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in higher education (e.g., African Americans, Alaskan Natives, American Indians, Asian Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders).

Applicants can come from graduate programs and departments in education research, the humanities, or social or behavioral science disciplinary or interdisciplinary fields, such as economics, history, political science, psychology, public policy, or sociology. Eligible graduate students will be at the writing stage of their dissertation by the beginning of the fellowship.

Fellows are required to provide proof of advancement to candidacy at the beginning of the award period. Applicants must work full-time on their dissertations and course requirements.

AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education Research Award

Award Component 1, $25,000 Stipend. AERA awards each Fellow up to a $25,000 stipend to study education, teaching, learning, or other education research topic. The fellowship funds can be used for tuition and/or institution fees, books, living expenses, equipment, travel, supplies, software, and other expenses that are directly related to conducting this research. Fellows must include travel and lodging expenses to the Annual Meeting in their budget. AERA encourages cost sharing from universities in the form of tuition assistance, office space, university fees, and other expenses. Institutions cannot charge overhead or indirect costs to administer the fellowship funds.

Award Component 2, Present Research at Invited AERA Poster Session. Fellows present their research in an invited poster session during the AERA Annual Meeting. This poster session is a hallmark of the AERA professional development program and features promising research from graduate students who are supported by AERA funded programs. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the developing research from the next generation of scholars and for the Fellows to receive feedback from senior scholars, education school deans, foundation officers, and others across the education research community.

Award Component 3, AERA Minority Fellows Mentoring and Career Development Workshop. During the AERA Annual Meeting, Fellows participate in a mentoring and career development workshop with current and former members of the AERA Minority Selection Committee and other senior scholars. The workshop focuses on topics such as making the transition from graduate school to a postdoctoral program, faculty position, or a career in applied research.

Deadline: December 1