American Educational Research Association

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the nation’s largest professional organization dedicated to education research. Founded in 1916, the primary focus of AERA is to facilitate the creation of rigorous education research for the improvement of educational practices, experiences, and outcomes. Education research is examining the process of education and learning throughout the life span while considering individual and contextual differences. This entry further describes AERA, including its structure and function, and then discusses its Graduate Student Council (GSC) and annual meeting.

AERA has a total membership of approximately 25,000, including researchers, students, and practitioners from around the world. Although the majority of the association is made up of education researchers (approximately 74%), some members conduct research in other disciplines, including psychology, history, philosophy, statistics, ...