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2016 AERA Presidential Address: Public Scholarship: Education Research for a Diverse Democracy

Item

Title

2016 AERA Presidential Address: Public Scholarship: Education Research for a Diverse Democracy

Abstract/Description

AERA's centennial provides an opportunity to reinvigorate the aspirations that gave rise to our research community in the United States: hope and determination that research can strengthen public education, society's most democratic institution. The first AERAers sought to produce scientific knowledge to improve large, increasingly diverse urban school systems--a pursuit that continues today. Yet over the century, we've learned that achieving equity in our diverse democracy is as much about public perceptions and politics as it is about science. Research-based knowledge and practices to make education equitable are often overpowered by cultural norms and politics. As present-day inequalities bear uncanny resemblances to those of 1916, we must heed a vital (though often ignored) precept of John Dewey's--one that calls on researchers to act as public scholars. Engaging with publics to raise awareness of common problems is a central charge for researchers, one that holds great promise for fostering democratic, public problem solving.

Author/creator

Date

In publication

Volume

47

Issue

2

Pages

91-104

Resource type

Research/Scholarly Media

Resource status/form

Published Text

Scholarship genre

Reflection/Retrospective

Open access/full-text available

No

Peer reviewed

Yes

ISSN

0013-189X

Citation

Oakes, J. (2018). 2016 AERA Presidential Address: Public Scholarship: Education Research for a Diverse Democracy. Educational Researcher, 47(2), 91–104. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X17746402

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