October 9, 2008
UW proud to host National Academy of Education Oct. 17-18
The National Academy of Education will discuss second language-learners and the role of foundations in funding education research, among many other topics, in its annual meeting, Oct. 17-18.
But perhaps as important locally is the fact that the prestigious national organization is for the first time holding its annual meeting — and a fellows retreat — at the UW.
Founded in 1965, the National Academy of Education is dedicated to “the advancement of the highest-quality education research and its use in policy formulation and practice,” according to its Web site.
The organization has about 200 members in the United States and about 25 foreign associates, elected on the basis of outstanding scholarship or contributions to education. Membership in the academy is an honor for educators similar to that for scientists and researchers admitted into the National Academy of Science or the Institute of Medicine — indeed the organizations’ headquarters share a building in Washington, D.C.
Patricia Wasley, dean of the College of Education, said she is “thrilled” that the group chose the UW for this year’s meeting. “The academy is a very prestigious organization and this will provide a wonderful opportunity for our faculty to interact with some of the top educational scholars in the nation,” Wasley said, “and of course for [others in the organization] to learn more about the important work being done here.”
The UW currently has three National Academy of Education members in its ranks:
• James Banks, the Kerry and Linda Killinger Professor of Diversity Studies and director of the UW’s Center for Multicultural Education in the College of Education.
• John Bransford, the Shauna C. Larsen Professor of Learning Scienece and principal investigator and director of the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center.
• John Goodlad, professor emeritus of education, president of the Institute for Educational Inquiry and co-founding director of the Center for Educational Renewal.
Wasley said the selection of Seattle as a meeting site “is undoubtedly a salute to James Banks’ stature as a scholar and his leadership within the National Academy of Education.” Banks, she noted, has been an “incredibly active and involved” member of the organization since 2000.
For his part, Banks said the academy is much more than just academics gathering to discuss lofty topics. “It’s about education and about training a new generation of scholars,” he said. “We are really committed to disseminating the best research in education — and identifying what that research is — to make a difference for kids in schools. That’s what it’s all about.”
Banks said, “I worked to get (the meetings) here because I thought the academy’s presence on our campus would enhance our already rapidly growing reputation — it’s a symbolic recognition of the fact that the College of Education is a major player.”
The academy also oversees a fellowship program with support from the Spencer Foundation. The three-year National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides chosen fellows with $55,000 for one full academic year of research and $27,500 for each of two other years for half-time work.
The fellows retreat will take place on Thursday, Oct. 16, the day before the main conference. Fellows present overviews of research proposals to members of the academy who in turn provide mentoring and guidance. “It’s a way of building community for the fellows,” Banks said. “It’s really a wonderful program.” Reed Stevens, a UW associate professor of learning sciences, also will participate in the Fellows Retreat; he will discuss “New Technologies and Literacy” on Thursday afternoon.
There are currently two Spencer Fellows based at the UW, both assistant professors in the College of Education. Ilana Horn is studying how high school math teachers incorporate equitable teaching practices into their classrooms, and Morva McDonald is studying how evidence-based policy reforms are implemented by teacher education programs. A third Spencer Fellow recently at the UW, Raegen Miller, has since moved to the Washington D.C.-based Center for American Progress.
McDonald and Horn, both junior faculty, said the attention and guidance from academy members has been critical to their work.
“It provides me with the financial and mentoring support that improves my current research and which, over time, will provide me with a network of colleagues across the country,” wrote McDonald. Horn called her fellowship “an acknowledgement of the importance and quality of my research program,” adding that “for a pre-tenure person, that kind of ratification is invaluable.”
Banks said having the academy meeting in Seattle also “will be a way of encouraging research by our own faculty — encouraging participation on a national level.”
Dean Wasley of the College of Education concurs: “As one of the top-ranked colleges of education in the U.S., I believe we provide an intellectually rich venue for such a meeting.”
