Teachers College faculty member Jeffrey Henig and emeritus faculty member Edmund W. Gordon were honored this past week in Denver at the 91^st annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.

Henig, Professor of Political Science and Education, was presented with AERA’s Outstanding Book Award for Spin Cycle: How Research Is Used in Policy Debates: The Case of Charter Schools (Russell Sage Foundation/The Century Foundation, 2008). The award recognizes an outstanding book in education research and development. Spin Cycle explores the complex debate over school choice, and examines how research, as well as public discourse, has evolved over the past 15 years.  In the book, Henig presents a synthesis of the research on charter schools, as well as a compelling analysis of the role that social science research can play in public discourse and policymaking.

Gordon, TC’s Richard March Hoe Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Education, was recognized for his distinguished career that spans seven decades. The AERA announcement of the award said that Gordon “has made a significant impact on education research and practice and the pursuit of educational equity and achievement for urban minority children” and “enriched the lives of his students, supported quality education, and pressed policy makers at federal, state and local levels to address gaps in educational achievement and to invest in enhanced learning opportunities for all children.”

This year’s AERA meeting, which drew more than 13,000 education researchers from 60 countries, was themed “Understanding Complex Ecologies in a Changing World.”

Published Thursday, May. 6, 2010