American Educational Research Association
Founded in 1916, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the national scientific association for more than 25,000 members engaged in research on education. AERA aims to advance knowledge about education, encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. The scientists and scholars in this interdisciplinary field consider fundamental problems that relate to education across the life span and contexts of learning. Researchers consider all aspects of education from the processes of teaching and learning, curriculum development, and the social organization of schools and educational institutions to the effects of education on cognitive and social capacity, human development, workforce preparedness, and health and at-risk behaviors. AERA embraces the role of improving the nation’s education research capacity by promoting application of scientific standards, and by providing training programs, research and mentoring fellowships, and seminars on advanced methodological and statistical techniques. AERA publishes seven peer reviewed journals, issues Standards for Reporting on Empirical Social Science Research in AERA Publications, promotes the highest standards for research integrity through its Code of Ethics, and produces (in collaboration with the American Psychological Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education) the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. AERA has 12 research divisions, including in Postsecondary Education and Measurement and Research Methodology.
Co-signers
American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is the world’s largest association for professional anthropologists, with over 10,000 members. Founded in 1902, AAA covers archaeology, biological, cultural, and linguistic anthropology. 75% of members are employed in higher education or are students, and 25% of members work in the public, private, and nongovernmental sectors. AAA publishes 22 journals, offers career planning and professional development services, supports university departments, awards several prizes and fellowships, sponsors summer internships, a summer field school, and stages research conferences in the Fall and Spring each year. AAA has a public education initiative that highlights the contributions made by anthropological research to important and enduring topics such as race and migration. The Association belongs to a number of inter-organizational collaborations, including the World Council of Anthropological Associations, the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, the Consortium of Social Science Associations, the National Humanities Alliance, and the American Council of Learned Societies.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), founded in 1848, is the world’s largest general scientific society, representing 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, and serving 10 million individuals. AAAS fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; public engagement; and publication of the journal Science. AAAS is committed to promoting the highest quality standards for the conduct of science and engineering. AAAS supports accurately presenting valid and reliable science in all matters (including by filing an amicus brief in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 509 U.S. 579 (1993)). Consonant with core scientific principles, AAAS maintains that any scientific claim should be regarded skeptically until it has been subject to rigorous peer scrutiny. AAAS also expects scientific studies to reflect intellectual honesty in reporting research. Furthermore, AAAS is strongly committed to broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); a board-appointed committee advises AAAS in working toward this goal.
American Political Science Association
Founded in 1903, the American Political Science Association (APSA) is the leading professional organization for the study of political science and serves more than 13,000 members in more than 80 countries. With a range of programs and services for individuals, departments, and institutions, APSA brings together political scientists from all fields of inquiry, regions, and occupational endeavors within and outside academe to deepen our understanding of politics, democracy, and citizenship throughout the world.
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association (ASA) is the national professional and scholarly association of sociologists in the United States. Founded in 1905, the Association is dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession serving the public good. With over 14,000 members, ASA encompasses sociologists who are faculty members at colleges and universities, researchers, practitioners, and students. Most sociologists holding doctoral degrees from accredited universities are ASA members. About 20 percent of ASA members pursue scientific careers in government, business, or non-profit organizations. ASA publishes nine leading peer-reviewed journals covering research in the discipline, including the American Sociological Review, Sociology of Education, and Sociological Methodology. Since 1967, ASA has had a dedicated scholarly section on sociology of education. In addition, since 1969, the Association has had a Code of Ethics adopted by the membership that specifies standards of scientific responsibility and integrity.
American Statistical Association
The American Statistical Association (ASA), founded in 1839, is the world’s largest community of statisticians. The ASA supports excellence in the development, application and dissemination of statistical science through meetings, publications, membership services, education, accreditation, and advocacy. Its members serve in industry, government, and academia in more than 90 countries.
Association for the Study of Higher Education
Founded in 1976, the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) fosters scholarly inquiry of the highest standards of excellence for the purpose of increasing knowledge about and understanding of higher education. ASHE works to advance research and scholarly inquiry on all aspects of higher education, including teaching and learning, curriculum, students, faculty, organization, policy and social analysis, and finance. The Association’s more than 2,000 members include faculty actively involved in research and teaching; policymakers and institutional leaders who contribute to framing, dissemination, and use of research; and researchers in training. The Association promotes the development of the next generation of higher education scholars, policymakers, and leaders committed to excellence, relevance, and impact in research, teaching, educational programming, and provision of equity in opportunities to learn. Through its annual conference and its peer-reviewed journals and report series, the Association advances research into key higher education issues.
Law and Society Association
Founded in 1964, the Law and Society Association (LSA) is dedicated to advancing knowledge about law, legal processes, and the interrelationship of law and social, political, economic, and cultural life. The Association promotes rigorous interdisciplinary social scientific research regarding how legal policy and practice affect individuals and institutions as well as how social and political forces shape law. LSA also encourages humanistic inquiry so important for shaping research questions and for interpreting the significance of empirical findings. Committed to scholarship of the highest standards, since 1966, the Association has published the Law & Society Review — a peer reviewed journal highly ranked both among social science and law journals. LSA currently includes approximately 1,400 members with training in law, sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, economics, history, linguistics, literature, communication, and related fields; many members have dual J.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Nearly all members are employed in university and research institute settings.
Linguistic Society of America
Founded in 1924, the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) is the major professional society in the U.S. that is exclusively dedicated to the advancement of the scientific study of language. Language is a defining characteristic of the human species and impacts virtually all aspects of human experience. For this reason, linguists seek not only to discover properties of language in general and of languages in particular, but also strive to understand the interface of the phenomenon of language with culture, cognition, history, literature, and other fields of scholarship. The LSA plays a critical role in supporting and disseminating linguistic scholarship, as well as facilitating the application of current research to scientific, educational, and social issues concerning language. With over 4,000 members, the LSA speaks on behalf of the field of linguistics and also serves as an advocate for sound educational and public policies that affect all segments of society.
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a non-profit, private organization that was created in 1964 under the Congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences. NAE has over 2,000 peer-elected members and foreign associates; election to membership is considered one of the highest professional honors that an engineer can achieve. The members of NAE are leaders in business, academia, and government. In 1999, NAE began a “Diversity in Engineering” initiative whose mission is to increase the diversity of the U.S. engineering workforce by developing a strong domestic talent pool. The NAE has influenced the nature and content of engineering education through its Frontiers of Engineering Education symposia and its programs on undergraduate engineering education, K-12 engineering education, and diversity in the engineering workforce that have resulted in numerous reports and resource websites such as EngineerGirl.org and LinkEngineering.org. The NAE believes that encouraging and sustaining a diverse population of engineers is one of the major challenges facing the profession and the nation today, and that the scientific evidence supports the conclusion that diversity in higher education is critical to creating and maintaining a diverse engineering workforce and leadership.