The American Education Research Association awarded UW-Madison faculty Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy the 2016 AERA Outstanding Book Award Tuesday for the publication, “The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education,” according to a university release.
The award is given annually to an outstanding book-length publication in education research and development. Hess, the dean of the School of Education and program director of UW-Madison’s Center of Ethics and Education within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, won AREA’s highest recognitions this year.
Hess and McAvoy’s book addresses how educators can teach controversial political issues as they aim to create “political classrooms” that engage high school students, according to the release.
“The Political Classroom” uses research findings from outstanding examples of teaching practices. Hess and McAvoy paid particular attention to how political polarization affects classroom dynamics in order to create a coherent plan for providing students with a nonpartisan political education.
AERA also announced UW-Madison alumnus Kevin Kumashiro will receive AERA’s Social Justice in Education Award that honors individuals who advance social justice through education research.
Four additional AERA awards will be announced in late March, and will honor top award winners for its outstanding scholarship and service at an awards luncheon April 10.
