Jamel Donnor to serve as chair of AERA Social Justice Action Committee
Jamel Donnor, associate professor of education and affiliated faculty in Africana Studies and American Studies, has been named chair-designate of the Social Justice Action Committee of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He will serve a three-year term, assuming the role of chair in his second two years on the committee.
“I am truly honored to serve,” said Donnor. “The opportunity to contribute to AERA’s mission of promoting the use of research to improve education and serve the public good was too good to pass up.”
The committee’s charge is to ensure the programs of AERA promote the diverse demographic representation of its membership and to advance educational research with a focus on disadvantaged populations in society.
“I am particularly excited to continue my predecessors’ work with AERA’s journal editors in increasing the publication of minority submitters and work focused on topics of social justice and equity,” said Donnor.
Donnor’s research examines race and inequality in the U.S. educational system, including civil rights and education, race and college sports, and school desegregation.
“This service is inextricably linked to my larger work,” said Donnor. “Much of my scholarship covers an array of topics that cohere with the aims and goals of the Social Justice Action Committee, most notably critical race theory.”
With more than 25,000 members, AERA is the premier educational research society in the U.S. and publishes seven peer-reviewed journals.
“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Donnor serving in this role and representing William & Mary among our colleagues across the nation,” said Rob Knoeppel, dean of the School of Education. “I can’t think of anyone more suited to leading this work for AERA.”
