George Theoharis, assistant professor of teaching and leadership, to receive AERA’s Emerging Scholar award

George Theoharis, assistant professor of teaching and leadership, to receive AERA’s Emerging Scholar awardMarch 26, 2009Patrick Farrellpmfarrel@syr.edu

George Theoharis, assistant professor of teaching and leadership in inclusive elementary and special education in the School of Education, has been named an Emerging Scholar by Division A (Administration, Organization and Leadership) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The award recognizes a pre-tenure scholar who is in the first five years of her his/her career in the professorate and who has made outstanding contributions to the field of leadership, administration or organizational theory. Theoharis will be presented with a plaque and honorarium during the annual AERA Meeting in San Diego in April.

“This is a completely amazing honor, and I am rather speechless about it,” says Theoharis. “It is quite exciting to have the inclusive, equity-oriented work I do that challenges so much of the status quo of K-12 schooling and educational administration be recognized in this way.”

Theoharis was selected based on evidence of his outstanding contributions to teaching, research and service submitted by his students, peers, department chair and dean. Evidence of excellence in research included his book, “The School Leaders Our Children Deserve: Seven Keys to Equity, Social Justice, and School Reform,” published this year by Teachers College Press. The book draws on the experiences of successful public school principals to show why social justice leadership is needed and how it can be effective.

“This award comes as no surprise to George’s colleagues here at Syracuse University,” says School of Education Dean Douglas Biklen. “In his three short years on our faculty, he and his wife–also a professor at SU–have launched one of the most dynamic and important school reform projects in years, the Schools of Promise. This model promises to demonstrate how the learning of all students improves with a school-wide commitment to inclusive education and the notion that all students belong. We are very proud that George has been tapped for this honor.”

Theoharis’ research focuses on public school leaders who are committed to equity and justice, the success/reforms these leaders accomplish and the resistance they face. In addition to being an accomplished scholar, Theoharis has extensive field experience in education as a teacher, administrator and principal in the Madison Metropolitan School District. He completed his Ph.D. degree in educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. The disciplines represented by AERA’s more than 26,000 members include education, psychology, statistics, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology and political science.