2026 Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award

• In Event: 2026 AERA Awards Ceremony and Luncheon

Abstract

The 2026 Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award recipient is Sarah Carr. Carr’s reporting over the past 20 years demonstrates excellence in raising awareness, knowledge, and understanding of education research. Her award-winning reporting at multiple dailies in diverse parts of our country, coupled with her award-winning book, Hope Against Hope, on New Orleans schools post Katrina, are illustrative of her commitment to reporting on contemporary education issues. Carr’s work provides an exemplar of reporting grounded in the life experiences of those on whom she reports and is bolstered by her consistent and effective integration of research in her stories. In addition, Carr’s work in academia, as a visiting scholar at SUNY New Paltz, in her leadership role with the Columbia Journalism School’s Teacher Project, and her current role as director of the Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship at Columbia University, illustrates her commitment to training and supporting young reporters in education.

Authors

• Sarah Carr, Columbia University

• Lalitha Vasudevan, Teachers College, Columbia University