Dr. Eric Dearing, Executive Director of the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, has been named an American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow. This honor is given to a select group of exemplary scholars for their exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research.
“It’s very exciting to be recognized for my work, and truly humbling to be considered among a group of researchers that I have respected my whole career,” Dearing said.
Over the course of nearly two decades at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Dearing has established himself as a leading expert in the links between students’ lives outside of school and their performance in the classroom. His work has been cited in testimony to Congress and appeared in the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, and on NBC.
“We are thrilled that Eric Dearing has received this well-deserved recognition,” said Stanton Wortham, Dean of the Lynch School, in this BC News article. “His work on math learning and marginalized families has made many important contributions to the field and practice. We also greatly appreciate that he has stepped up to direct the Mary Walsh Center [for Thriving Children], a crucial organization at the Lynch School, and one that does important research and influences praxis in the United States and beyond.”
Dearing’s research emphasizes the power of families, early education and care, and neighborhood supports to bolster achievement for children growing up in poverty. Over the last few years, much of this work has been focused on building partnerships between families, community organizations, and researchers to improve early math learning for children in low-income families.
Throughout his career, Dearing’s research has shone a light on the power of opportunity. To push this work forward, his team at the Center for Thriving Children recently launched the Growing Opportunities Lab, which provides research on when, how, and why opportunities matter; investigates how government policies impact opportunities for children; and partners with practitioners to bring more opportunities to more children.
“When opportunities surround a child and their family, it builds to something more than just skill growth or just improved social-emotional wellbeing. It creates a social and cultural community of hope,” Dearing said.
Dearing is among 34 leaders in the field of education research to be selected as an AERA Fellow this year. His cohort brings the total number of AERA Fellows to 820. Dearing was selected by the AERA Council after being nominated for the fellowship by a group of peers.
Eric Dearing
Executive Director
The Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children
“I’m thrilled to have been nominated, and all the more so to be selected, joining many of my heroes in the field of education research. That makes it special.”
