Newswise — The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is pleased to announced the appointment of M. Christopher Brown II as AERA Director of Social Justice and Professional Development, effective January 3, 2005.
Brown currently serves as executive director and chief research scientist of the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute at the United Negro College Fund, and has been on a leave of absence from The Pennsylvania State University, where he is associate professor of education and senior research associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education. He also has taught at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
In announcing his appointment, AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine stated that the social justice and professional development programs are central to the association's goal of advancing education research as a field of excellence and inclusiveness. "Chris Brown comes to AERA with a strong academic and research background and invaluable engagement in field development activities. We look forward to the contributions that he will make."
At AERA, Brown will advance social justice in education research and promote social justice issues, both internally and externally, Director Levine noted. He also will address AERA's role in capacity building in education research through training and professional development, including directing the AERA-IES Postdoctoral Training Program and the Minority Fellowship Program.
Brown, who is known for his studies of historically black colleges, educational equity, and institutional culture, is the author or co-author of more than 50 journal articles, book chapters, monographs, and publications related to education and society. His books include The Quest to Define Collegiate Desegregation: Black Colleges, Title VI Compliance and Post-Adams Litigation (1999), Organization and Governance in Higher Education: An ASHE Reader (2000), and Black Sons to Mothers: Compliments, Critiques, and Challenges for Cultural Workers in Education (2000, with James Earl Davis). He also has two books in press—Black Colleges: New Perspectives on Policy and Praxis (with Kassie Freeman) and The Politics of Curricular Change: Race, Hegemony and Power in Education (with Roderic Land).
Brown holds a Ph.D. degree in higher education from The Pennsylvania State University, with a cognate in public administration and political science. He received a B.S. degree in elementary education at South Carolina State University and a M.S. Ed. degree in educational policy and evaluation from the University of Kentucky.
A former AERA-Spencer Foundation Fellowship recipient, Brown's research and scholarly writing on higher education policy and administration merited him both the 2001 ASHE Promising Scholar/Early Career Award and the 2002 AERA Committee on Scholars of Color Early Career Contribution Award.
An active AERA member since 1999, Brown participates in Divisions that concentrate on Measurement and Research Methodology, History and Historiography, Social Context of Education, and Postsecondary Education; and in a Special Interest Group on the Research Focus on Black Education. He is a member and chair-elect of the Government Relations Committee, and served on the Minority Fellowship Committee from 2000 to 2003.
The American Educational Research Association represents approximately 22,700 educators who conduct research and evaluation in education. Founded in 1916 and based in Washington, D.C., AERA offers a comprehensive program of scholarly publications, training, fellowships, and meetings to advance educational research, disseminate knowledge, and improve the capacity of the profession for serving the public good.
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