2026 SC3 Dissertation Award Winner

🎉CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2026 OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION AWARD IN THE FIELD OF SCHOOL CLIMATE

The School Community, Climate, and Culture (SC3) Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) is soliciting applications for the 2026 Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Field of School Climate. This award acknowledges an exemplary contribution to research in school climate with outstanding scientific or scholarly significance, quality of study methodology, and likelihood to impact the field. The award comes with a $500 honorarium. The award will be announced prior to the AERA Annual Meeting.

Eligibility

Applicants must have received their Ph.D. or Ed.D. after January 1, 2024 or intend to defend their dissertation not later than May 31, 2026. Applications must be made by the individual applying for the award. The submitted written material must be a dissertation. Applicants must be members of AERA, but it is not a requirement that they be members of the SC3 SIG. This is a nonresidential award, and international applicants are encouraged to apply.

To Apply

A completed application must include the following components:

• A cover letter that briefly summarizes the applicant’s dissertation research and how the research contributes to the field of school climate (maximum two pages single-spaced);
• A letter of recommendation from the applicant’s dissertation chair that explains why the dissertation is outstanding and merits the award;
• A curriculum vitae of the applicant; and
• An electronic link to the full dissertation

All application materials must be submitted as a single PDF document with one separate page at the end of the application that includes the electronic link to the full dissertation. The file must use the following naming convention: first name_last name_dissertation_award (e.g.mary_smith_dissertation_award).

Applications must be submitted as an attachment to aera.sig.104@gmail.com with the subject line “Dissertation Award Application 2026.”

Application Deadline

Completed applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, January 23rd, 2026.