New AERA Fellow

Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor Eric Dearing, executive director of the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, has been selected as an American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow for his exceptional contributions to and excellence in education research.

Nominated by peers, Dearing—one of 34 scholars in the 2026 class—was chosen by the Fellows committee and approved by the AERA council, the association’s elected governing body. He and the members of his cohort will be inducted during a ceremony at the AERA’s annual meeting in Los Angeles on April 9.

The AERA is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning.

“It’s a wonderful honor to be selected as a Fellow, not to mention inspiring and humbling to be included among this outstanding group of scholars,” said Dearing, the only representative in the 2026 class from a Jesuit university, and the 12th member of the Lynch School faculty selected as an AERA fellow.

“We are thrilled to honor the 2026 AERA Fellows as they join a distinguished community of scholars,” said AERA Executive Director Tabbye Chavous. “Their significant contributions to education research demonstrate the highest standards of academic excellence and scholarship.”

Dearing joined the Lynch School in 2006 as a professor of applied developmental psychology. He was named executive director of the Walsh Center in 2023, succeeding the founder and namesake. The center advances science, implementation, and innovation to promote healthy child and youth development, learning, and thriving.

His research emphasizes the power of families, early education and care, and neighborhood supports to bolster achievement for children born into poverty.

Much of his current work involves collaborating with families, educators, health care providers, and nonprofits to design and study ways for improving young children’s math learning.  

“We are thrilled that Eric Dearing has received this well-deserved recognition,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “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, a crucial organization at the Lynch School, and one that does important research and influences praxis in the United States and beyond.”