Henry I. Braun, the Boisi Professor of Education and Public Policy and Education Research at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a prestigious, two-century-old honorary society that recognizes cross-discipline merit and stewardship that improves the culture.

Braun is one of 269 individuals from academia, the arts, industry, policy, research, and science elected to the academy this year, including Harvard political scientist Daniel Ziblatt; MIT quantum physicist Senthil Todadri; author Michael Lewis (The Undoing Project, Flash Boys, and The Big Short); and songwriter, actor, director, producer Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”).

Henry Braun

Henry Braun (Lee Pellegrini)

Braun is the director of the Lynch School’s Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy, a collaborative that conducts research on various topics in educational measurement.

“We are thrilled that Henry has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “This is well-deserved recognition of his remarkable talents and outstanding work on behalf of young people and the larger society.”

Braun was elected a fellow of the American Statistical Association in 1991, and he was a co-recipient of the Palmer O. Johnson Award of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and a co-recipient of the National Council for Measurement in Education’s Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution to the Field of Educational Measurement. He is an AERA fellow, and he was elected a member of the National Academy of Education in 2017.

He has served as editor of Challenges to Measurement in an Era of Accountability; co-editor of The Dynamics of Opportunity in America; co-executive producer of the documentary “Choosing our Future: A Story of Opportunity in America,” and was co-author of an e-book by the same title.

After serving as an assistant professor of statistics at Princeton University, Braun held senior positions at the Educational Testing Service for more than 25 years prior to joining the Lynch School in 2007.  He received a bachelor’s degree from McGill University, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Stanford University.

The American Academy was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by scholar-patriots who understood that a new republic would require institutions capable of gathering knowledge, and advancing learning in service to the public good.

“With the election of these members, the academy honors excellence, innovation and leadership, and recognizes a broad array of stellar accomplishments,” said Academy President David W. Oxtoby. “We hope every new member celebrates this achievement and joins our work advancing the common good.”

Phil Gloudemans | University Communications | May 2023