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Margaret Maaka (left) at 2023 AERA conference with Huia Tomlins Jahnke of Massey University and Ying Shao Hsu of National Taiwan Normal University.

Margaret Maaka, a professor in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education (COE) Department of Curriculum Studies (EDCS), has been appointed to the search committee for the new executive director of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She will serve alongside colleagues and students from Stanford University, Howard University, University of California-Davis, Rutgers University, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Hewlett Foundation and the Foundation for Child Development.

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Margaret Maaka (left) at her first AERA conference in 1987 with other EDEP graduate students.

“Throughout my AERA membership, I have embraced the belief that educational researchers must uphold the rights of all peoples, particularly those belonging to historically disenfranchised groups, to be self-determining in their educations,” Maaka said. “Over the years, I have mentored scores of graduate students and faculty members, especially junior faculty members, to present their research at AERA and to serve in governance roles.”

Founded in 1916, AERA has been improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. The more than 25,000 members are faculty, researchers, graduate students, and other distinguished professionals who work in a range of settings from academic institutions to research institutes, federal and state agencies, school systems, testing companies, and nonprofit organizations.

Maaka’s affiliation with AERA began in 1987 when she and three other COE Department of Educational Psychology (EDEP) graduate students attended a conference. Among her many roles over nearly four decades, she has held numerous officer positions, founded a special interest group (SIG), chaired the SIG Executive Committee and sat on the AERA Executive Council.

“I co-established the Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific SIG in 2000 because of the critical need for a forum to discuss research on Indigenous knowledge and practices,” Maaka said. “My research interests also include community partnerships, educational psychology, Indigenous leadership, development and advancement, educational policy, and language and cognitive development.”

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