Three MLFC faculty receive AERA awards
Three faculty with ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation are being recognized with awards from the American Educational Research Association for their contributions to research that impacts the lives of learners from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Juliet Hart Barnett, professor, is being awarded the Special and Inclusive Education Research SIG’s Distinguished Researcher Award for 2026. Her research focuses on effective instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder, quality teacher preparation, and translation of research findings into classroom practice. She has published extensively, presented to national and international audiences, and is co-author of Friendship 101: Helping Students Build Social Competence, a book on evidence-based practices in autism. Additionally, Barnett has been invited to share her work with the SIER SIG during a Road to AERA Speaker Series. She will present on Challenging Assumptions: Reimagining Educational Pathways for Students with Autism.
Antonio Duran, associate professor, has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Division G Early Career Award. This recognition acknowledges the meaningful contributions his work has made to advancing the study of the social contexts of education. The award committee noted they were deeply impressed by the intellectual leadership, methodological strength and commitment to issues of equity and justice. Duran was also selected for the AERA Queer SIG Body of Work award. In addition to his research, Duran is pursuing a law degree at ASU’s Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
Daniel Liou, associate professor, will receive the Distinguished Researcher Award with the AAPI-ER-SIG. The award recognizes the exceptional quality of his research and its significant contribution to the field of AAPI studies. As a community-based researcher and former school board president, Liou’s scholarship explores the sociological manifestations of expectations in the organization of classrooms, schools, and society, contextualizing educational practices in relational, curricular and institutional terms. Liou is co-editor for the highly influential Review of Educational Research, and serves on the editorial board for other influential publications.
Three three will be formally recognized April 9 at the AERA’s annual meeting in Los Angeles.
In addition to the these awards, MLFC’s Professor Audrey Amrein-Beardsley has been named an AERA 2026 Fellow. Fellows are chosen for their significant contributions to education research and for demonstrating the highest standards of academic excellence and scholarship. This year 34 fellows are being inducted at AERA’s meeting in Los Angeles, and MLFC has contributed 19 fellows over the years.