Dr. Laura W. Perna selected as a 2014 AERA Fellow by the American Educational Research Association

March 7, 2014 - Penn GSE’s Dr. Laura W. Perna, Professor of Higher Education and Executive Director of Penn AHEAD, has been selected as a 2014 AERA Fellow by the American Educational Research Association.  One of 22 nationwide recipients, Dr. Perna will be inducted at the April 4th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.  

AERA Fellows are nominated by their peers and selected by the AERA Fellow Committee and governing body for their outstanding achievements and commitment to educational research.  Dr. Perna’s selection increases the percentage of Penn GSE faculty AERA Fellows to 77 percent of all full faculty.

AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine remarked “We are pleased to honor these individuals for their significant contributions to education research and to the advancement of the field.” “AERA Fellows exemplify the best of research in terms of accomplishment, quality, mentoring, and the highest professional standards. We welcome the class of 2014 to these ranks.”

Dr. Perna joined Penn GSE in 2005 as an associate professor, and was promoted to full professor in 2010.  She is also the Executive Director of the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD) and has published a wide range of research.  Her areas of expertise include access, choice, and equity in higher education, college finance and affordability and federal and state involvement in pre-college and college education.