COEHD's Mariela Rodriguez, Rosalind Horowitz and Van Lac have all been elected to AERA's leadership.

APRIL 3, 2020 — A trio of faculty members from the College of Education and Human Development is representing UTSA in a national research society dedicated to promoting the use of research that will make a difference in education.

Mariela Rodriguez, Rosalind Horowitz and Van Lac were recently appointed to different positions in the American Educational Research Association.

Founded in 1916, AERA has more than 25,000 members, including faculty, graduate students and other distinguished professionals who have a diverse expertise in education research.

AERA is a national research society, with a mission to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.

“Service to one’s academic discipline is a vital part of the faculty role at UTSA because it allows the university to extend its reach and to develop and sustain partnerships with organizations such as AERA whose mission so closely connects with our own,” said Kimberly Andrews Espy, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “I congratulate professors Rodriguez, Horowitz and Lac. These appointments speak to the high quality of our UTSA faculty, and I thank them for stepping up to serve AERA on behalf of UTSA.”

“By serving in this role I will help channel the best minds and exemplary thinking to enhance world education.”

Rodriguez, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, was named vice president–elect of Division A: Administration, Organization and Leadership for the AERA Council, where she will serve a three-year term.

“I’m excited to continue serving the field of educational leadership in this new national role as Division A vice president–elect,” Rodriguez said. “And I’m honored to have been elected by my peers. I’m grateful to them for placing their trust in me. I am dedicated and hard-working, and I’ll see a project through.”

Rodriguez will work closely with the division officers, program chairs and section chairs regarding ways to continue supporting educational leadership research and in supporting conference planning for upcoming AERA annual meetings.

“Together, along with the leadership team and members of Division A, we will be able to continue moving the field of educational leadership forward,” Rodriguez said. “As a division vice president, I’ll also have the opportunity to serve on the AERA Council, which works with the legislative and policy aspects of AERA.”

Horowitz, a professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching and Department of Educational Psychology, has been elected as the chair for the Special Interest Group on Research in Reading and Literacy.

“I am humbled and honored to be elected by our SIG membership,” she said. “This is a vote of confidence for designing research results, shaping intellectual issues and themes, and planning that will advance AERA and UTSA. It will also help me advance Hispanic Serving Institutions.”

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In her new role, Horowitz will head the Reading and Literacy Program for any future meetings during her three-year term.

“This role is significant in that it helps clarify, focus, and advance theory and research for educational practices and planning in the 21st century,” she said. “While there are a multitude of journals and publications available with suggestions for educators, by serving in this role I will help channel the best minds and exemplary thinking to enhance world education.”

Lac, an educational leadership and policy studies assistant professor, was appointed to the communications officer position for the Grassroots Community & Youth Organizing for Education Reform Special Interest Group.

“This is a role where I had to run and get elected from peers across the country. The vote signifies that my peers trust me enough to elect me into this leadership position,” Lac said. “I am hoping to use this opportunity to connect with scholars and activists across the country and globe, for that matter, to learn about how young people are leveraging youth participatory action research and youth organizing in schools and communities to work towards educational and racial justice.”

Lac’s new role will consist of communicating with members from the AERA community about special events and opportunities with the Grassroots Community and Youth Organizations Special Interest Group.

“I also get a chance to help organize events for our annual AERA meetings. At our annual meeting, GCYO typically plans an off-site event where we visit a school site, community-based organization, or youth group where we learn about the local issues impacting low-income, communities of color.”

Horowitz added that everyone’s new role will benefit UTSA as a whole.

“As UTSA advances its status to premier research institution, it is valuable for our faculty to serve in national and international research organizations,” Horowitz said. “This will allow us to interact with giants in the field of research. It will allow us to identify speakers for our campuses, and it will serve as a model of involvement in educational research for our doctoral and masters students learning about how research evolves and grows through organized networks.”