Kathleen Lynch, Kylie Anglin, and Alexandra Freidus were recognized at the American Educational Research Association's 2026 Annual Meeting
(Courtesy of AERA)
Three Neag School of Education faculty received awards at this year's American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. Kathleen Lynch is the Out-of-School Time Special Interest Group Scholar Award winner, while Kylie Anglin and Alexandra Freidus were recognized as outstanding reviewers for two AERA-affiliated journals.
Since 2009, the Out-of-School Time Special Interest Group (OST SIG) has sponsored awards to promote and support quality research in the field of Out-of-School Time. Recipients must demonstrate excellence, creativity, and initiative in their research, and conduct innovative, high-quality research that contributes to the field of Out of School Time learning. The Scholar Award is for outstanding research in the out-of-school time field to honor a scholar in the early to middle stages of their career, no later than 15 years after receipt of the doctoral degree.
Lynch is an assistant professor in the Neag School's Department of Educational Psychology. Her research program examines how education policies can strengthen equity and opportunities for children, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
"I'm very honored to receive this award," Lynch says. "Out-of-school time opportunities matter tremendously for kids, and I'm grateful to AERA and the OST SIG for supporting this area of work."
Kylie Anglin was named an outstanding reviewer for AERA Open for 2025, while Alexandra Freidus was recognized for her work last year with the American Educational Research Journal. Both officially received their awards at the AERA 2026 Annual Meeting, as the Outstanding Reviewer awards are always celebrated at the following year's meeting. The awards are presented by AERA journal editors, recognizing the invaluable contribution of volunteer reviewers who have provided exemplary, thorough, and timely reviews of manuscripts received by their respective journals.
AERA Open aims to advance knowledge through rigorous empirical and theoretical study, conducted in a wide range of disciplines. It publishes studies of education and learning in various contexts, such as early childhood, after-school, primary and secondary, and post-secondary education.
"AERA Open has established itself as a home for excellent, innovative education research," Anglin says. "I've been honored to contribute to it as a reviewer and am grateful to AERA for their support of the journal and their recognition of the value of peer review."
The American Educational Research Journal (AERJ) is the flagship journal of the American Educational Research Association, featuring articles that advance the empirical, theoretical, and methodological understanding of education and learning. It publishes original peer-reviewed analyses that span the field of education research across all subfields and disciplines and all levels of analysis.
"I'm honored to support AERJ's vital work," Freidus says. "Peer review is essential to the field of educational research, and I'm glad to play a small part in the system."
