Washington, D.C., Oct. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Institutes for Research (AIR) Institute Fellow Larry Hedges was recently named a recipient of the prestigious Yidan Prize for Education Research for his groundbreaking work in developing statistical methods for meta-analysis across the sciences and innovative methods of synthesizing research findings across studies.
In announcing the award on September 15, 2018, the Yidan Prize judges wrote that Dr. Hedges’ work “helps policymakers, educators and the general public to see the evidence for 'what works' in the field of education, and makes it possible to take a scientific approach to improving education for future generations.”
At AIR, Dr. Hedges works on several topics in the area of statistical and research methods, including the challenges of replicating research.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and the employees of AIR, I want to congratulate Larry Hedges on being named a Yidan Prize Laureate,” said David Myers, CEO and President of AIR. “Dr. Hedges is most deserving of this award. His body of work has had a profound impact on the field of effectiveness research in education, health and other scientific areas, leading to better information about how to improve the lives of people across the nation and the world.”
Established in 2016 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Charles Chen Yidan, the Yidan Prize presents two awards each year, one in education research and the other in educational development. The Yidan Prize seeks to empower change makers in education, build a global community of education leaders, and create long-lasting, enlightening impacts on mankind as a whole. It is the world’s largest education award, in terms of monetary value, with each Yidan Prize Laureate receiving a gold medal and approximately $3.9 million, which includes a $1.9 million cash prize. Anant Argawal, CEO of edX, an online learning platform founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the 2018 Yidan Prize Laureate for Education Development. The Laureates will be honored at a ceremony in Hong Kong on December 9, 2018.
About Larry Hedges
Dr. Larry Hedges currently serves as a Board of Trustees professor of statistics and education and social policy at Northwestern University in Chicago, as well as a professor of psychology and of medical social sciences. He also serves as the Director of the Quantitative Methods for Policy Research Center at Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research. He has been an AIR Institute Fellow since 2014.
In addition to his work at Northwestern and AIR, Dr. Hedges is also a member of the National Board of Education Sciences and previously served as the Board’s chair. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Statistical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Educational Research Association. He is also a member of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, which established an annual endowed lecture in his honor.
About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health, and the workforce. For more information, visit www.air.org.