Vanessa Siddle Walker facts for kids

Vanessa Siddle Walker is a professor at Emory University. She studies how education has affected African American students throughout history. She holds a special title there, the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of African American Educational Studies. From 2019 to 2020, she was also the president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). This is a large group of experts who study education.

For over 25 years, Professor Walker has researched how schools in America used to be separated by race. This system was called segregation. She wrote a book called The Lost Education of Horace Tate. This book shares stories of brave people who fought for fairness in schools.

Learning and Degrees

Vanessa Siddle Walker went to college to become an expert in education. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Later, she went to Harvard University. There, she earned two more advanced degrees: a Master of Education (M.Ed.) and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.).

Books by Vanessa Siddle Walker

Professor Walker has written and helped edit several important books. These books share her research and ideas about education.

Books She Wrote

• Their Highest Potential: An African American School Community in the Segregated South (1996)
• Facing Racism in Education (2004)
• Hello Professor: A Black Principal and Professional Leadership in the Segregated South (2009) - She wrote this book with Ulysses Byas.
• The Lost Education of Horace Tate: Uncovering the Hidden Heroes Who Fought for Justice in Schools (2020)

Books She Edited

• Race-ing Moral Formation (2004) - She edited this book with John R. Snarey.
• Living the Legacy: Universities and Schools in Collaborative for African American Children (2018) - She edited this book with Sheryl J. Croft and Tiffany D. Pogue.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Vanessa Siddle Walker has received many awards for her important work. These honors show how much her research helps us understand education.

Some of her awards include:

• The Grawmeyer Award for Education.
• The AERA Early Career Award.
• Awards from different parts of AERA, like Best New Female Scholar and Outstanding Book.
• She was also the President of the American Educational Research Association from 2019 to 2020.