Vanessa Siddle Walker facts for kids

Vanessa Siddle Walker is a leading expert in African American education. She is a professor at Emory University. She also served as the president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) from 2019 to 2020. For over 25 years, Professor Walker has studied how schools in America were separated by race. She wrote an important book called The Lost Education of Horace Tate: Uncovering the Hidden Heroes Who Fought for Justice in Schools. This book shares stories of people who worked hard for fairness in education.

Vanessa Walker's Education

Vanessa Siddle Walker finished high school in Yanceyville, North Carolina. She then went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, she earned her first degree in education. Later, she continued her studies at Harvard University. At Harvard, she earned two more advanced degrees. These were a Master of Education (M.Ed.) and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.).

Books by Vanessa Walker

Vanessa Siddle Walker has written and helped edit several important books. These books share her research and insights on 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) (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) (with John R. Snarey)
• Living the Legacy: Universities and Schools in Collaborative for African American Children (2018) (with Sheryl J. Croft and Tiffany D. Pogue)

Awards and Special Honors

Professor Walker has received many awards for her work. These honors show how important her research is in education.

• Grawmeyer Award for Education
• AERA Early Career Award
• Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Award
• American Education Studies Association Award
• Three awards from different AERA Divisions:
  • Best New Female Scholar
  • Best New Book
  • Outstanding Book
• She was also the President of the American Educational Research Association from 2019 to 2020.