Tribute to Bernardo Gallegos

We wish to pay tribute, in memoriam, to our good friend and esteemed colleague Bernardo P. Gallegos, founder of the Brill Publishing Book Series: Education, Culture, and Society.

Bernardo, who was much-loved, is someone we’ll always miss. We remember him as a kind, thoughtful, and wise person with a great sense of humor.

This world is better because of him. Knowing him was to feel intellectually and spiritually enriched.

Bernardo was Professor of Educational Foundations, Teacher Education, and Indigenous Educational History at National University, Los Angeles Campus, in the Teacher Education Department within the Sanford College of Education. He held a distinguished professorship at Washington State University, and his PhD was awarded from the University of New Mexico in 1988.

His vision for the Brill series is to publish books that “engage the complex and dynamic relationship between education, culture, and society in historical, contemporary, and futural contexts.”

He would openly share his cultural identity. Born and raised in the South and North Valleys of Albuquerque, New Mexico, he was of mixed Native American, Spanish, and African ancestry. Besides Albuquerque, he lived in Durango, Colorado, Cuba, New Mexico, LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Washington, and Chicago. He acknowledged feeling blessed with a great family, friends, and colleagues. Bernardo, deeply appreciative, also gave thanks for being able to live in a place where he could watch the sunset over the Pacific.

A brilliant and important writer, Bernardo has published widely in the history of education, cultural studies in education, Indigenous and Latino educational/cultural history, and performance studies in education. His books, edited volumes, and guest editorships, often with others, include the Postcolonial Indigenous Performances; Handbook of Research in the Social Foundations of Education; Performance Theories and Education; Indigenous Education in the Americas; and Literacy, and Education, and Society in Colonial New Mexico, 1693 to 1821.

Bernardo served as President of the Society of Professors of Education (SPE), the American Educational Studies Association, and the Organization of Educational Historians. Within his extensive and deep networks, he mentored and befriended many of us.

Current Officers

President
President-Elect
  •  TBD
Immediate Past-President
Secretary-Treasurer
Member-At-Large

Board of Directors

2024-2026

To Elect 

2023-2025

2022-2024

2021-2023

2020-2022

  • Sherick Hughes, University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill
  • Hannah Spector, Penn State University-Harrisburg
  • Victoria Trinder, University of Illinois @ Chicago

2019-2021

  • Liz Chase, St. John’s University
  • Jeanne Marie Iorio, Victoria University
  • Aaron Zimmerman, Texas Tech University

Webmaster

2025-Current
  • Sydnie Singleton, Miami University
2013-2025
  • Kate Shively, Ball State University

Committee Positions

Professing Education Editors
Sophist Bane Editor
Nominations Committee
Raywid Award
DeGarmo Lecture and Award
  • Chair:  Brian Schultz, Miami UnChair: Keffrelyn Brown, University of Texas, Austiniversity-Ohio brian.schultz@miamioh.edu
  • Committee: Meghan Phadke & Kelli Rushek, Miami University 
Wisniewski Award
  • Chair: Robert J. Helfenbein, Mercer University 
William H. Watkins Award
  • Chair: Keffrelyn Brown, University of Texas, Austin 
Martha Allexsaht-Snider Award
William H. Schubert Award 
  • Chair: Seungho Moon, Loyola University, Chicago 
Book Awards

The William H. Watkins Award

WILLIAM H. WATKINS AWARD

Due Date: February 10, 2025

This award honors Dr. William H. Watkins and his commitment to freedom and self-determination through over 40 years of educational activism and scholarship focused on the lived experiences of the African diaspora in the United States. More specifically, Dr. Watkins’ illustrious career was a commitment to curriculum study, community/solidarity, socio-political and class issues, and culture in his activism/scholarship/mentorship. The recipient of this award exemplifies these qualities. Nominees can be academics, community activists, community educators, or K-12 educators.

Individuals may be nominated or self-nominated, simply by naming the individual to committee chair, Kelly Vaughan, kvaughan@lewisu.edu 
 

William H. Watkins Bio

William H. Watkins(October 19, 1946 – August 08, 2014), a “lifelong proletarian revolutionary intellectual” and wise, witty and wonderful person is known as Bill in academic circles and Billy by his friends and comrades. See peoplestribune.org/pt-news/2014/09/death-comrade-william-h-watkins/  and film of Dr. Watkins: https://vimeo.com/112231977.

Born in Harlem, NY and raised in Southcentral Los Angeles, Bill attended Los Angeles public schools and graduated from Dorsey High School (1964). He earned undergraduate degrees in political science: pre-law, Associates of Arts from Los Angeles City College (1968) and Bachelors of Arts from California State University at Los Angeles (1970). Relocating first to Brooklyn then on to Chicago, Bill took up graduate studies and began teaching high school. He completed a Masters of Education in Curriculum Theory (1979) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Policy Analysis/Education (1986) from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Bill joined the College of Education faculty and the Department of African American Studies at the University of Utah (1986-1995) and then University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Education (1995-2014). His specializations include sociology of curriculum, African American education, history of curriculum, and curriculum movements.

Professor Watkins’ honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award, Division B, American Educational Research Association (2011); The Mary Ann Raywid Award, the Society of Professors of Education (2011); and the Dean’s Merit Award, College of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago (2003). Bill was the editor of The Assault on Public Education: Confronting the Politics of Corporate School Reform (2012), Black Protest Thought and Education (2005), author of The White Architects of Black Education (2001) and lead editor of Race and Education (2001). In addition to his books and chapters, his publications appeared in the (Macmillan) Encyclopedia of EducationReview of Research in EducationJournal of Interdisciplinary EducationThe International Encyclopedia of EducationThe International Encyclopedia of Curriculum, the Harvard Educational ReviewEducational Theory, the Encyclopedia of African American EducationTeaching Education, and Teaching for Social Justice.

Bill loved to travel and did so extensively throughout Western & Eastern Europe, the (former) Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China, India, the United Arab Emirates, the Caribbean, South America, Central America, (north) Vietnam, New Zealand, and East, West & South Africa. He presented his work throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Uganda, Japan, Australia, Thailand, and the Netherlands. Throughout his life, William H. Watkins was a seeker of truth and justice, a visionary and educator, a radical intellectual, and a social justice activist.

AWARD RECIPIENTS

Dr. Ruth J. Simmons,  Rice University, 2025

Dr. M. Fran Huckaby, Texas Christian University, 2024

Dr. Anthony Brown, University of Texas-Austin, 2023

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Dr. Joyce E. King, Georgia State University, 2022 

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2022 Committee Chair: Jason Lukasik, PhD

Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry,  University of Central Florida, 2021

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2021 Committee Chair: Carol Mullen, PhD
 

Dr. Carl Grant, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2019

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2019 Watkins Committee Chair, Carol A. Mullen, PhD

Dr. Barbara Ransby, 2018

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2018 Watkins Committee Chair, Francyne Huckaby, PhD

2017 – Dr. Wayne Au,  2017

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2017 Watkins Committee Chair, Francyne Huckaby, PhD

Dr. David Omotoso Stovall,  2016

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2016 Watkins Committee Chair, Francyne Huckaby, PhD

Dr. Carol Lee,  2015

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2015 Watkins Committee Chair, William Schubert, PhD

Professing Education Volumes

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Professing Education Fall 2025 Winter 2026 v24 no.1

Professing Education Fall Spring 2025 v23 no. 2

Professing Education Fall 2024 Winter 2025 v23 no. 1

Professing Education Summer Fall 2024 v22 no. 2

Professing Education Spring 2024 v22 no. 1

Professing Education Fall 2023 v21 no. 2

Professing Education Spring 2023 v21 no. 1 

Professing Education Spring 2022 v20 no. 2

Professing Education Fall 2021 v20 no. 1

Previous Volumes of Professing Education 

Professing Education 2020 v19 no. 1

Professing Education 2020 v18 no. 1 & 2

Professing Education 2019 v17 no. 1 & 2

Professing Education 2017 v16 no. 1

Professing Education 2017 v16 no. 2

Professing Education 2015 v10 no. 1

Professing Education 2014 v9 no. 2

Professing Education 2013 v9 no. 1

Professing Education 2011 v8 no. 1

Professing Education 2008 v6 no. 1 

Professing Education 2006 v5 no. 2

Professing Education 2006 v5 no. 1

Professing Education 2005 v4 no. 2

Professing Education 2005 v4 no. 1

Professing Education 2004 v3 no. 2

Professing Education 2004 v3 no. 1

Professing Education 2003 v2 no. 2

Professing Education 2003 v2 no. 1

Professing Education 2002 v1 no. 1

Call for Proposals

Refusing the Return:

Mobilizing Toward a Just Educational Futures

Proposals Due January 15, 2023

The 2023 Society of Professors of Education Conference Call for Proposals

In early 2021, Gloria Ladson-Billings called on us to resist a post-pandemic “return to normal” and instead mobilize toward a hard re-set. Where are we nearly two years later? How are we, and our programs of education, refusing the pull of the past, unsettling the normative, and reenvisioning the democratic possibilities of education. At this critical juncture, how are we activating our research and practice to inform the agentic future of education, while also working in solidarity with movements for justice? Whether drawing on historical, contemporary, global and/or national perspectives, we invite presentations that contemplate, confront, and/or reimagine our role in and responsibilities toward education’s role in fostering a just democracy. We welcome all presentations that speak to this sociopolitical moment, educational climate, and the urgent issues facing today and tomorrow’s educators.

The Society of Professors of Education (SPE) invites proposals for presentations at its annual meeting to be held during the 2023 AERA Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, April 15th. We are especially interested in presentations that are focused on the theme of “Refusing the Return: Mobilizing Toward Just Educational Futures” Proposals not related to the theme but  focused on the goals of the Society (below) are also welcome. Abstracts accepted for presentation will appear in SPE’s conference proceedings; select papers may be published in Professing Education, SPE’s journal.

Founded in 1902, the Society of Professors of Education is a professional and academic association open to all persons engaged in teacher preparation, curriculum studies, educational foundations, and related activities. The Society’s primary goal is to provide a forum for consideration of major issues, tasks, problems, and challenges confronting professional educators. SPE is an interdisciplinary organization. Its members include both scholars and practitioners in education.

All presenters must be members of the Society of Professors of Education. To be included in the conference program, join the Society at your earliest convenience. See the Society of Professors of Education web page for the membership form: http://societyofprofessorsofeducation.com

Proposals must be submitted via this online form no later than 11:59pm on January 15, 2023.

Length: Proposals should be between 350-500 words. The proposal should describe the background/contexts, methods, potential findings, and significance. The proposal should not identify the presenters.

Call for Reviewers: In addition to submitting your work, you can participate in the Society as a volunteer proposal reviewer. The review process will take place soon after the deadline for proposal submissions. Please contact Program Committee Co-Chairs Meghan Phadke and Kelli Rushek at SPEConference2023@gmail.com if you are interested in reviewing proposals.

Looking forward to seeing you in Chicago!

2023 Calls for Nominations for Awards

The DeGarmo Award and Lecture

Established in 1975, The DeGarmo Lecture is an annual statement on a problem or issue of special current concern to the education professoriate, offered by a prominent and distinguished figure in American Education. The DeGarmo Lecture is published by the Society and distributed to its members. The lecture series is named for Charles DeGarmo, a Professor of the Science and Art of Education, and the first president of the National Society of College Teachers of Education in 1902.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Bettina Love, Teachers College, Columbia University is the recipient of the 2023 DeGarmo Award and will be give the DeGarmo Lecture on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Professors of Education.

Committee Chair: Brian D. Schultz, Miami University | brian.schultz@miamioh.edu 

The William H. Watkins Award

This award honors Dr. William H. Watkins and his commitment to freedom and self-determination through over 40 years of educational activism and scholarship focused on the lived experiences of the African diaspora in the United States. More specifically, Dr. Watkins’ illustrious career was a commitment to curriculum study, community/solidarity, socio-political and class issues, and culture in his activism/scholarship/mentorship. The recipient of this award exemplifies these qualities. Nominees can be academics, community activists, community educators, or K-12 educators. Individuals may be nominated or self-nominated, simply by naming the individual to committee chair Jason Lukasik (lukasik@augsburg.edu) no later than February 1, 2023.

Committee Chair: Jason Lukasik, Augsburg College |  lukasik@augsburg.edu

The Martha Allexsaht-Snider Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Multilingual and Transnational Education

Martha Allexsaht-Snider, in whose tribute the award is named, is an Emerita Professor of Elementary Education at the University of Georgia. She has led efforts to support international and multilingual emerging scholars throughout her lengthy career. As a longstanding member of the Society of Professors of Education, she has received The Wisniewski Award for Teacher Education along with her colleagues at the University of Georgia in 2016. Dr. Allexsaht-Snider is an internationally recognized scholar, who spearheaded several scholarly and community projects to study and support emergent bilingual K-12 students and international graduate students through family and community engagement. She has contributed to educational research in Colombia, Mexico, Turkey, and the US as well as through collaborations with the European Research Network About Parents in Education.

Application Requirements:
This award is given to doctoral students for outstanding achievements in promoting multilingual and transnational education. Applications should be organized with the following components: CV, a 1-page cover letter addressing the qualifications of the applicant, and a letter of support from a doctoral committee member.

Submit your application materials as a single PDF no later than February 1, 2023.
Chair: Tricia Kress, Molloy College | tkress@molloy.edu

The Wisniewski Teacher Education Award

The Wisniewski Teacher Education Award of The Society of Professors of Education (SPE) is presented annually to recognize and honor an outstanding teacher education program at a college or university. The purpose of the Award, as created by the SPE Board, is to select and honor, each year, an institution which has made a significant contributions to the theory and practice of teacher education. The criteria used by the Wisniewski Committee focus specifically on the integration of theory and practice, strength of foundational study, and effective innovation in the field of teacher education. The annual recipient is selected by the SPE’s Wisniewski Teacher Education Award Committee, based on nominations from the teacher education community and/or self-nominations.  The Award is named for Richard Wisniewski, a past president and treasurer of SPE, the former Dean of the College of Education at University of Tennessee, and Past President of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education.

Application Requirements:
A description of the program that identifies its core principles, key ideas that were used as foundations for developing the program, and examples of how these principles are manifested in courses and field experiences (no more than 2-4 pages, suggested).

Please send nominations no later than February 1, 2023.

Committee Chair: Brad Conrad, Capital University | bconrad2@capital.edu

The Mary Anne Raywid Award

The Mary Anne Raywid Award is named for Mary Anne Raywid, Hofstra University Professor Emerita and Past president of the Society of Professors of Education (1978-1979). The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the study of education.

Individuals may be nominated or self-nominated, simply by naming the individual to committee chair Nicholas Hartlep (hartlepn@berea.edu) no later than February 1, 2023.

The Society of Professors of Education Book Award

Note: Nominations for 2023 have already closed, but nominations for 2024 can begin now. Reviewers consider how well each text, among other attributes, assists readers in understanding the relationship between education and the social complexities in which schools are contextualized and in fostering inquiry into the history, current status, and future alternatives of teaching, learning, and education. You do not have to be a member of the SPE to nominate a text, and self-nominations/publisher nominations are welcome. The review process is competitive. SPE hopes that winners who are not yet members will choose to support the organization through membership.  Texts must have been published in 2022, 2023, or 2024 to be considered. Nominations will be until through October 1, 2023, as our reviewers need time to read, contemplate, and review.

Please contact committee chair pamela.konkol@cuchicago.edu with the book title, author email, and publisher contact; Pamela is happy to answer questions about review criteria and what makes for an “outstanding” book as defined by the SPE. Too, SPE has a great panel of reviewers, but there is always room for more! Please consider volunteering to review a text or two.