As one of the founders of ARNA, Eduardo Flores not only worked diligently to improve 

education in Mexico but was instrumental in building the initial structures of ARNA.  

Eduardo’s work to build an inclusive ARNA in both Spanish and English, as well his 

incredible support for the initial conference in San Francisco, mean that he had a 

significant impact on the future of ARNA despite being involved for only short time.  

This award acknowledges an individual who embodies Eduardo’s leadership.

         

2015          

Dr. Cathy Bruce, Canada

No one has been more actively engaged in the leadership 

of ARNA since its inception than ARNA co-initiator and 2015 

conference co-chair, Catherine Bruce.  Cathy serves as 

Associate Professor and Graduate Director of the Masters in 

Educational Studies program in the School of Education and 

Professional Learning at Trent University. In 2013, she was 

named one of Ontario’s most outstanding university teachers 

by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. 

Cathy has more than 25 years of combined public school 

and university teaching experience and in addition to co-chairing

 this year’s ARNA conference and CARN Study Day, she co-chaired

 last year’s conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. We have been 

most fortunate indeed to see the reach of Cathy’s profound influence 

on the action research of local practitioners throughout this year’s Study Day and Conference.
Link to Cathy's action research at http://www.people.trentu.ca/cathybruce/.

2014  

Dr. Lonnie Rowell, USA

          

Lonnie is one of the initial members of the small group

which has led to the creation of ARNA and indeed to our being here

together this evening.  Those of this group who were part of that initial

group recognize the significant influence of Lonnie’s vision throughout

the establishment of this exciting and energizing organization.  Lonnie is

tireless in his efforts to grow the network, document the history and

progress of action research, and mentor those of us who aspire to keep up

to him.  Today Lonnie referred to the work of ARNA as “building mutual

respect and unleashing creativity.”  We know that we couldn’t have a

better leader in this endeavor. Link to Action Research in School Counseling

at http://www.schoolcounselor-advocate.com/#!about/cjg9. Link to Social Publishers Foundation at

           https://www.socialpublishersfoundation.org/. Link to Palgrave International Handbook of Action Research
           at https://sites.google.com/site/interhandbookar/home.  

As indicated in the mission statement, ARNA unites college and university students and 

faculty conducting practitioner inquiry into teaching and learning with fellow action 

researchers in public schools, private schools, community settings and workplaces 

throughout the Americas. This award acknowledges an individual who has 

demonstrated a commitment to rigorous action research as well as valuing the 

importance of developing knowledge in situ.

    

         2015

           

Cathy Griffin, Canada

The ARNA Award for Promising Young Researcher is presented to Cathy Griffin. Cathy 

is from the Bluewater District School Board in Ontario and has been working tirelessly 

with her colleagues to improve teaching and learning through action research 

colleagues. Since earning her Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction 

from Brock University in 2011, she has written papers and made presentations with jack 

Whitehead, Liz Campbell, and Jackie DeLong, among others. She is creator of the 

Bluewater Action Research Network, ten of whose members  presented their action 

research at the 2015 ARNA conference. Her keynote address to the Teacher Learning

and Leading Program provides more details about her work. 

     

      

2014

 

Meredith Cohen, USA 

               

  Meredith's action research study examined the impact of support provided by the ESL
  teacher upon mainstream teachers’ and monitored and post-monitored ESL
  students’ academic, cultural, social, and emotional experiences in the
  context of middle school.  In her research, she examined how to support
  the teachers in the main stream classrooms who didn’t necessarily
  believe that these student required support because they had enrolled in
  the main stream.  This is the so what – it is action research that is
  clearly making a real difference in the lives of ELL students  and is
  empowering other practitioners to be more reflective in their own
  practice and of their own beliefs to change their practice.  Meredith
  elected to undertake the action research to improve the lives of underserved students.

Meredith will be presenting her work in a session called Letters to Param: Perceptions Versus realities Between Monitored &

Post-Monitored ELLs and Their teachers in the Mainstreamed Secondary Classroom. Meredith's  action research study may be

accessed at http://home.moravian.edu/public/educ/eddept/mEd/thesis.htm. 

   Camillo Manchola, Colombia

     Camilo Manchola has been an extremely valuable and 

     active member of the Transition Coordinating Group. In this 

     role, he helped chart the second year development of ARNA.

     He as embraced this leadership role in the action research 

     community and provided insightful dedication to building the ARNA 

     community in South America. When he moved to Brazil to pursue 

     his doctorate, he continued his service to ARNA as a valued

     member of the the Web and Tech Development Team.   He 

     continues to make connections for ARNA in Columbia, Brazil and 

     throughout South America. He has been working closely with 

    ARNA to develop the plans and contacts for ARNA 2017 

    Conference in Columbia on the 40th Anniversary of the first 

World Symposium of Action Research convened in 1977. 

The organization and execution of the annual conference depends upon the ability of 

leaders to engage and motivate the community and to build strong connections with 

those knowledgeable others.  These efforts require significant investment of both time 

and energy, as well as a long lasting enthusiasm for ARNA and the recipient of this 

award is such an individual.

       

          2015 

 

                       

ARNA Proceedings Editorial Team, USA and Canada

ANRA is a knowledge mobilization organization comprised entirely of volunteers 

committed to ARNA’s mission and vision. The ARNA Community Development Award 

goes to the members of the 2014 Proceedings Team, led most ably by Elena Polush 

from Ball State University, and comprised of Trent University’s Tara Flynn, West 

Chester University of Pennsylvania’s Heather Leaman, Ball State University’s Jose 

Martinez, and Moravian College’s Jamie Hill, published the first proceedings in record 

time and to universal acclaim. As the editors say in their preface to the inaugural issue, 

which is accessible from the ARNA home page. The proceedings represent authors 

who are the members of the action research global community. They live and work in 

Australia, Canada, Colombia, Finland, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Portugal, the United 

Kingdom, and the United States. While being a diverse group of scholars and 

practitioners with different backgrounds and from various fields of practice and 

research, they share passion for action research, social justice, change, transformation, 

education, environment, livelihood and sustainability of communities, and collaboration, 

among other key commitments and aspirations. Their work is guided by engagement, 

reflections, actions, and critical dispositions. This evening we honor Elena and her team 

for their most excellent first publication. Link to the ARNA Proceedings at 

https://sites.google.com/site/arnaproceedings/home.

  

 2014 

Rachel Sherman, USA

The organization and execution of the annual conference depends upon the
ability of leaders to wrestling up the community and building strong
connections with those knowledgeable others.
Rachel demonstrated significant and sustained commitment to the 2014 ARNA
conference from the start.  She attended the 2013 ARNA conference in San
Francisco, where she made many connections with both presenters and
attendees.  These connections formed the foundation of her work over the
past year, during which time she has strengthened and expanded existing
networks, as well as created new  networks.  Many of you have benefitted
from Rachel’s work, perhaps without even knowing it, and many of you met her at the registration table.
Rachel exemplifies the type of dedicated and determined individual whose work strengthens ARNA’s ability to

expand the action research community.Rachel's action research story was captured at the 2013 conference.

Her action research thesis on project-based learning is available at

http://home.moravian.edu/public/educ/eddept/mEd/2012/Thesis/shermanRachel.pdf. 

ARNA members are committed to taking action locally, regionally, nationally, and 

internationally to promote action research that is conducted with a commitment to 

honesty, integrity, inclusiveness, multi-vocality, engagement, and achievement within 

sustainable democratic societies.  The realization of such a commitment requires 

individuals, such as the recipient of this award, determined to build relationships that are 

respectful of cultural and linguistic diversity.

          

2015 

Dr. Candace Kaye, USA

The recipient of this year’s Social Justice Award epitomizes ARNA’s commitment to the 

development of worldwide efforts in support of teacher action research. Under the most 

able leadership of New Mexico State University’s Dr. Candace Kaye, ARNA has signed 

its first official memorandum of understanding with an international higher education 

institution, the Mongolian National University of Education, which is also an ARNA 

conference and institutional sponsor. Candace has lead and will continue to lead efforts 

to engage our Mongolian colleagues in collaborative research with a specific focus on 

action research projects, lectures, symposia, seminars, and workshops, while 

supporting the exchange of action research, practitioner research, and participatory 

research information and materials. Candace has most ably explored the development

 

of new distance technology support system for action research through the promotion of  mutually beneficial endeavors.

More information about Dr. Kaye's work is available at http://ci.nmsu.edu/faculty/ckaye/.

2014

Dr. Miguel Angel Lopez Montoya, Mexico

We begin by  acknowledging the considerable support Miguel

provided throughout the process of putting out the call for proposals

through to accepting them and right up to putting the final touches on the

program and abstract documents.  He provided excellent feedback on the

many stages of the process, quickly responded to translation requests, and

communicated across the various networks as we moved toward this

conference.  Within his work at Universidad Autonoma de Baja California,

he has demonstrated a commitment to promoting and conducting action

research with the highest of standards.  We are pleased to present Miguel

with this acknowledgement of his leadership.