José Vasconcelos World Award of Education 2002
Field of Work: Science Education
Date: 14 November 2002
Place of Ceremony: Trinity College
Host Institution: University of Dublin
Host Country: Dublin, Ireland
Dublin, Ireland. November 2002. The World Cultural Council presented the 2002 José Vasconcelos World Award of Education to Prof. Jeannie Oakes, Presidential Professor in Education and Associate Dean in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA. The Award Ceremony took place in Dublin, Ireland, with the host being Trinity College of the University of Dublin.
The José Vasconcelos World Award for Education has been established as an acknowledgement to those who have the all-important task of teaching, the underlying basis for our present civilization.
Prof. Oakes was selected as the recipient of this award in recognition of her outstanding achievements in Education. It is a prize granted for her trajectory as an authority in the field of teaching and social education. Her work has had a significant influence on the advancement of high quality education, particularly for children who come from poorer families, who belong to racial and ethnic minorities, or who are immigrants.
This recognition is for her outstanding achievements in Education. It is a prize granted to Prof. Oakes for her productive trajectory as an authority in the field of teaching and social education.
Prof. Oake’s research examines inequalities in U.S. schools and follows the progress of equity-minded reform. She has focused attention on how tracking and ability-grouping limit the school experiences of low-income students and students of color, most of whom are identified as “low” ability or “slow” learners.
Prof. Oakes achieved her BA at San Diego State University (1964), and her MA at California State University (1969). She received her PhD in Education from the University of California, L.A., in 1980. Among her many awards is the one given by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, which selected her for the Margaret B. Lindsey Award for Distinguished Research in Teacher Education.
Her research has become an important part of several policy efforts and legal cases in the United States. In addition, because of her personal commitment to equity in the public education of all children in the United States, she maintains an active engagement with policy makers and citizen action groups, working with them to better the educational opportunities and experiences of children.
