Stanford GSE Professor Emeritus David Labaree elected to the National Academy of Education

David Labaree, a professor emeritus at Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Education (NAEd).

He joins a cohort of 22 distinguished professors selected for membership earlier this year, representing a diverse scope of expertise in education research and policy.

Labaree is one of more than two dozen Stanford colleagues in NAEd, the highest representation of any university, including fellow GSE Professor Alfredo J. Artiles, who will begin his presidency at the organization in October.

“Our distinguished colleagues now joining the National Academy of Education bring the range of expertise and commitments needed for our field to update itself and wrestle with these complexities (of our democratic experiment in governance) continuously,” said Carol D. Lee, current NAEd president. “We are delighted and honored that this cohort of scholars will join us in tackling these complexities.” 

Labaree, the Lee L. Jacks Professor of Education, emeritus, joined the GSE in 2003. His work focuses on the history of education through the lens of sociology. 

“I was very excited and also quite surprised when I found out,” Labaree said. “I was already long retired so I figured it was past my time to get elected.”

Labaree’s research and interests center on exploring the development of the American school system and the relationship between education and society in the United States, and the role school plays in America. He is the author of several books and articles including How to Succeed in School Without Really Learning, The Trouble with Ed Schools, and A Perfect Mess: The Unlikely Ascendancy of American Higher Education.

Labaree taught courses on the history of school reform, the history of higher education in the United States and historical and sociological perspectives on schools of education. He has served as president of the History of Education Society, and is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.

“As someone who thought their days of accomplishment were behind them, I value joining the National Academy of Education very highly,” he said. “I’m excited to see what this next chapter holds.”

Founded in 1965, the National Academy of Education advances education research and its use in policy formation and practice. The Academy consists of U.S. members and foreign associates elected based on outstanding education-related scholarship.