AERA (originally known as the National Association of Directors of Educational Research) was founded in New York in 1915. It was originally formed by eight individuals as an interest group within the
National Education Association Department of Superintendence. The association's eight founders – Burdette R. Buckingham, Albert Shiels, Leonard P. Ayres,
Frank W. Ballou, Stuart A. Courtis, Edwin Hebden, George Melcher, and Joseph P. O'Hern – were all directors of education research in various parts of the
United States. They met at the 1915 NEA Department of Superintendence annual meeting and came up with the idea of starting an organization to advance educational research. Their constitution was approved the following year. Early topics of interest for the AERA included research bureau operations,
measurement techniques, and particular school situations. Active membership in the early association was reserved for research bureau directors and their assistants. The association's early years revolved around the annual convention, but it also published an internal quarterly newsletter, the
Educational Research Bulletin. By the end of
World War I in 1918, the association had 36 active members and four honorary members. Its influence on public policy grew, visible in the
school districts that started to change student coursework and education practices as a result of standardized tests. According to the AERA, over the years that followed, membership saw a dramatic increase, particularly among university personnel which grew from 48% to 69% between the years 1923 and 1927. The ability of
education research to guide education practitioners was a struggle throughout the association's beginnings, with only ambiguous known relationships between testing and learning outcomes. The association recognized the need to establish theoretical foundations for the field of education research. In 1928, the association had changed its name to its current one as the American Educational Research Association. During the
Great Depression, the association's public school affiliates struggled with tight budgets and uncertain employment, but at the same time, university education researchers dominated the field and emerged as a unique social entity. AERA officials grew their relationships with like-minded associations, and a new journal, the
Review of Educational Research, began as a reference work, summarizing recent studies since 1931. == Publications ==