USC Rossier announced that Royel M. Johnson, associate professor of education and social work, has been selected as the recipient of the Trueba Award for Research Leading to the Transformation of the Social Contexts of Education from American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division G.
The Trueba Award honors a distinguished body of scholarship that demonstrates intellectual leadership, methodological rigor and demonstrable impact on the social conditions shaping education. Division G’s award committee cited the significance of Johnson’s work in advancing institutional responsibility for equity and in building infrastructures that move research into practice and policy.
“This recognition affirms the responsibility of scholars to do more than document inequity," Johnson said. “The most meaningful scholarship engages lived experience and helps institutions change the conditions that shape opportunity and belonging. I am grateful to AERA Division G for this honor and to USC Rossier for supporting rigorous, socially engaged research.”
A faculty member with the Pullias Center for Higher Education as well as the USC Race and Equity Center, Johnson’s work examines how educational institutions shape opportunity, with particular attention to historically marginalized and system-impacted communities. His scholarship has shaped institutional strategy on equity and belonging across educational and community settings and contributed to state-level policy reforms affecting system-impacted students.
Through a Spencer Foundation–funded national convening, Johnson brought together scholars and practitioners to close research-to-practice gaps in racial equity work, culminating in the co-edited volume Racial Equity on College Campuses: Connecting Research and Practice (SUNY Press, 2022). The book has become a widely adopted guide for institutional leaders redesigning campus structures with equity at the center. During coordinated political attacks on Critical Race Theory and DEI, Johnson collaborated with colleagues to establish a rapid-response scholarly network to translate rigorous research for legislators and counter misinformation in real time. He further contributed to national public discourse as co-editor of The Big Lie About Race in America’s Schools (Harvard Education Press), which interrogates how racial inequities are misrepresented in contemporary debates and advances a research-grounded defense of race-conscious inquiry and institutional accountability.
Johnson’s scholarship has also extended beyond publication into direct partnership with community organizations. As co-principal investigator on a $1 million Walmart Foundation–funded initiative, he helped lead a national effort supporting nonprofits serving justice-impacted youth through micro-grants, research collaboration and capacity-building. Through the Institute of Education Sciences-funded Research Institute for Scholars of Equity (RISE), he has helped train a new generation of scholars prepared to advance equity-focused research and institutional transformation.
AERA Division G also acknowledged the University of Southern California's role in supporting innovative and socially-engaged research, emphasizing the importance of institutional leadership in sustaining scholarship that advances the field.
“Royel’s work exemplifies the mission of USC Rossier,” said USC Rossier Dean Pedro Noguera. “His scholarship combines rigorous research with a deep commitment to equity and social responsibility, and this national recognition reflects the profound impact of his contributions to education.”
The award will be formally presented at the Division G Business Meeting during the upcoming AERA Annual Meeting from April 8-12 in Los Angeles
