The Iowa Academy of Education (IAE) was originally established by the First in the Nation in Education (FINE) Foundation as part of its comprehensive charge to improve student achievement in the state of Iowa through the utilization of educational research. Besides supporting the Iowa Academy of Education, the FINE foundation offered research grants aimed at increasing student achievement, disseminated results gained from education research, and recognized outstanding performance by K-12 schools and school-based researchers. The FINE's board of directors included such notable Iowans as former Lt. Gov. Art Neu, Sen. Maggie Tinsman, George Drake, former president of Grinnell College, and Tom Urban, former president and CEO of Pioneer HiBred International. In 2007, FINE closed its doors and granted the Iowa Academy of Education a self-sustaining endowment and an independent charter.
IAE is composed of outstanding Iowa scholars whose work has earned respect and recognition among peers for making a significant contribution to the broad field of educational studies. Scholars are drawn from multiple fields of inquiry, including educational psychology, educational measurement, special education, instructional design, educational policy, gifted and talented education, curriculum theory and development, educational technology, science education and more. The Academy’s principal function is to inform educational policies and practices in the state of Iowa through the scholarly consideration and analysis of significant educational issues.
At the annual meeting of the Iowa Academy of Education held at the University of Iowa on October 31, 2014, Dr. Dwight Watson, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa, was welcomed as the newest Academy member.
Dr. Dwight Watson with Dr. David Bills, IAE President