Sarah McGrew, assistant professor, Ph.D., Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership at the University of Maryland College of Education, is the recipient of the 2022 National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Award. The award provides $70,000 to early-career researchers whose research addresses critical issues in the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education.
“I'm grateful to be part of the 2022 postdoctoral fellowship cohort,” said McGrew. “The time and research support offered by the fellowship, the mentorship I'll receive through the National Academy of Education, and the chance to learn from fellow awardees will be priceless in my development as a scholar.”
McGrew’s research focuses on how young people evaluate online information on social and political topics and how schools can better support students to learn effective evaluation strategies. Through the fellowship, she will collaborate with teachers to design lessons that help students learn evaluation strategies and better understand how their identities, beliefs and emotions affect how information reaches them and is evaluated. She will also study teacher learning and professional development efforts to better understand how to help teachers integrate teaching online evaluations into their curricula.
McGrew is one of 25 postdoctoral fellows selected this year from a pool of 258 applicants.
"Dr. McGrew exemplifies research excellence,” said interim dean Laura Stapleton. “Being named one of this year’s postdoctoral fellows is a fitting honor and we look forward to the continued impact her research on educational responses to the spread of online mis- and disinformation will have on our society.”
In addition to funding, McGrew will attend professional development retreats, where fellows will receive mentoring from National Academy of Education members. As a 2018 NAEd/Spencer dissertation fellow, she recognizes the significant role mentorship played in her research.
“It is an incredible gift to be part of such a dynamic community of scholars,” she added. “I had thoughtful mentors who pushed me to think about my research in new ways. This fellowship will allow me to further my research and address some of the many questions we still have about digital misinformation.”
