The Academy's founding members were distinguished scholars from Belgium, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States. Since its foundation, the Academy has grown into a global network of approximately 70 Fellows, bringing together leading scholars from diverse fields of educational research and from most regions of the world. This international and interdisciplinary community fosters collaboration, advances excellence in educational research, and promotes the use of research evidence to inform educational policy and practice worldwide.

The International Academy of Education (IAE) is governed by a Board of Directors whose members serve renewable six-year terms. The Board of Directors is responsible for the strategic leadership and governance of the Academy. It establishes the Academy's policies, oversees the election of new Fellows, and approves projects and initiatives undertaken or sponsored in the Academy's name. The Board also appoints staff and consultants and oversees the Academy's financial affairs within the approved budget.

From among its members, the Board elects a President for a renewable two-year term and appoints an Executive Director for a renewable six-year term.

Aims and Goals

The general aim of the International Academy of Education is to foster scholarly excellence in all fields of education. Towards this end, the Academy provides timely syntheses of research-based evidence of international importance. The Academy also provides critiques of research, its evidentiary basis, and its application to policy.

The Academy maintains a network of internal communications among its members about international issues and research. Although maintaining its independence, the Academy collaborates selectively with organisations on projects to which it can make a unique contribution. For example, the Academy could work with policy makers, educators and researchers in planning and conducting conferences and workshops. Some of the Academy’s evolving goals are to:

• create an international network of scholars to write state–of–the–art reports on major educational issues, to establish permanent relations among relevant disciplines of education, and to identify excellent practices wherever they might be found;
• disseminate knowledge about effective policies and practices to interested policy makers and educators.;
• conduct advanced training, particularly seminars for educational officials, research workers, and other key staff;
• provide critical and evaluative perspectives on studies and issues in the forefront of educational debate;
• identify research priorities relating to critical issues in education;
• strengthen communication and cooperation among policy makers, educational researchers and educational practitioners;

One of the main activities of the Academy has been the organization of international task forces to produce reviews that synthesize research on effective educational practices and policies. The resulting reports are intended to represent the best thinking and critical review that can be brought together from several countries. In addition, advanced seminars are conducted for educational personnel to facilitate the implementation of further research and the improvement of practice.

Meetings

The General Assembly of all Fellows and the Board of Directors meets every two years.  Parts of the meetings are typically devoted to discussions with host countries’ policy makers, educators, and scholars. Academy meetings have been held in Oxford (UK), Stockholm, Rome, Tokyo, Brussels, San Francisco, Paris, Stanford, Leuven (Belgium), Mexico City, Cyprus, Cape Town, Victoria (Canada), Marbach Castle (Germany), Melbourne (Australia), Phoenix, and Moscow.