Notre Dame Places Two on Edu-Scholar Rankings
Two professors from the University of Notre Dame and Institute for Educational Initiatives were named in the Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, an annual listing published by Education Week of the 200 scholars who had the year’s biggest impact on educational practice and policy.
Ernest Morrell, the Coyle Professor in Literacy Education and director of the Notre Dame Center for Literacy Education, ranked 123rd in the 2019 list. Mark Berends, a professor of sociology and the director of the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity, placed 161st.
Morrell’s research focuses on developing powerful models of teaching and learning in classrooms and non-school environments to successfully engage urban youth and communities. Morrell also holds appointments in the Department of English and Department of Africana Studies, and he is a Fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. This is the fifth year he has been included in the rankings.
Berends has written and published extensively on educational reform, school choice, the effects of family and school changes on student achievement trends, and the effects of schools and classrooms on student achievement. Currently, he is conducting several studies on school choice, including an examination of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program. Berends is also a Fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. This is his first appearance on the list.
“I am gratified to see the Institute represented in these rankings,” said John Staud, the acting director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. “Our goal is to improve the education of all children, particularly the most disadvantaged, and this shows the national impact of these two outstanding faculty members.”
Rick Hess, the director of education policy for the American Enterprise Institute, compiles the rankings each year. The rankings are based on performances in nine categories that include publications, inclusion on syllabi across the country, education press and web mentions, and mentions in the Congressional Record.
