Ernest Morrell and Mark Berends

Two Kellogg Institute Faculty Fellows 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. At Kellogg, he is one of four PIs leading the Institute's Research Cluster on International Education. Morrell holds appointments in the Department of English and Department of Africana Studies, and he is a fellow of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. 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. Berends is also a fellow of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. 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.

Originally published with the Institute for Educational Initiatives.