Seven education professors at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development were included in the 2017 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings.
Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies at American Enterprise Institute and Education Weekblogger, compiles the list annually to recognize the top 200 university-based scholars who are contributing to the national discourse on education issues.
“I am grateful for the work of the fine scholars selected for this ranking, and I congratulate them,” said Camilla P. Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development and professor of psychology. “They represent a faculty that continually influences and strengthens education.”
Eligible faculty are evaluated in nine categories: Google Scholar score; book points; Amazon ranking; syllabus points; education press mentions; web mentions; newspaper mentions; congressional record mentions; and social media presence.
The seven Peabody faculty members included this year, in alphabetical order, are:
Dale Ballou, associate professor of leadership, policy and organizations. Ballou has authored numerous journal publications on regulations and incentives in the training, recruitment and retention of effective teachers and the impact of sanctions and rewards on teacher effectiveness.
Camilla Persson Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development and professor of psychology. As co-director of the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, the foremost longitudinal study on gifted individuals, Benbow has pioneered research on giftedness that is frequently cited in education trade publications; referenced in newspaper and magazines articles and on the web; and utilized in syllabi across the country.
Lynn Fuchs, Nicholas Hobbs Professor of Special Education and Human Development.Fuchs is prolific in publishing and presenting her findings on instructional methods for improving mathematics and reading outcomes for students with learning disabilities and their responsiveness to intervention.
Ellen B. Goldring, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy and chair of the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations. Goldring contributes regularly to the national discourse on the intersection of education policy and school improvement, and has authored numerous books on leadership effectiveness in school administration.
Jason Grissom, associate professor of public policy and education and director of the Master of Public Policy program. Grissom has shined a spotlight on the importance of school leadership and measurements of teacher performance through a robust social media presence and ongoing discourse with education reporters.
Gary T. Henry, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education. Henry is a leading expert on school turnaround and state takeovers of failing schools, and is often cited by education reporters on the subject of Tennessee’s Achievement School District and turnaround efforts in other states.
Joseph F. Murphy, Frank W. Mayborn Professor of Education and associate dean for special projects, Office of the Dean. Murphy is a former school administrator at the school, district and state levels. A leading expert on school improvement, he has published 22 books on school leadership and policy, including The Architecture of School Improvement: Lessons Learned (Corwin), and has edited more than a dozen books. A regular honoree on the list, Murphy has been in the top 50 for the past four years.