Education Week recently released the 2021 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, an annual list highlighting education researchers who have demonstrated the greatest influence over educational policy and practice. Six researchers from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development were selected for inclusion this year.
The Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings draw on nine metrics, including social media presence, book and journal publication and citations, education press mentions, and number of times cited by members of Congress. The data are compiled each year by Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy for the American Enterprise Institute, and published by Education Week. Hess notes the competitiveness of the list, explaining, “Simply being included in this list of 200 scholars is an accomplishment, given the 20,000 or more who might qualify.”
“My colleagues and I are all deeply committed to conducting research that contributes to the evidence base that influences public engagement and policy and practice in education,” said Ellen Goldring, Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair and professor of education and leadership at Peabody College.
The six Vanderbilt faculty members recognized in the 2021 rankings are:
- Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, Office of the Dean, Department of Psychology and Human Development
- Lynn Fuchs, Dunn Family Chair in Psychoeducational Assessment, Department of Special Education
- Ellen Goldring, Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair, professor of education and leadership in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations
- Jason Grissom, Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair and professor of leadership, policy and organizations; faculty director, Tennessee Education Research Alliance
- Carolyn Heinrich, Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair Professor of Public Policy and Education, Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations
- Rich Milner, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in education, Department of Teaching and Learning
Milner, a scholar of urban education and teacher education who focuses on issues of equity and diversity, is Peabody’s highest-ranked representative on the list.
“All six of Peabody’s listed faculty have appeared previously in the Edu-Scholar Rankings, and I’m pleased that the college’s faculty continues to be so widely esteemed,” Benbow said. “We take pride in our contributions to policy and practice.”
The complete list of 2021 Edu-Scholar Public Influence rankings can be found here.