Ernest Morrell, Mark Berends recognized for their influence on educational practice and policy
Ernest Morrell and Mark Berends, professors from the University of Notre Dame Institute for Educational Initiatives, were among 200 scholars selected for the Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, an annual listing published by Education Week that highlights academics who had the year’s biggest impact on educational practice and policy.
Morrell, associate dean for the humanities and equity in the College of Arts and Letters, director of the Notre Dame Center for Literacy Education and the Coyle Professor in Literacy Education, ranked 80th. This is the 10th year that he has been included in the rankings.
And Berends, the Hackett Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives and professor of sociology, placed 172nd. This is his sixth appearance on the list.
Morrell’s research focuses on how the use of popular culture in the classroom can successfully engage urban youth and communities, as well as on translanguaging — the idea that students can maximize their learning by incorporating the many different languages they use every day.
He holds appointments in the departments of English and Africana studies. Morrell, who was elected to the National Academy of Education in 2022, is a fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and director of the National Council of Teachers of English James R. Squire Office of Policy Research in the English Language Arts. He also is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
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.
His research focuses on how school organization and classroom instruction are related to student outcomes, with special attention to underserved students and school reforms aimed at improving their educational opportunities. He is currently conducting several studies on school choice, including an examination of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program.
Berends is a member of the National Academy of Education and an AERA fellow. He also is a fellow with the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.
In addition, David Yaeger, a graduate of the Alliance for Catholic Education’s Teaching Fellows — a two-year Notre Dame program in which participants earn a master’s degree in education while teaching in Catholic K-12 schools in the United States — placed 97th in the rankings.
Yaeger is now an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
Rick Hess, director of education policy studies for the American Enterprise Institute, compiles the rankings. They are based on performances in nine categories, including publications, inclusion on syllabuses across the country, education press and web mentions, and mentions in the Congressional Record.
Originally published by al.nd.edu on Jan. 8.
atLatest Colleges & Schools
- Using anti-racist messaging boosts credibility of human rights groups, Notre Dame study showsHow can human rights groups criticize governments' human rights violations without appearing racist or fueling racism toward diaspora groups? New research by a University of Notre Dame human rights expert sheds light on the complex relationship between race and human rights, especially as it plays out between human rights groups and governments.
- College of Arts & Letters launches ND Population Analytics to accelerate policy-relevant work through big dataIn partnership with the University of Notre Dame’s Poverty Initiative, the College of Arts & Letters has launched a data-focused research effort that will foster and advance multidisciplinary work on a wide range of pressing demographic issues facing society, including poverty, rising inequality, declining health in the United States, family instability and falling religious participation.
- Pulte Institute joins global consortium using research to end povertyThe United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded $75 million to a consortium of leading global institutions, including the Pulte Institute for Global Development at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, to enhance the effectiveness of poverty alleviation programs through research.
- As Northern Ireland grapples with legacy of the Troubles, Notre Dame experts influence policy to prioritize victims’ rightsNorthern Ireland has long struggled to reckon with the trauma of the Troubles, a 30-year conflict that killed approximately 3,700 people — many of them civilians — through sectarian violence. Experts in the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs recently influenced the design of a Northern Ireland commission to address the conflict’s legacy, sharing key lessons from Colombia on the importance of centering victims in truth and reconciliation.
- When countries hide their true public debt, they hurt themselves, their citizens and their lendersGlobal public debt may soon collectively catch up to the worldwide gross domestic product (GDP), likely matching it by 2030. New research from a Notre Dame economist suggests that this could happen even sooner, thanks to countries’ hidden debts. This misreported debt can lead to higher interest rates for borrowers and lower recovery rates for lenders, suggesting indirect adverse effects on global financial stability and consumer welfare.
- WSJ editor and columnist Gerry Baker to deliver Thomas H. Quinn LectureGerry Baker, editor-at-large of The Wall Street Journal, is the featured speaker for the Thomas H. Quinn Lecture Series. “Unpacking the Election: Where Do We Go From Here?” will take place at 3:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 8) in the Jordan Auditorium at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.