Three University of Notre Dame faculty members have been named to the 2025 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings. This prestigious annual list recognizes the 200 scholars whose academic work has most influenced educational practice and policy nationwide.

All three are faculty fellows in Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI), which strives to improve PK-12 education through research, formation of teachers and leaders, and direct service to educational systems.

Ernest Morrell has been included on the list every year since 2015 for his groundbreaking contributions to literacy education. Morrell is the Associate Dean for the Humanities and Equity in the College of Arts and Letters, the Coyle Professor in Literacy Education, and the Director of the Notre Dame Center for Literacy Education within the IEI. He is a faculty member in the Departments of English and Africana Studies and a faculty fellow in the Initiative on Race and Resilience.

Morrell’s research focuses on how the use of out-of-school literacy practices (e.g. popular culture and media) in the classroom can successfully engage urban youth in academic content and improve educational outcomes. He is also interested in collectively working with young people and their communities in collaborative research geared toward social change.

He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in fall 2024 and he is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and Director of the National Council of Teachers of English James R. Squire Office for Policy Research in the English Language Arts. Morrell also is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and an elected member of the AERA council.

”I cannot thank the leadership at Notre Dame enough for their support of my research program and my outreach to schools and communities,” said Morrell. “This recognition ultimately belongs to them for their faith in me and my work.”

Mark Berends is making his seventh appearance on the annual list, recognized for his impactful research on school effectiveness and education policy. He is a professor in the Department of Sociology and a faculty fellow of the IEI’s Center for Research on Educational Opportunity and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

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 and attainment. His research focuses on how school organization and classroom instruction are related to student outcomes, with special attention to historically marginalized students and school reforms aimed at improving their educational opportunities. Currently, he is conducting several studies on school choice, including an examination of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program.

He is a member of the National Academy of Education and an AERA fellow. At Notre Dame, he has served as the director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI), Associate Vice President for Research, Director of the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO), and founding director of Notre Dame’s Program for Interdisciplinary Educational Research (PIER).

“It’s an honor to be selected with this incredible group of scholars, many of whom I have looked up to for years,” said Berends. “Having research recognized for its impact on policy and practice provides additional motivation to find new ways to make it happen.”

Jeffrey Denning, who is new to the list this year, focuses his research on higher education economics and student outcomes. He is the Dillon Hall Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and a faculty affiliate of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. Denning is also a National Bureau of Economic Research associate, an IZA research fellow, and a CESifo research affiliate.

Denning’s recent work explores critical issues in education and labor economics, including the effects of increased student loan availability on long-term outcomes, the relationship between selective college access and labor market success, and factors contributing to gender wage gaps.

"It is an honor to be included on this list of scholars affecting education policy,” said Denning. “ I am grateful to my collaborators and the support I've received from Notre Dame for my research on the economics of education."

“We are thrilled to see Ernest Morrell, Mark Berends, and Jeff Denning recognized for their significant influence on education policy and practice,” said Matt Kloser, Hackett Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. “I can think of no greater privilege than to work alongside such talented faculty whose research contributes significantly to the field, and even more importantly, helps shape policy and practice to foster even stronger academic outcomes for all young people.”

The full list of rankings can be found on Education Week.

Contact: Carrie Gates, Associate Director of Media Relations, c.gates@nd.edu, 574-993-9220