Two University of Notre Dame faculty members, Ernest Morrell and Mark Berends, have been named to the 2026 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, published annually by Education Week. The list recognizes the 200 university-based scholars whose academic work and public influence have most shaped educational practice and policy nationwide. Both Morrell and Berends 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
Ernest Morrell has been included on the list every year since 2015, marking his 12th appearance, for his groundbreaking contributions to literacy education. Morrell has served as the associate dean for the humanities and equity in the College of Arts & 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, including popular culture and media, can engage young people in academic content and strengthen educational outcomes. His scholarship also explores how educators and communities can partner with students through collaborative research that supports learning, leadership, and social change. In 2025, Morrell received the James R. Squire Award from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), recognizing his transformative impact on literacy education and English language arts.
Mark Berends
Mark Berends was named to the 2026 list for the eighth time, recognized for his influential 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 (CREO) and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, and he currently serves as the director of the ND PIER program. Berends has written and published extensively on educational reform, school choice, and the effects of schools and classrooms on student achievement and attainment. His research focuses on how school organization and classroom instruction relate to student outcomes, with special attention to historically marginalized students and school reforms aimed at improving educational opportunities.
“We are proud to see Ernest Morrell and Mark Berends recognized for the reach and impact of their scholarship,” said Matt Kloser, Hackett Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. “Their work reflects the very best of Notre Dame’s mission, research in service of others, grounded in rigor, and oriented toward strengthening educational outcomes and opportunity while supporting the flourishing of young people in mind and heart.”
The full list of rankings can be found on Education Week.
About the Institute for Educational Initiatives
Founded in 1996, the Institute for Educational Initiatives consists of more than two dozen initiatives that strive to improve education for all youth, particularly the disadvantaged, paying special, though not exclusive, attention to Catholic schools. Through research, the formation of teachers and leaders, and direct service to educational systems, the IEI’s scholars and practitioners pursue interdisciplinary collaborations to better understand and improve PK-12 education both in the United States and internationally.
For more information about IEI and its initiatives, visit iei.nd.edu.
Media Contact:
Carrie Gates
Associate Director of Media Relations
University of Notre Dame
