Opinion
Policy & Politics Opinion

The Most Influential Education Researchers in 2023 (in Charts)

January 17, 2023 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Who topped the list of this year’s RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings? Which scholars show up most in the press? And what disciplines at which universities are capturing media attention?

Who Are the Top 10 Edu-Scholars?

The rankings are tabulated from nine categories—including Google Scholar scores, published books, and newspaper and web mentions—intended to measure the scope and reach of a scholar’s body of work.

Opinion RHSU scholar Rankings data

Which Scholars Are Showing Up in the Press?

“Newspaper mentions” measure, in points, the media attention scholars receive in the popular press, as determined by a LexisNexis search. The scholar could have been quoted, mentioned, or written a column, such as John H. McWhorter and Tressie McMillan Cottom, both of whom are opinion columnists for The New York Times. (A scholar earns one point per mention; points are capped at 30.) “Education Press” mentions are calculated separately.


Which Disciplines Bring in the Media Points?

A university with the greatest number of ranked scholars doesn’t necessarily add up to the greatest number of media points. Nor does every discipline accrue points equally. For example, while Harvard had more scholars, Stanford accrued more media points. And UCLA, which tied for third place with UVA for the number of ranked scholars, earned the most number of media points of the top four schools.

Opinion RHSU Scholar Rankings data

Data visualizations by Vanessa Solis/Education Week

See Also

Illustration of man at computer weighing facts and opinions.
James Steinberg for Education Week

Related Tags:

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Law & Courts How a Supreme Court Case on Job Transfers Will Impact Schools
The justices consider whether workers alleging employment discrimination must show that a lateral job transfer harmed them.
8 min read
Photograph of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington DC, USA.
E+/Getty
Education Funding Here's How the Feds Are Spending $277M for Academic Recovery
A new round of grants from the Education Department aims to spur innovation in academic recovery, with initiatives in math, reading, and AI.
4 min read
Image of a dollar bill folded into an upward arrow.
ImagePixel/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Wisconsin Teachers Sue to Restore Collective Bargaining Rights
The lawsuit takes fresh aim at a 2011 law that severely restricted bargaining, and has survived several legal challenges since.
6 min read
Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) vice president Betsy Kippers leads a chant during a rally to protest Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill, at the Brown County Courthouse in downtown Green Bay on February 16, 2011.
Betsy Kippers, vice president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, leads a chant during a rally to protest Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, at the Brown County Courthouse in downtown Green Bay on February 16, 2011.
H. Marc Larson/The Green Bay Press-Gazette via AP
Law & Courts What Sandra Day O'Connor Did to Shape School Law and Civics Education
O'Connor wrote influential opinions on affirmative action, Title IX, and other education issues. Then she tirelessly worked on civics.
10 min read
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor listens as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pays tribute to O'Connor's advocacy work on behalf of civic education, impact on female judges and justice for women and girls worldwide at the Seneca Women Global Leadership Forum at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, on April 15, 2015 in Washington.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor listens to a tribute to her advocacy work on behalf of civics education and women's role in the legal profession at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, on April 15, 2015, in Washington.
Kevin Wolf/Invision for Seneca Women via AP Images