The 2026 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings have been released, highlighting 200 scholars from U.S. universities who significantly impacted educational policy and practice last year. These rankings reflect both scholars who auto-qualified and those selected by a 27-member committee.
Top Education Scholars Revealed
This year’s top education scholars list is led by:
- Angela Duckworth, University of Pennsylvania
- John McWhorter, Columbia University
- Shaun Harper, University of Southern California
- Marybeth Gasman, Rutgers University
- Jo Boaler, Stanford University
The remainder of the top ten includes prominent figures like:
- Howard Gardner, Harvard University
- Raj Chetty, Harvard University
- Carol Dweck, Stanford University
- David Yeager, University of Texas at Austin
- Thomas Dee, Stanford University
Institution Performance
Stanford University had notable success, placing seven scholars in the top 20. Other institutions with multiple scholars included:
- University of Southern California: 2 scholars
- Harvard University: 2 scholars
- University of Pennsylvania: 2 scholars
Additionally, the top 20 featured scholars from:
- Columbia University
- University of Virginia
- University of Texas at Austin
- Brown University
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Rutgers University
- University of Tennessee-Knoxville
In total, Harvard led the rankings with 25 scholars, followed by Stanford with 18. Columbia and UCLA tied for third, each contributing nine scholars to the list. Overall, 56 universities had at least one scholar included in the rankings.
Popular Books in Education
This year, book sales have also provided insights into trending educational topics:
- Carol Dweck’s “Mindset – Updated Edition” was the most popular.
- Angela Duckworth’s “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” followed closely.
- Other notable titles included:
- “10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People” by David Yeager
- “How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms, 3rd Edition” by Carol Ann Tomlinson
- “Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words” by John McWhorter
- “With Faith in God and Heart and Mind: A History of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity” by Eddie Cole and Derrick Alridge
While this ranking exercise is imperfect, it offers valuable insights into the influence of scholars in education. The rankings serve to spark meaningful discussions about educational practices and their developers.
Tomorrow, an in-depth analysis of the top faculty in each discipline will be available, offering more insights into the world of education.
