Leading the Pack: Faculty Ranked as Most Visible Scholars in Education

North Carolina State University’s College of Education professors ranked among the top scholars in the nation with a public presence by a national education policy expert.

Dr. Lance Fusarelli, professor in educational leadership and policy studies, was ranked 79th and Dr. Bonnie Fusarelli, associate professor in educational leadership and policy studies, was ranked 120th, in the nation in the 2012 Rick Hess Straight Up's "Edu-Scholar Public Presence Rankings," published in Education Week. Hess is an education policy expert of the American Enterprise Institute think tank.

“This ranking among the top scholars in education is an honorable acknowledgment of the importance of the corpus of work conducted by Drs. Lance Fusarelli and Bonnie Fusarelli,” said Dr Jayne Fleener, Dean of the College of Education. “We are proud of them and appreciate they are active members of the College of Education community and share their work and expertise so all can benefit.”

The metrics are designed to recognize those university-based academics who are contributing most substantially to public debates about schools and schooling. The rankings offer a gauge of the public impact edu-scholars had in 2011, factoring in both long-term and shorter-term contributions.

Dr. Lance Fusarelli is a Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Adult and Higher Education. Dr. Fusarelli's research has focused on school leadership, specifically the superintendency, educational politics and policy studies, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, and school choice. His recent work focuses on the politics of NCLB, education reform, demographic trends, and social policy.

Dr. Bonnie Fusarelli is an associate professor in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Adult and Higher Education. Her research focuses on educational leadership and policy, the politics of education, specifically school reform, superintendents, social justice/educational equity, and organizational change, particularly with school/agency collaboration. Dr. Fusarelli also co-directs the Northeast Leadership Academy, an innovative school leader preparation model designed to develop 21st Century school leaders for rural, high-need schools in Northeast, North Carolina. 

Click here to view the Education Week article and rankings.