Erica Frankenberg, professor of education (educational leadership) and demography at Penn State and director of the Center for Education and Civil Rights, was recently named to the 2026 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings list of top 200 U.S.-based university scholars who influence education policy and practice. Frankenberg has been on the list every year since 2015 and is the only Penn State educator to be included.
The rankings, published in Education Week, list the university-based scholars in the United States who are identified as doing the most to shape educational practice and policy.
Frankenberg, who is also a Social Science Research Institute associate director, is a frequently cited media source recognized for her expertise on racial desegregation and inequality in K-12 schools, the connections between school segregation and other metropolitan policies, and the extent of school segregation today.
Her work has been featured in national news outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, PBS News Hour, LA Times, Associated Press, PolitiFact and 1A, among others. She also has been a guest on talk radio programs to talk about school segregation and why it matters.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized as a top education scholar in the nation,” said Frankenberg. “One of my goals is to make sure educational research findings are accessible and can be communicated to different audiences, especially those who can help shape policies to be more equitable.”
For more information about Frankenberg's work, visit the Center for Education and Civil Rights website.