Duckworth, Gonzales Recognized as Edu-Scholar Public Influencers

Education Week has announced the 2023 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, 200 university-based scholars in the United States who did the most last year to shape educational practice and policy. The list includes Angela Duckworth, Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of Psychology, and Roberto Gonzales, Richard Perry Professor of Sociology and Education.

Duckworth, who ranked second on the list, is co-founder and chief scientist of Character Lab, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance scientific insights that help children thrive. She is also faculty co-director of the Penn-Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative, and faculty co-director of Wharton People Analytics. Duckworth is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and the author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, a number one New York Times best seller. She has advised the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs.

Gonzales’s research focuses on factors that shape and reduce inequalities among vulnerable youth populations as they transition to adulthood. He is the founding director of the Penn Migration Initiative, which advances and promotes interdisciplinary scholarship around issues of immigration policy and immigrant communities. A Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor, Gonzales has briefed members of the U.S. Congress and has testified on matters of immigration policy before the U.S. Senate. His work has been featured in top journals, and he has written opinion pieces for major publications including The New York Times and Washington Post.