Featured series 
Patricia Albjerg Graham Professor of Education Susan Dynarski has been elected to the National Academy of Education (NAEd), in recognition of her distinct and valuable contributions to educational research and policy development. The NAEd announced the new class of 17 members last month.
Dynarski’s research focuses on understanding and reducing inequality in education, looking to assess the effects of charter schools, financial aid, postsecondary schooling, class size, and high school reforms on academic achievement, educational attainment, and long-term outcomes. Her work strives to make higher education more accessible — particularly for low-income and first-generation students — by lowering or removing barriers at multiple stages of college admissions, including by improving application processes and simplifying enrollment.
NAEd advances the highest quality education research and its use in policy and practice. Founded in 1965, the NAEd consists of U.S. members and foreign associates who are elected on the basis of outstanding scholarship related to education. Nominations are submitted by individual academy members once a year for review and election by the entire membership.
In addition to serving on expert study panels that address pressing issues in education, members are also deeply engaged in NAEd’s professional development programs such as the NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and the NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program.
Dynarski joins a membership that encompasses outstanding scholars from across the field — including HGSE Dean Bridget Long and Professors Nonie Lesaux, Patricia Albjerg Graham, Susan Moore Johnson, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Richard Murnane, David Perkins, Judith Singer, Catherine Snow, and Andrew Ho.
