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David Figlio, the Gordon Fyfe Professor of Economics and a professor of education at the ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ’s Warner School of Education and Human Development, has earned national recognition in the annual , which recognize the top 200 university-based scholars in the United States whose work most strongly influenced education policy and practice over the last year. 

Figlio ranked 33rd overall for public impact and earned the highest possible score for scholarly impact. He has been named to the list every year since its inception in 2015.

Released on Jan. 7, the rankings are compiled annually by Rick Hess,  blogger and senior fellow and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. The methodology employs a  to evaluate the extent to which university-based academics contribute to public discussions about education through research, media engagement, and policy influence. 

His research spans a wide range of education and health policy issues, including school accountability and standards, welfare policy and policy design, as well as the interrelationship between education and health. His recent paper examining the  has received widespread coverage from national news outlets, including NPR/National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and The 74. Other papers released in 2025 that drew widespread national attention include his study of the in Ohio and his analysis of the on student outcomes in Florida.

An economist by training, Figlio was elected to the National Academy of Education in 2017. He currently serves as a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and is a fellow at the IZA Institute of Labor Economics in Bonn and a member of the CESifo Network on the Economics of Education in Munich, both in Germany. He is also a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

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