Both have earned recognition for what they have accomplished during rich and varied careers. But neither Boisi Professor of Education and Public Policy Henry Braun, director of Boston College’s Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy, nor Professor of Education Law and Public Policy Diana Pullin, who holds a J.D. and a Ph.D. in education and a joint appointment at the Lynch School and Boston College Law School, has pursued a conventional scholarly career.

Both Braun and Pullin were surprised to learn in February that they had been elected to the National Academy of Education (NAEd), a prestigious assembly of more than 200 elite researchers dedicated to scholarship that addresses pressing concerns in education. Founded in 1965, the academy for most of its first 50 years typically inducted career academics who followed traditional paths. But two years ago, the organization shifted course and began seeking standout researchers whose work directly affects education and public policy.  

Scholars, in other words, like Braun and Pullin.

Measures of success

A recognized expert in testing and education policy, Braun came to Boston College in 2007 from Educational Testing Service (ETS), one of the world’s largest testing organizations, where he served as vice president for research management and as a distinguished presidential appointee from 1999 to 2006. He now specializes in testing and education policy; large-scale assessment surveys and achievement gaps; standard setting; and higher education outcomes. Widely published, Braun is a sought-after consultant to clients from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Secretary of Education. Currently, he is using data from international large-scale assessments to examine the relationships between family background, personal characteristics such as gender, and adult outcomes in evaluating teacher preparation programs. He is also investigating the impact of liberal arts education on undergraduate student outcomes.

Though he is honored to have been elected to NAEd, Braun says he has never strived for academic accolades. “We do our work with the hope that it contributes to not only the health of the research community but more importantly to educational policy—with all the impact it has on students at every level,” Braun said. “To the extent that our work is recognized by the profession, that’s a bonus.”

Law, public policy, and education reform  

Diana Pullin, who created and now coordinates Boston College’s dual-degree program in law and education, began her career as an attorney. She practiced independently, then worked with nonprofits such as the Center for Law and Education in Washington, D.C. Pullin was lead counsel in such high-profile cases as Debra P. v. Turlington (1981), which challenged the validity of a state competency exam introduced in 1978 as a requirement for high school graduation. (Black students had a disproportionate failure rate on this test.)

She came to Boston College in 1987 as dean of and a professor in the School of Education. These days, she concentrates on the nexus of law, public policy, and education reform.

She provides expertise on background to reporters and context to litigators, for example, training lawyers who challenge aspects of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. She is a frequent volunteer expert at the National Academy of Sciences, and works often with professional education associations.

Regarding her election to NAEd, Pullin said she was pleased to have made contributions worthy of this appointment. “It never occurred to me that it could happen,” she said, “precisely because of the unusual way I’ve conducted my career.”

Braun and Pullin will be inducted, along with other newly elected members of NAEd, at the organization’s annual meeting in November. They will then join Lynch School Cawthorne Professor Marilyn Cochran-Smith as members of the academy.