Associate Professor Douglas N. Harris

Associate Professor of Educational Policy Studies
Affiliate, Institute for Research on Poverty, WCER
(Curriculum Vitae)

University of Wisconsin-Madison
575k Educational Sciences
1025 W Johnson St
Madison, WI 53706
Tel: (608) 262-6564 or (608) 263-4827
Voicemail: (608) 263-4292

Email: dnharris3@wisc.edu

Doctoral Degree:

Michigan State University, Ph.D. Economics, 2000.

 

Academic Areas of Interest:

Douglas Harris is an economist whose research explores how the level and equity of student educational outcomes are influenced by education policies such as desegregation, standards, teacher certification, test-based accountability, school choice, privatization, and school finance.  His work also focuses on the educational role of factors such as families and neighborhoods and the way in which educational outcomes affect the long-term labor market success of individual students and the overall competitiveness of national economies.  In studying these topics, he develops and utilizes innovative research methods, including value-added modeling, mixed methods, and cost analysis.  His research is frequently cited in current policy debates and he consults widely on policy matters with organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, RAND, the U.S. Department of Education, and state education agencies.

 

Recent Publications:

Goldrick-Rab, S., Harris, D, & Trostel, P. (accepted for publication). Why money matters (or doesn't) for college success: An interdisciplinary approach.” J. Smart (Ed) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. New York: Springer.” (click here for link)

Harris, D. (forthcoming). " Educational outcomes of disadvantaged students: From desegregation to accountability," In H. Ladd and T. Fiske, AEFA Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy.  Hillsdale, NJ: Laurence Erlbaum. (click here for link)

Harris, D. & Adams, S. (2007). “Understanding the level and causes of teacher turnover: A comparison with other professions,” Economics of Education Review, 26, 325-337.” (click here for link)

Harris, D. (forthcoming). "Class size and school size: Taking the trade-offs seriously," In Brookings Papers on Education Policy 2006-2007, (eds.) Frederick M. Hess and Tom Loveless. Washington , DC: Brookings Institution. (click here for link)

Harris, D. and Sass, T. (2007). The Effects of NBPTS-Certified Teachers on Student Achievement. National Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER).  Working Paper #4.  Washington, DC: Urban Institute. (click here for link)

“The above paper is also forthcoming in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.”

Harris, D. (2007). "Diminishing marginal returns and the production of education: An international analysis," Education Economics, 15(1), 31-45.  (click here for link)

Harris, D., Herrington, C., & Albee, A. (2007). "The future of vouchers: Lessons from the adoption, design, and court challenges of Florida's three voucher programs," Educational Policy, 21(1), 215-244.  (click here for link)

Harris, D. (2007). "High flying schools, student disadvantage and the logic of NCLB," American Journal of Education, 113(3), 367-394. (click here for link)

Harris, D. (2006). Lost Learning, Forgotten Promises: A National Analysis of School Racial Segregation, Student Achievement, and 'Controlled Choice' Plans. Center for American Progress, Washington, DC.  (click here for link)

Harris, D.N. & Herrington, C.D. (2006). "Accountability, standards, and the growing achievement gap: Lessons from the past half-century," American Journal of Education, 112(2), 209-238.  (click here for link)

Glomm, G., Harris, D., & Lo, T. (2005). "Charter school location," Economics of Education Review, 24(4), 451-457. (click here for link)

Guthrie, J., Wong, K., & Harris, D. (2004). "A Nation at Risk: A 20-year reappraisal." (eds.) Special Issue of the Peabody Journal of Education, 19(1).

Harris, D., Handel, M., & Mishel, L. (2004). "Education and the economy revisited: How schools matter," Peabody Journal of Education, 19(1), 36-63.

Harris, D. (2002). "Identifying optimal class sizes and teacher salaries," In Cost Effectiveness Analysis in Education, (eds.) Henry Levin and Patrick McKewan. Larchmont , NY : American Education Finance Association.

Harris, D. and Plank, D. (2000). "Cost effective policies for reducing class size and increasing teacher quality," in Allocating School Resources to Improve Student Performance. Chicago : U.S. Department of Education (North Central Regional Education Laboratory).

Manuscripts in Progress:

Harris, D. & Rutledge, S. "Models and predictors of teacher effectiveness: A review of the evidence with lessons from (and for) other occupations." (under review) (Grant support from IES) (click here for link)

Harris, D. “Toward Policy-Relevant Benchmarks for Interpreting Effect Sizes: Combining Effects with Costs.” (click here for link)

Harris, D., Taylor, L., Ingle, W., Levine, A., & McDonald, L. “The resource costs of standards, assessments, and accountability.” Paper presented at 2008 Workshop Series on State Standards National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. (click here for link)

Harris, D., Rutledge, S., Ingle, W., & Thompson, C. "Mix and Match: What Principals Look For When Hiring Teachers and Implications for Teacher Quality Policies"  paper presented at the 2006 conference of the American Education Research Association. (under review) (Grant support from IES) (click here for link)

Harris, D. & Sass, T.  "Teacher training and teacher value-added," paper presented at the 2006 conference of the American Education Finance Association. (Grant support from IES) (click here for link)

Harris, D. & Sass, T.  "Value-Added Models and the Measurement of Teacher Quality," paper presented at the 2005 conference of the American Education Finance Association. (Grant support from IES) (click here for link)

Harris, D. "Toward an economics-based theory of educational accountability," paper presented at the June, 2006 conference of the Institute for Research on Economics and Sociology of Education, Dijon , France.

Courses Taught:

EPS 780 Topic Seminar: Economics of Education

EPS 780 Topic Seminar: Accountability and Incentives in Education

EPS 780 Topic Seminar: Applied Multivariate and Quasi-Experimental Methods