Douglas N. Harris is an Associate Professor of Economics at Tulane University and a research collaborator with CALDER. Dr. Harris has recently chaired the National Conference on Value-Added with events in Madison and Washington, DC. He also advises members of Congress, governors, and other policymakers. His research interests incllude teacher labor markets, accoutability, school finance, and the relationship between education and economic competitiveness.

Dr. Harris's 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 and combines advanced economic analysis with practical understanding of schools to develop positive directions for school reforms in areas like teacher quality, class size reduction, and data-driven decision-making.  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.

In his current work, (with Eric Camburn) Dr. Harris is estimating the value-added of school principals as well as how successful different types of principals are in attracting and retaining high value-added teachers.  He is also Co-Director (with Sara Goldrick-Rab) of the Wisconsin Scholars Longitudinal Study (WSLS), a statewide randomized trial of college financial aid involving more than 4,000 students across 42 public college campuses across the state of Wisconsin (www.finaidstudy.org).  Previously, he was a school board member of the Florida State University School, a K-12 charter school in Tallahassee, FL.  He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Michigan State University.