The Murphy Institute Center for Public Policy Research education research program is an excellent complement to CPPR's other program areas.
Doug Harris, Director of the Education Research Program at the Murphy Institute, is also Associate Professor of Economics, University Endowed Chair in Public Education, and the Director of the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans. 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 uses 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. Prior to joining Tulane University, he was an Associate Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Harris also works in partnership with the Cowen Institute for Public Education.
Matías Morales is a postdoctoral scholar in the Center for Public Policy Research. He researches topics in economics of education. development economics and causal inference. He received his Ph.D. in Public Administration at New York University in 2024 and an M.A. in Economics from Duke University in 2017.
