Richard Murnane is an economist

Economist

An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...

 and the Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Harvard Graduate School of Education

The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University, and is one of the top schools of education in the United States. It was founded in 1920, the same year it invented the Ed.D...

. He has made important contributions to our understanding of education policy

Education policy

Education policy refers to the collection of laws and rules that govern the operation of education systems.Education occurs in many forms for many purposes through many institutions. Examples include early childhood education, kindergarten through to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or...

 and the relationship between the economy and education. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and coauthored a number of books. His research has investigated what skills are required to earn a middle-class living in the U.S., the significance of the GED, and teacher quality. Murnane earned his Ph.D. at Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

and is a winner of the Morningstar Family Teaching Award.

Selected publications

• The New Division of Labor: How Computers are Creating the Next Job Market, (with F. Levy) (2004)

• "Can the Internet Help Solve America's Education Problems: Lessons from the Cisco Networking Academies," (with N. Sharkey and F. Levy) in The Knowledge Economy and Postsecondary Education, (ed. by P. Graham and N. Stacey) (2002)

• "Information Technology and Skill Requirements: Examples from a Car Dealership," (with A. Beamish and F. Levy) in The Future of Computer Supported Diagnosis (ed. by F. Rauner, N. Schreier, and G. Sp'ttl) (2002)

• "Upstairs, Downstairs: Computers and Skills on Two Floors of a Large Bank," in Industrial and Labor Relations Review (with D. Autor and F. Levy) (2002)

• "Do Cognitive Skills of School Dropouts Matter in the Labor Market?" in Journal of Human Resources (with J.H. Tyler and J.B. Willett) (2001)

• "From High School to Teaching: Many Steps. Who Makes It?" in Teachers College Record (with E. Vegas and J.B. Willett) (2001)

• "Key Competencies Critical to Economic Success," (with F. Levy) in Defining and Selecting Key Competencies (ed. by D. Rychen and L. Salganik) (2001)

• "Will Standards-Based Educational Reforms Improve Education for Children of Color?" in National Tax Journal (with F. Levy) (2001)

• "Estimating the Labor Market Signaling Value of the GED" in Quarterly Journal of Economics (with J.H. Tyler and J.B. Willett) (2000)

• "Who Benefits from Obtaining a GED? Evidence from High School and Beyond," in The Review of Economics and Statistics (with J.B. Willett and J.H. Tyler) (2000)

• "Does A GED Lead to More Training, Post-Secondary Education, and Military Service for School Dropouts" in Industrial and Labor Relations Review (with J.B. Willett and K. Parker Boudett) (1997)

• Teaching the New Basic Skills (with F. Levy) (1996)

• Who Will Teach? Policies That Matter (with J. Singer and J. Willett) (1991)