Details about Richard J. Murnane

Workplace:

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), (more information at EDIRC) Harvard Graduate School of Education

Access statistics for papers by Richard J. Murnane.

Last updated 2025-01-06. Update your information in the RePEc Author Service.

Short-id: pmu87

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Working Papers

2024

1. Are Community College Students Increasingly Choosing High-Paying Fields of Study? Evidence from Massachusetts
   NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

2017

2. Long-Term Trends in Private School Enrollments by Family Income
   NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (5)
3. The Consequences of Educational Voucher Reform in Chile
   NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (5)

2014

4. Improving Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries: Lessons from Rigorous Impact Evaluations
   NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (82)
5. Income-based Inequality in Educational Outcomes: Learning from State Longitudinal Data Systems
   NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

2013

6. U.S High School Graduation Rates: Patterns and Explanations
   NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (88)
   See also Journal Article U.S. High School Graduation Rates: Patterns and Explanations, Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association (2013) View citations (87) (2013)

2011

7. High-School Exit Examinations and the Schooling Decisions of Teenagers: A Multi-Dimensional Regression-Discontinuity Analysis
   NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (3)
8. How Performance Information Affects Human-Capital Investment Decisions: The Impact of Test-Score Labels on Educational Outcomes
   NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (12)

2010

9. Distribution of Student Achievement in Chile: Baseline Analysis for the Evaluation of the Subvención Escolar Preferencial
   World Bank Publications - Reports, The World Bank Group

2009

10. Do Financial Incentives Help Low-Performing Schools Attract and Keep Academically Talented Teachers? Evidence from California
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (3)
    See also Journal Article Do financial incentives help low-performing schools attract and keep academically talented teachers? Evidence from California, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (2010) View citations (17) (2010)

2008

11. Educating Urban Children
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (4)
12. The Consequences of High School Exit Examinations for Struggling Low-Income Urban Students: Evidence from Massachusetts
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (4)
13. Trends in the Black-White Achievement Gap:Clarifying the Meaning of Within- and Between-School Achievement Gaps
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (1)

2007

14. Do Teacher Absences Impact Student Achievement? Longitudinal Evidence from One Urban School District
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (10)

2005

15. Expanding School Enrollment by Subsidizing Private Schools: Lessons from Bogotá
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (2)
16. Improving the Performance of the Education Sector: The Valuable, Challenging, and Limited Role of Random Assignment Evaluations
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (1)
    See also Journal Article Improving the Performance of the Education Sector: The Valuable, Challenging, and Limited Role of Random Assignment Evaluations, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals (2007) View citations (3) (2007)

2001

17. The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change: An Empirical Exploration
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (71)
    See also Journal Article The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change: An Empirical Exploration, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College (2003) View citations (3206) (2003)

2000

18. Upstairs, Downstairs: Computer-Skill Complementarity and Computer-Labor Substitution on Two Floors of a Large Bank
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (24)

1999

19. Do the Cognitive Skills of School Dropouts Matter in the Labor Market?
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (12)
    See also Journal Article Do the Cognitive Skills of School Dropouts Matter in the Labor Market?, Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press (2000) View citations (20) (2000)
20. Who Benefits from Obtaining a GED? Evidence from High School and Beyond
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (4)
    See also Journal Article Who Benefits from Obtaining a GED? Evidence from High School and Beyond, The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press (2000) View citations (37) (2000)

1998

21. Estimating the Impact of the GED on the Earnings of Young Dropouts Using a Series of Natural Experiments
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (6)

1997

22. Does Acquisition of a GED Lead to More Training, Post-Secondary Education, and Military Service for School Dropouts?
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (9)

1995

23. Are Lots of College Graduates Taking High School Jobs? A Reconsiderationof the Evidence
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (8)
24. The Growing Importance of Cognitive Skills in Wage Determination
    NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc View citations (562)
    See also Journal Article The Growing Importance of Cognitive Skills in Wage Determination, The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press (1995) View citations (568) (1995)

1981

25. What Do Effective Teachers of Inner-City Children have in Common?
    Mathematica Policy Research Reports, Mathematica Policy Research View citations (37)

Journal Articles

2016

1. The Impact of Test Score Labels on Human-Capital Investment Decisions
   Journal of Human Resources, 2016, 51, (2), 357-388 View citations (17)

2013

2. U.S. High School Graduation Rates: Patterns and Explanations
   Journal of Economic Literature, 2013, 51, (2), 370-422 View citations (87)
   See also Working Paper U.S High School Graduation Rates: Patterns and Explanations, NBER Working Papers (2013) View citations (88) (2013)

2011

3. Extending the regression-discontinuity approach to multiple assignment variables
   Journal of Econometrics, 2011, 161, (2), 203-207 View citations (85)

2010

4. Do financial incentives help low-performing schools attract and keep academically talented teachers? Evidence from California
   Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 2010, 29, (3), 451-478 View citations (17)
   See also Working Paper Do Financial Incentives Help Low-Performing Schools Attract and Keep Academically Talented Teachers? Evidence from California, NBER Working Papers (2009) View citations (3) (2009)
5. Teachers' Views on No Child Left Behind: Support for the Principles, Concerns about the Practices
   Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2010, 24, (3), 151-66 View citations (2)

2008

6. Do worker absences affect productivity? The case of teachers
   International Labour Review, 2008, 147, (1), 71-89 View citations (11)

2007

7. Improving the Performance of the Education Sector: The Valuable, Challenging, and Limited Role of Random Assignment Evaluations
   Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 2007, 16, (5), 307-322 View citations (3)
   See also Working Paper Improving the Performance of the Education Sector: The Valuable, Challenging, and Limited Role of Random Assignment Evaluations, NBER Working Papers (2005) View citations (1) (2005)
8. Randomized Trials of Education and Medical Practices: Strengths and Limitations
   Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 2007, 16, (5), 303-306 View citations (3)

2006

9. For now, middle-skilled jobs are the most vulnerable
   CESifo Forum, 2006, 7, (02), 38-38

2005

10. Learning Why More Learning Takes Place in Some Classrooms Than Others
    German Economic Review, 2005, 6, (3), 309-330
    Also in German Economic Review, 2005, 6, (3), 309-330 (2005)

2004

11. The devil's in the details: evidence from the GED on large effects of small differences in high stakes exams
    Economics of Education Review, 2004, 23, (4), 339-349 View citations (1)

2003

12. The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change: An Empirical Exploration
    The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2003, 118, (4), 1279-1333 View citations (3206)
    Also in Proceedings, 2003, (Nov) (2003) View citations (3102)
    See also Working Paper The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change: An Empirical Exploration, NBER Working Papers (2001) View citations (71) (2001)
13. Who benefits from a GED? Evidence for females from High School and Beyond
    Economics of Education Review, 2003, 22, (3), 237-247 View citations (18)

2002

14. Improving urban public schools: suggestions for teacher union leaders
    Conference Series ; [Proceedings], 2002, 47, (Jun), 297-303 View citations (5)
15. Upstairs downstairs: how introducing computer technology changed skills and pay on two floors of Cabot Bank
    Regional Review, 2002, 12, (Q 2), 22-30 View citations (2)
16. Upstairs, Downstairs: Computers and Skills on Two Floors of a Large Bank
    ILR Review, 2002, 55, (3), 432-447 View citations (135)

2001

17. Do different dimensions of male high school students' skills predict labor market success a decade later? Evidence from the NLSY
    Economics of Education Review, 2001, 20, (4), 311-320 View citations (67)
18. Will Standards-Based Reforms Improve the Education of Students of Color?
    National Tax Journal, 2001, 54, (2), 401-16 View citations (5)

2000

19. Do the Cognitive Skills of School Dropouts Matter in the Labor Market?
    Journal of Human Resources, 2000, 35, (4), 748-754 View citations (20)
    See also Working Paper Do the Cognitive Skills of School Dropouts Matter in the Labor Market?, NBER Working Papers (1999) View citations (12) (1999)
20. Estimating the Labor Market Signaling Value of the GED
    The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2000, 115, (2), 431-468 View citations (96)
21. How important are the cognitive skills of teenagers in predicting subsequent earnings?
    Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 2000, 19, (4), 547-568 View citations (161)
22. Who Benefits from Obtaining a GED? Evidence from High School and Beyond
    The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2000, 82, (1), 23-37 View citations (37)
    See also Working Paper Who Benefits from Obtaining a GED? Evidence from High School and Beyond, NBER Working Papers (1999) View citations (4) (1999)

1999

23. Do Male Dropouts Benefit from Obtaining a GED, Postsecondary Education, and Training?
    Evaluation Review, 1999, 23, (5), 475-503 View citations (27)

1998

24. Standards, information, and the demand for student achievement
    Economic Policy Review, 1998, 4, (Mar), 117-124 View citations (1)

1997

25. Does a Ged Lead to More Training, Post-Secondary Education, and Military Service for School Dropouts?
    ILR Review, 1997, 51, (1), 100-116 View citations (9)

1996

26. With What Skills Are Computers a Complement?
    American Economic Review, 1996, 86, (2), 258-62 View citations (103)

1995

27. The Growing Importance of Cognitive Skills in Wage Determination
    The Review of Economics and Statistics, 1995, 77, (2), 251-66 View citations (568)
    See also Working Paper The Growing Importance of Cognitive Skills in Wage Determination, NBER Working Papers (1995) View citations (562) (1995)

1994

28. Comment: Stimulating employer-provided general training
    Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 1994, 13, (1), 75-81

1992

29. U.S. Earnings Levels and Earnings Inequality: A Review of Recent Trends and Proposed Explanations
    Journal of Economic Literature, 1992, 30, (3), 1333-81 View citations (671)

1990

30. The Effects of Salaries and Opportunity Costs on Length of Stay in Teaching: Evidence from North Carolina
    Journal of Human Resources, 1990, 25, (1), 106-124 View citations (67)

1989

31. The Effects of Salaries and Opportunity Costs on Duration in Teaching: Evidence from Michigan
    The Review of Economics and Statistics, 1989, 71, (2), 347-52 View citations (54)
32. Will There Be Enough Teachers?
    American Economic Review, 1989, 79, (2), 242-46 View citations (6)

1987

33. Changes in teacher salaries during the 1970s: The role of school district demographics
    Economics of Education Review, 1987, 6, (4), 379-388 View citations (1)

1985

34. Comparing Public and Private Schools: The Puzzling Role of Selectivity Bias
    Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, 1985, 3, (1), 23-35 View citations (40)

1984

35. A Review Essay-Comparisons of Public and Private Schools: Lessons from the Uproar
    Journal of Human Resources, 1984, 19, (2), 263-277 View citations (12)
36. Production and innovation when techniques are tacit: The case of education
    Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 1984, 5, (3-4), 353-373 View citations (11)
37. Selection and Survival in the Teacher Labor Market
    The Review of Economics and Statistics, 1984, 66, (3), 513-18 View citations (11)

1982

38. How clients' characteristics affect organization performance: Lessons from education
    Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 1982, 2, (3), 403-417

1981

39. Home Resources and Children's Achievement
    The Review of Economics and Statistics, 1981, 63, (3), 369-77 View citations (37)
40. Learning by doing, vintage, and selection: Three pieces of the puzzle relating teaching experience and teaching performance
    Economics of Education Review, 1981, 1, (4), 453-465 View citations (11)
41. New evidence on the relationship between mother's education and children's cognitive skills
    Economics of Education Review, 1981, 1, (2), 245-252 View citations (7)
42. Organizing an anarchy: Lee Sproull, Stephen Weiner, and David Wolf. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978. Pp. 240. $18.00 (cloth)
    Economics of Education Review, 1981, 1, (1), 137-140
43. Teacher Mobility Revisited
    Journal of Human Resources, 1981, 16, (1), 3-19 View citations (11)

1979

44. The Effects of a Negative Income Tax on School Performance: Results of an Experiment
    Journal of Human Resources, 1979, 14, (4), 463-476 View citations (14)
    Also in Journal of Human Resources, 1972, 7, (4), 463-476 (1972)