Senior Researcher, SRI Education
Julie Harris, PhD, is a senior education researcher who primarily designs and conducts quantitative research studies. She has knowledge and experience with a wide range of quantitative methods with more than a decade of experience designing, implementing, and leading policy, efficacy, and effectiveness evaluations; working with state and district longitudinal, student-level datasets; conducting cost analyses; preparing and analyzing surveys; writing reports for the federal government, education stakeholders, and researchers; and disseminating research findings to a wide variety of audiences. She also has experience in a variety of content areas, including college and career readiness, career and technical education, multilingual learners, school choice, and students with disabilities.
At SRI, Harris has led numerous rigorous quantitative evaluations. She is currently the co-PI for multiple Education Innovation and Research grant evaluations. She is also leading research and reporting tasks for the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012, through a contract under the National Center for Education Evaluation. Harris is the research deputy task lead for Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia. She recently led multiple research studies under REL on career and technical education (CTE) and is continuing her work with stakeholders in this region through additional REL technical assistance and research projects.
Before joining SRI, Harris worked at CNA as a research analyst on two IES-funded evaluations of Florida’s college readiness and remediation policies. Harris was deeply involved in the evaluation of Florida’s College and Career Readiness Initiative (FCCRI), which was a statewide mandate of college readiness testing and transition courses for targeted high school students. She used quantitative methods to evaluate the impact of FCCRI on student outcomes using data from Florida’s K–20 education data warehouse. Harris also worked in conjunction with Florida State University on an evaluation of Florida’s developmental education redesign.
Harris’s background is in economics and educational policy. She recently completed the IES methods training in economic evaluation as well as the cluster-randomized trials research training institute. She earned a PhD in educational policy from Michigan State University, while she was an IES predoctoral fellow in the economics of education training program. For her dissertation, Harris conducted an evaluation of Houston Independent School District’s magnet school program, which included a quantitative analysis of the impact of magnet schools on integration and student achievement. Harris received an MS and BA in economics from the University of North Texas.
Key projects
- Regional Educational Lab (REL) Appalachia
- National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012
- Refining and Expanding the Effective Use of 4S: An Evidence-Based Program to Increase Adolescents’ Ability to Self-Manage their School Success
Recent publications
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Assessing the Alignment between West Virginia’s High School Career and Technical Education Programs and the Labor Market
To support CTE improvement efforts, this study quantitatively assessed the alignment between West Virginia’s high school CTE programs and the labor market, with a focus on alignment to regional high-demand…
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Community College On-Track Indicators for Linked Learning Students
Using data from nine California districts, we examine the effect of high school Linked Learning participation on students’ early community college outcomes.
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Changing context: Do magnet schools provide student achievement benefits in a modern setting?
To examine magnet schools in a modern context, this study utilized data from one of the nation’s largest districts and examined student achievement by looking for improvements in math and…
Other publications
- Harris, J. C., Jonas, D. L., & Schmidt, R. A. (2021). Career and Technical Education Credentials in Virginia High Schools: Trends in Attainment and College Enrollment Outcomes (REL 2021–132). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/appalachia/pdf/REL_2022132.pdf
- Pratt-Williams, J., Harris, J. C., Saucedo, D., & Mislevy, J. (2021). Cost-Feasibility Analysis Toolkit for Supplemental Online Programs (REL 2021–105). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/regions/appalachia/pdf/REL_2021105.pdf