Clara G. Muschkin | Scholars@Duke

Clara G. Muschkin
Associate Research Professor Emerita in the Sanford School of Public Policy

Clara Muschkin is an associate research professor of public policy at Duke University and an affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy. She directs the Child Policy Research Certificate Program and is the faculty director for the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC).

Muschkin is a sociologist and demographer with an interdisciplinary research focus. In her research, she asks how education policies that influence the composition and organization of educational institutions can influence student behavior and academic performance. Her current research interests include: the impact of early childhood education policies on subsequent student outcomes; the impact of grade configuration on student behavior; the influence of grade retention and age on behavior and academic performance; impact of school composition by race and immigrant status on student behavior and achievement across grade levels; evaluation of high school reform policies; and successful outcomes for community college students.

Research Interests:

Education and social policy
Academic performance and student behavior
Public Policy
Early Childhood education
Peer Influence in schools
Poverty and Inequality

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Associate Research Professor Emerita in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University 2023
Director of the North Carolina Education Research Center (NCERDC), Center for Child and Family Policy, Sanford School of Public Policy 2014
Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy, Center for Child and Family Policy, Sanford School of Public Policy 2015

Contact Information

220 Rubenstein Hall, Box 90545, Durham, NC 27708
Box 90545, Durham, NC 27708-2000
muschkin@duke.edu (919) 613-9302

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Duke University 1989
- A.B., College of William and Mary 1977
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Associate Research Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University 2015 - 2022
- Assistant Research Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University 2008 - 2015
- Assistant Research Professor in the Center for Demographic Studies, Demographic Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1993 - 1997
Recognition
In the News
- FEB 12, 2015
  
  #BlueDevilLove; New Duke Research: The Week at Duke {in 60 Seconds}
- FEB 5, 2015 NPR
  
  Pre-K pays off by lowering special ed placements
- FEB 3, 2015 Washington Post
  
  Study: High-quality early education could reduce costs
- FEB 3, 2015 Washington Post
  
  Study: High-quality early education could reduce costs
- FEB 3, 2015
  
  The Savings of Pre-K Education
- FEB 3, 2015 Duke Today
  
  The Savings of Pre-K Education
- MAR 12, 2014 U.S. News & World Report
  
  Kids who repeat a grade can become discipline problems, study says
- MAR 12, 2014 U.S. News & World Report
  
  Kids who repeat a grade can become discipline problems, study says
- MAR 11, 2014 http://theconversation.com/students-who-repeat-a-year-stoke-bad-behaviour-in-class-23956
  
  Students Who Stoke Bad School Behavior
- MAR 3, 2014 The News & Observer
  
  Duke study: Discipline problems increase when students repeat a grade
- MAR 3, 2014 WUNC
  
  Study: Retaining students means more discipline problems in other students
- FEB 28, 2014
  
  Retention Leads to Discipline Problems in Other Kids
- NOV 8, 2013 Durham Herald-Sun
  
  Helen Ladd, Clara Muschkin: Research confirms effectiveness of early childhood education investments
Awards & Honors
- RAYMOND VERNON MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR THE BEST RESEARCH ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN JPAM. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. 2008
Expertise
Subject Headings
Global Scholarship
- Expertise
  - United States of America (Country)
Research
Selected Grants
- Factors in Persistence Versus Fadeout of Early Childhood Intervention Impacts awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2024
- Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research - CALDER awarded by American Institutes for Research 2013 - 2018
- RTI University Scholars awarded by Research Triangle Institute International 2017 - 2018
- Multi-site Prevention of Adolescent Conduct Problems awarded by National Institutes of Health 1990 - 2010
- CDC Multi-Site Violence Prevention Data Center awarded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2004 - 2006
- Living Arrangements of the Elderly in the Caribbean awarded by National Institutes of Health 1993 - 1996
- Living Arrangements of the Elderly in the Caribbean awarded by National Institute on Aging 1993 - 1996
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Muschkin, C. G., H. F. Ladd, K. A. Dodge, and Y. Bai. “Gender Differences in the Impact of North Carolina’s Early Care and Education Initiatives on Student Outcomes in Elementary School.” Educational Policy 34, no. 2 (March 1, 2020): 377–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818773901.
    Full Text Open Access Copy
  - Dodge, K. A., Y. Bai, H. F. Ladd, and C. G. Muschkin. “Impact of North Carolina's Early Childhood Programs and Policies on Educational Outcomes in Elementary School.” Child Dev, November 1, 2016, n/a-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12645.
    Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
  - Muschkin, C. G., H. F. Ladd, and K. A. Dodge. “Impact of North Carolina’s Early Childhood Initiatives on Special Education Placements in Third Grade.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 37, no. 4 (December 1, 2015): 478–500. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373714559096.
    Full Text
  - Clotfelter, C. T., H. F. Ladd, C. Muschkin, and J. L. Vigdor. “Developmental education in North Carolina community colleges.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 37, no. 3 (January 1, 2015): 354–75. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373714547267.
    Full Text
  - Ladd, H. F., C. G. Muschkin, and K. A. Dodge. “From birth to school: Early childhood initiatives and third-grade outcomes in North Carolina.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 33, no. 1 (December 1, 2014): 162–87. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.21734.
    Full Text
  - Muschkin, C. G., E. Glennie, and A. N. Beck. “Peer contexts: Do old for grade and retained peers influence student behavior in middle school?” Teachers College Record 116, no. 4 (January 1, 2014).
  - Clotfelter, C. T., H. F. Ladd, C. G. Muschkin, and J. L. Vigdor. “Success in Community College: Do Institutions Differ?” Research in Higher Education 54, no. 7 (November 1, 2013): 805–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-013-9295-6.
    Full Text
  - Beck, A. N., and C. G. Muschkin. “The enduring impact of race: Understanding disparities in student disciplinary infractions and achievement.” Sociological Perspectives 55, no. 4 (December 1, 2012): 637–62. https://doi.org/10.1525/sop.2012.55.4.637.
    Full Text
  - Cook, P. J., R. MacCoun, C. Muschkin, and J. Vigdor. “The negative impacts of starting middle school in sixth grade.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 27, no. 1 (December 1, 2008): 104–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.20309.
    Full Text
  - MacCoun, R., P. J. Cook, C. Muschkin, and J. L. Vigdor. “Distinguishing spurious and real peer effects: Evidence from artificial societies, small-group experiments, and real schoolyards.” Review of Law and Economics 4, no. 3 (January 1, 2008). https://doi.org/10.2202/1555-5879.1226.
    Full Text
  - Muschkin, Clara G., Patrick S. Malone, and Patrick S. Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. “Multiple Teacher Ratings: An evaluation of measurement strategies.” Educational Research and Evaluation : An International Journal on Theory and Practice 13, no. 1 (February 2007): 71. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803610601058215.
    Full Text
  - Cook, Philip J., Robert MacCoun, Clara Muschkin, and Jacob L. Vigdor. “Should Sixth Grade Be in Elementary or Middle School? An Analysis of Grade Configuration and Student Behavior,” August 2006.
  - Muschkin, C. G., and C. J. Patterson. “Aging trends - Puerto Rico.” Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology 12, no. 4 (December 1997): 373–85. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1006527517576.
    Full Text
  - Ellis, M., and C. Muschkin. “Migration of persons with AIDS--a search for support from elderly parents?” Social Science & Medicine (1982) 43, no. 7 (October 1996): 1109–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(96)00031-7.
    Full Text
  - Santiago, A. M., and C. G. Muschkin. “Disentangling the effects of disability status and gender on the labor supply of Anglo, black, and Latino older workers.” The Gerontologist 36, no. 3 (June 1996): 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/36.3.299.
    Full Text
  - Ellis, M., and C. G. Muschkin. “Migration in Search of Care: Elderly Parents as Potential Caregivers for Persons with AIDS.” Social Science and Medicine 43, no. 7 (1996): 1109.
  - Muschkin, C. G. “Consequences of return migrant status for employment in Puerto Rico.” The International Migration Review 27, no. 1 (January 1993): 79–102. https://doi.org/10.1177/019791839302700104.
    Full Text
  - Muschkin, C. G., and G. C. Myers. “Migration and household/family structure: Puerto Ricans in the United States.” International Migration (Geneva, Switzerland) 23, no. 4 (December 1985): 495–509. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1985.tb00336.x.
    Full Text
  - Myers, G. C., and C. G. Muschkin. “Demographic consequences of migration trends in Puerto Rico: 1950-1980.” International Migration (Geneva, Switzerland) 22, no. 3 (January 1984): 214–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1984.tb00998.x.
    Full Text
Teaching & Mentoring
Recent Courses
- CHILDPOL 393: Research Independent Study 2021

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Previous Appointments & Affiliations

In the News

Awards & Honors

Subject Headings

Global Scholarship

Expertise

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

Academic Articles

Recent Courses