Dr. Dougherty’s research emphasizes the use of quantitative research methods to evaluate the impact of educational policies and programs. He emphasizes understanding how the requirements, incentives and behaviors that those policies produce develop human capital and promote equitable outcomes, with a particular focus on how family income, race, and disability status influence policy impact. Dr. Dougherty is a national expert on career and technical education, with additional expertise in accountability policy, and the application of regression discontinuity designs. His work has been published in leading journals and has been cited by major media outlets. He has received research funding from IES, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the Institute for Research on Poverty, which also recognized him as an Early Career Scholar. In addition, he is a faculty fellow with the Tennessee Education Research Alliance and a faculty adviser to the Strategic Data Project through the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.
Shaun M. Dougherty
EdWorkingPapers
Charter School Expansion, Catholic School Enrollment, & the Equity Implications of School Choice
Catholic schools have seen more than a 30% decline in enrollment over the past 20 years. While some of the decline in enrollment may have been spurred by secular trends or the Church abuse scandal, the increase in schools of choice, principally public charter schools, may explain at least some… more →
Peer Effects in Vocational Education and Training
Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs are prevalent in a European context, but often struggle with drop-out rates that exceed those of general upper-secondary education. Using Danish administrative data, we study the effects of reform-induced reductions in shares of VET students who… more →
Rural Early Childhood Programs & School Readiness: An Evaluation of the Early Steps to School Success Program
Prior research has clearly established the substantial expected payoffs to investments in early childhood education. However, the ability to deliver early childhood programs differs across communities with access to high quality programing especially hard to establish in rural communities. We… more →
At What Cost?: Is Technical Education Worth the Investment?
Career and technical education (CTE) has existed in the United States for over a century, and only in recent years have there been opportunities to assess the causal impact of participating in these programs while in high school. To date, no work has assessed whether the relative costs of these… more →
Heterogeneity in High School Career and Technical Education Outcomes
High school Career and Technical Education (CTE) has received an increase in attention from both policymakers and researchers in recent years. This study fills a needed gap in the growing research base by examining heterogeneity within the wide range of programs falling under the… more →