Clara G. Muschkin, Assistant Research Professor of Public Policy Studies and Faculty, Children in Contemporary Society Certificate Program  

Office Location: 220 Rubenstein Hall
Office Phone: (919) 613-9302
Email Address: muschkin@duke.edu

Areas of Expertise

  • Education, Racial/Ethnic Inequalities & Segregation

    Demographic composition of schools
    Student behavior and academic achievement

Education:
Ph.D., Duke University, 1989
B.A., College of William and Mary, 1978

Research Description:

Clara Muschkin is an assistant research professor of public policy and serves as director for the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC), located within the Center for Child and Family Policy. The mission of the NCERDC is to support and develop policy-oriented research on education, providing academic researchers with access to a wealth of data on North Carolina public schools, students, and teachers.

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 grade configuration on student behavior; the influence of retained and old-for-grade students on the behavior of grade peers; the effects of composition of district and school on race differences in student behavior and achievement across grade levels; variations in student behavior related to high school track placement; educational trajectories of youth involved in the criminal justice system; and educational outcomes among immigrant youth.

Muschkin is also the liaison between the Center and the Duke University Institutional Review Board, and provides support to researchers on issues related to human subjects review.

She regularly teaches the cornerstone course for the Children in Contemporary Society Certificate.

Teaching (Fall 2009):

  • Ccs 150.01, Children contemporary society Synopsis
    Rubenstein 149, TuTh 10:05 AM-11:20 AM

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

  1. Muschkin, C.G., E.J. Glennie, and A.N. Beck. "Effects of School Peers on Student Behavior: Age, Grade Retention, and Disciplinary Infractions in Middle School."   (Submitted, (forthcoming)).
  2. Cook, P., R. MacCoun, C.G. Muschkin and J. Vigdor. "The Negative Impact of Starting Middle School in Sixth Grade." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 27.1 (2008): 104-121.
  3. MacCoun, Robert, Philip J. Cook, Clara Muschkin, and Jacob Vigdor. "Distinguishing Spurious and Real Peer Effects: Evidence from Artificial Societies, Small-Group Experiments, and Real Schoolyards." Review of Law & Economics (In press).
  4. Muschkin, C.G. and Malone, P.S.. "Multiple Teacher Ratings: An Evaluation of Measurement Strategies.." Educational Research and Evaluation 13.1 (2007): 71-86.
  5. Muschkin, C.G. and Patterson, C.J.. "Aging Trends in Puerto Rico." Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 12 (1997): 373-385.

Bio/Profile
Clara Muschkin serves as director for the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC), located within the Center for Child and Family Policy. The mission of the NCERDC is to support and develop policy-oriented research on education, providing academic researchers with access to a wealth of data on North Carolina public schools, students, and teachers.
    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 grade configuration on student behavior; the influence of retained and old-for-grade students on the behavior of grade peers; the effects of composition of district and school on race differences in student behavior and achievement across grade levels; variations in student behavior related to high school track placement; educational trajectories of youth involved in the criminal justice system; and educational outcomes among immigrant youth.
    Muschkin is also the liaison between the Center for Child and Family Policy and the Duke University Institutional Review Board, and provides support to researchers on issues related to human subjects review. Muschkin regularly teaches the cornerstone course for the Children in Contemporary Society Certificate.

Clara G. Muschkin