Faculty Profile

Katie Baird, Ph.D.

• Ph.D., Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2000.
• M.S., Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, 1989.
• B.A., Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 1982.

I received my Ph.D. in economics from the University of Massachusetts in 2000, and have been teaching at UWT since. Prior to UWT, I worked for three years in West Africa as an agricultural extension officer, and two years with a Boston consulting firm evaluating agricultural policy in Africa. I also spent several years in Washington, D.C. where I worked for three different federal agencies, and spent two years writing federal environmental regulations for the EPA.

Classes

My courses relate economic theory to public policy; in them I strive to illustrate the importance and relevance of economic reasoning to current events, while also making economic theory and intuition accessible to students. Courses I currently teach at UWT include Economics as a Way of Thinking, Environmental Policy, Economics of Education, Current Issues in US Public Policy, International Economics, Macroeconomics, and Global Economic Challenges.

Recent Publications and Current Research

My current research interest is in education policy. I am especially interested in education policy as it relates to education quality and social mobility. Recently my research has focused on comparing the policies and outcomes of the US's educational system with those of other developed countries.

Recent papers include:

Katherine Baird (2009) "Assessing Student Learning of Math in High School: How Useful are Student Test Scores?" (under review)

Katherine Baird (2009). "Class in the Classroom: Socioeconomic Status and Math Scores in 19 Rich Countries" (under review)

Katherine Baird, Rodolfo Elías, Víctor Vázquez, Nestor Peralta, and Mirna Vera (Feb 2009). "The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, Latin American Research Network: The Quality of Education in Paraguay". Report prepared for the Interamerican Development Bank.

Katherine Baird (2008). "Federal Direct Expenditures and School Funding Disparities, 1990-2000", Journal of Education Finance. Winter, 2008.

Katherine Baird (2007). "Access to College: The role of tuition, financial aid, scholastic preparation and college supply in US public college enrollments". Journal of Student Financial Aid, 36(3): 16-38.

Katherine Baird (2006). "Do Prepaid Tuition Programs Affect State Support for Higher Education?" Journal of Education Finance, 31(3): 255-275.

Katherine Baird (2006). "The Political Economy of Prepaid Tuition Plans", Review of Higher Education,26(2): 141-166.

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