Professor of Education and Economics
Matthew Kraft is a Professor of Education and Economics at Brown University and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research and teaching interests include the economics of education, education policy analysis, and applied quantitative methods for causal inference. His work focuses on two primary areas: improving the effectiveness of K-12 educators and schools, and examining how education systems are affected by climate change and can be part of the solution. Matt served as a Senior Economist in the White House Council of Economic Advisers in 2024-25. He is also the founder and faculty director of SustainableED - an initiative focused on advancing research at the intersection of education systems and our changing climate.
He has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles on topics including hiring, professional development, evaluation, working conditions, strikes, shortages, and layoffs in the teacher labor market; interpreting effect sizes in education research; school-based tutoring and mentoring programs, and learning time in school. Previously, he taught 8th grade English in Oakland USD and 9th grade humanities at Berkeley High School in California. He holds a doctorate in Quantitative Policy Analysis in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education as well as a master's in International Comparative Education and a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University.
