Harold J. Noah (1925 - )

Short Biography & Significant Contribution

Harold J. Noah (born January 21, 1925) is an American educationist, whose research and writing have focused on comparative education and economics of education. He was born in London, England and came to the United States in 1958. His higher education began at the London School of Economics and King's College, University of London, and was followed by a Ph.D. at Teachers College, Columbia University. He served as Professor at Teachers College, Columbia, from 1964 to 1987. He was appointed to the Gardner Cowles chair in economics of education. He served as Dean of the College from 1976 to 1981.

In studies of Soviet education in the 1960s and 1970s Noah dealt primarily with the economic and public finance aspects of schools and higher education in that country. In his teaching he espoused the use of what were at the time increasingly accepted concepts of human capital and rates of return to examine the nature and extent of private and public investments in education and training, in both market and command economies.

From the mid-1960s onward, Noah advocated the use of empirical social science methods in comparative education. Much of this work was done in collaboration with his long-standing coauthor, Max A. Eckstein. This collaboration began with "Toward a Science of Comparative Education", which described and critiqued the development over time of methods of comparing national systems of education. The book sounded a powerful call for the application of positivist methods in comparative education studies.

Educational Background

B.A. London School of Economics

M.A. King's College, University of London

Ph.D. Teachers College, Columbia University

Professional Background

Professor - Teachers College, Columbia University (1964-1987)
- Gardner Cowles Chair in Economics of Education

Dean of the Teachers College, Columbia University (1976-1981)

Affiliations (associations, organizations, institutions)

Comparative and International Education Society - USA

Selected Publications

"Financing Soviet Schools" (1966). This was his PhD dissertation. A

"The Economics of Education in the U.S.S.R." (1969).

"Toward a Science of Comparative Education" (1969), and the companion book, "Scientific Investigations in Comparative Education" (1969). Both books coauthored with Max A. Eckstein.

"The National Case Study: An Empirical Comparative Study of Twenty-One Educational Systems. International Studies in Evaluation VII" (1976). Coauthored with A.H. Passow, Max A. Eckstein and John Mallea).

"Secondary School Examinations: International Perspectives on Policies and Practice" (1993). Coauthored with Max A. Eckstein.

"Doing Comparative Education: Three Decades of Collaboration" (1998). Coauthored with Max A. Eckstein.

"Fraud and Education: The Worm in the Apple" (2001). Coauthored with Max A. Eckstein.

Created: 6/19/2007

Updated: 3/17/2008

Contributed By: Anonymous, based on Wikipedia entry "Harold Noah"