Mariana Barragan Torres
Social Research Methodology
Department of Education
University of California, Los Angeles
EDUCATION
2022 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Ph.D., Education - Social Research Methodology
Dissertation: A Comparative Study of Teaching Standards and Perspectives of Classroom Practices in Mathematics in México, Chile and Colombia
Advisor: Jose-Felipe Martinez, Ph.D.
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Courtney Bell, Dr. Minjeong Jeon, Dr. Jose Felipe Martinez, Dr. Lucrecia Santibañez, Dr. Jim Stigler.
Student Commencement Speaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCHv1QZHYFA&t=6s
2015 Stanford University
M.A. International Comparative Education
Advisors: Susanna Loeb, Ph.D.
Martin Carnoy, Ph.D.
2013 Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM)
M.A. Applied Economics
2012 B.A. Economics
Advisor: Emilio Gutierrez, Ph.D.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Research Use; Access and Equity; Educational Reform; Education Policy; Evidence-Based Policy; Measurement and Evaluation; Assessment; Teaching and Instructional Quality; Classroom Practices; Teacher Effects.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Barragan Torres, M., Bates, M, & Cashollar, S. (2023). Differences in Learning Patterns in Illinois School Districts and What We Can Learn from Them. Chicago, IL: Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC), Discovery Partners Institute, University of Illinois. https://dpi.uillinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IWERC_Learning-Renewal-Patterns-in-Illinois-_v2.pdf
Barragan Torres, M. & Bates, M (2023). Cost, Location, and Academics: How Illinois High School Seniors Decide on a 4-year College. 2022 Illinois College-Going Survey Series. Chicago, IL: Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC), Discovery Partners Institute, University of Illinois. https://dpi.uillinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Outmigration_Report-1_final2.pdf
Barragan Torres, M., Cashdollar, S., Wang, Y., & Bates, M. (2022). Trends in School Instructional Modality During the 2020-21 School Year. Learning During the Pandemic in Illinois Series. Chicago, IL: Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC), Discovery Partners Institute, University of Illinois. https://dpi.uillinois.edu/applied-research/iwerc/current-projects/learningmodalities/
Cashdollar, S., Wang, Y., Barragan Torres, M., & Bates, M. (2022). Does School Instructional Modality Predict Average School Achievement? Learning During the Pandemic in Illinois Series. Chicago, IL: Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC), Discovery Partners Institute, University of Illinois. https://dpi.uillinois.edu/applied-research/iwerc/current-projects/learningmodalities/
Cashdollar, S., Barragan Torres, M., Wang, Y., & Bates, M. (2022). Does Student Instructional Modality Predict Student Achievement? Learning During the Pandemic in Illinois Series. Chicago, IL: Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC), Discovery Partners Institute, University of Illinois. https://dpi.uillinois.edu/applied-research/iwerc/current-projects/learningmodalities/
Hoffman, K. S., Barragan Torres, M., & Wotipka, C. M. (2021). Cross-National Variation in School Reopening Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Aera Open, 7, 23328584211010180.
Darling, F., & Barragán Torres, M. (2021). Estrategias comunitarias de resolución de problemas matemáticos en una comunidad maya en Yucatán. Revista Latinoamericana De Estudios Educativos, 51(1), 59-90. https://doi.org/10.48102/rlee.2021.51.1.199
Bell, C., Qi, Y., Witherspoon, M., Howell, H., & Barragan-Torres, M. (2020). The TALIS Video Study Observation System. TALIS Video Study and Global Teaching InSights. OECD Publishing. http://www.oecd.org/education/school/TALIS_Video_Study_Observation_System.pdf
Bell, C., Castellano, K., & Barragan-Torres, M. (forthcoming). Re-envisioning observation rater training through the learning sciences: The TALIS Video Study.
Barragan-Torres, M. (2017). School and institutional effects on secondary education transitions in Mexico. International Journal of Educational Research, 85, 68-86. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2017.06.005
OTHER SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Bates, M & Barragan Torres, M. (2023). Op-ed: How to keep students in Illinois for college. (published in The Chicago Tribune)
Cashdollar, S., Barragan Torres, M, & Bates, M. (2022). 3 Misconceptions About Pandemic-Related Learning Loss (published in The 74). https://www.the74million.org/article/3-misconceptions-about-pandemic-related-learning-loss
Floca, M., Mungaray-Moctezuma, A., Matus, M., Barragan-Torres, M., Basulto, A., Razu, Z., & Porten, J.
(2017). 2016 Survey on Education and Migration in San Diego and Tijuana: 9th and 10th Graders. [Data file and code book]. La Jolla, CA: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies. Retrieved from: https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/usmex_releases_preliminary_findings_of_binational_education_study
Orfield, G., Barragan-Torres, M, & Mordechay, K. (2016). Education and Inequality in a Cross-border Megalopolis. The Civil Rights Project, UCLA. Retrieved from: https://ucmexicoinitiative.ucr.edu/students-we-share/docs/2OrfieldGary.pdf
ACADEMIC MANUSCRIPTS IN PROGRESS
Barragan-Torres, M. (Revise and Resubmit). Predictive Validity Attributes of Teacher Entrance Exams in Mexico. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice Journal.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Research Specialist, IWERC April 2022 – Present
Several collaborations across a range of a state-level research projects including the relation to investigating the relationship between instructional modalities and student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, mapping several aspects of education and the workforce in Illinois, a descriptive level study on the Illinois Educator Preparation Profiles (IEPP), among others.
Postdoctoral Research Associate - IWERC Summer 2021- April 2022
Participated in the development of a long-term initiative seeking to involve communities across the state in contributing to IWERC’s research agenda by gathering their perspectives on what aspects of education matters most for each community. Collaborated in a state-level research project related to investigating the relationship between instructional modalities and student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a long-term research project that will map several aspects of education and the workforce in Illinois. Completed a descriptive level study on the Illinois Educator Preparation Profiles (IEPP) that explores the characteristics of institutions that have IEPP programs and their scores, and how these relate to a range of factors. Submitted two proposals related to assessment that we are awaiting to fund to further our understanding of the use of interim assessments in the state. Designed a secondary comparative analysis on measures of effective schools currently used in Illinois.
Education by Experience Program Evaluation Fall 2019- June 2020
Under the direction of Dr. Christina Christie, Dean of the GSE&IS at UCLA, I designed the program evaluation of an after-school program for bilingual families in two school districts in Southern California. I designed and submitted the evaluation proposal and IRB protocol for the two school districts and UCLA as well as the evaluation instrument. The instrument consisted of a set of surveys for students and parents to evaluate the implementation and outcome of the program goals. As a result of the COVID19 pandemic, the implementation of the program has been suspended until further notice.
Observation Team – Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) Video Study
September 2016-June 2020
Under the leadership of Dr. Courtney Bell, I participated as a member of the observation team in the TALIS Video Study. During this four-year project, I participated in the development of the observation tool, the training of master raters and conducted a series of literature reviews on teaching and classroom practices from an international perspective. In addition, I participated in collaborative work for the writing of sections for the technical and policy reports as well as research papers on rater training and the design of classroom observation protocols.
Mexican Migration Field Research Project September 2015- June 2016
At the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the University of California San Diego, I participated in the developed a comparative analysis on the education systems in both sides of the border, Tijuana and San Diego, and their respective economic and labor market outcomes. Specifically, I led the development of research questions, research methods design, data collection and data analysis of student surveys of 6,500 students in 9th and 10th grades across 60 schools in San Diego County and the municipality of Tijuana. Results from the study showed that students in the two cities have strong connections to both sides of the border and big dreams for their futures that often involve living and studying in both countries. They rely heavily on their schools to help them prepare for the future, and a wide majority believe that schools and teachers do a good job of orienting them to the range of pathways available to them as they transition to adulthood.
Principal Investigators: Melissa Floca, Dr. Patricia Gandara and Dr. Gary Orfield
Ready4K Program at Stanford University October 2014- August 2015
As a Research Assistant for Dr. Susanna Loeb, the Principal Investigator, and graduate researchers Ben York, Ph.D., and Christopher Doss, PhD, I assisted in the design of Spanish and culture relevant texts for the Ready4K Program, which had the goal of the development of Math skills.
Various projects at ITAM’s Center for Development Economics January 2012 – March 2013
I assisted Dr. Emilio Gutierrez in several development economic research projects. These projects included an experimental study evaluating the impact of attendance to visual clinics on health outcomes, a quasi-experimental study for understanding the relationships between election results and other economic outcomes and studying the impact of micro-finance at the state level in welfare at the household level. As research assistant, I performed key aspects of the quantitative analyses for these projects and conducted rigorous literature reviews and a preliminary analysis of results.
Misreporting in Social Programs in Mexico: the case of Oportunidades January 2011- August 2011
As research assistant for Dr. Kensuke Teshima, I contributed to the data analysis of this paper which studied how households misreport their access to resources in social programs surveys.
PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE
Secretary of Education of Mexico March 2013- June 2014
Deputy Director and Advisor to the Secretary of Upper Secondary Education
● Developed and managed multiple research projects and data analysis for the design and implementation of education policies
● Elaboration of speeches, keynotes, and conference preparation based on research and data analysis for the Secretary of Upper Secondary Education
● Redesigned the 2014 Annual National Survey of Labor Entry of Graduates from Upper Secondary Education
● Coordinated design and implementation of the Mexican Dual Education Model in alliance with the National Enterprises Council. Coordinated impact evaluation of the program joint effort with the Inter-American Development Bank
Google Latin America, Government and Public Affairs January- December 2012
Program Manager/Consultant
· Coordinated the implementation of policy projects in the Mexican office of Google
● Led the negotiation of AMIPCI’s participation in the initiative “El Buen Fin (Black Friday)” with entities of the government and multiple private corporate organizations
● Coordinated education projects with the private company Mayahii that consisted in the curriculum design and implementation of a Google Tools training program in community centers in rural areas
SERVICE
2023-present Steering Committee UChicago Consortium of School Research
2020-2023 Undergraduate Mentoring Fellowship Award – Social Research Methodology Division
2020-2022 Member: Mujeres Unidas por la Educación en Mexico.
Non-profit organization that fosters the quality of education for all students with a gender perspective.
2017-2019 Social Research Methodology Graduate Student Representative Committee
2018-2019 UCLA Triathlon President
2014-2015 Volunteer at Stanford’s Educational Interpretation team to facilitate teacher-parent conferences at Pescadero’s middle school and high school in order to promote teacher and parent engagement in the community
2010-2016 Co-founder: El Mexico que Queremos
Non-profit connecting students in public and private universities with experts from the public and private sectors to discuss the challenges of Mexico.
Coordinator of the book “Propuesta Ciudadana El México que Queremos” a citizen proposal considered for the National Development Plan in 2012
Present Reviewer for the following journals:
International Journal for Educational Development
Educational Researcher
Educational Assessment
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Selected Presentations by date
Barragan-Torres, M., & Barkley, A.F. (2024). Lessons from Learning Renewal Practices in Illinois. Research presented at the Association for Education Finance and Policy. Baltimore, MD. March 2024
Bates, M., & Barragan Torres, M. (2023). Factors for Latinx Post-Secondary Transitions. Various presentations. June-September 2023.
Bates, M., & Barragan Torres, M. (2023). Factors for Post-Secondary Transitions of Illinois High School Seniors. Various presentations. May to August 2023.
Barragan-Torres, M. (2020). The Assessment of Predictive and Consequential Validity of Entrance Teacher Exams in Mexico: Implications for Teacher Evaluation Policies. Presentation selected for the Division D Graduate Student In-Progress Research Gala of the 2019 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference. San Francisco, CA. April 2020.
Bell, C., Castellano, K., Yi, Q., & Barragan-Torres, M. Re-envisioning rater training through learning principles: The TALIS Video Study. Working paper to be presented in the Nacional Council of Measurement in Education. San Francisco, CA. April 2020.
Bell, C., Stecher. B., Schweig, J., Witherspoon, M., Qi, Y., & Barragan-Torres, M. Conceptual and Design Considerations in the Development of the Teaching and Learning International Survey Video Observation and Artifact Codes. Working paper presented in the American Education Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting Conference, New York, NY. April 2018
Barragan-Torres, M. Examining the Instruments used for Teacher Performance Evaluation in Mexico: Considerations about Validity. Working paper presented in the Annual Comparative International Education Society (CIES) Conference, Mexico City, Mexico. March 2018.
Ponns, A., Guerrero, K., Leyva, Y., Matsubara, K., Bell, C., & Barragan-Torres, M. Collaborative Teaching Research in an International Context: Study Design and Pilot Implementation in Three TALIS-Video Countries. Working paper presented in the Annual Comparative International Education Society (CIES) Conference, Mexico City, Mexico. March 2018.
Barragan, M. Aspectos Psicométricos y Estadísticos de los Instrumentos de Ingreso y Desempeño de la Evaluación Docente Consideraciones sobre Interpretaciones y Validez. Encuentro Nacional de Becarios CONACYT en el extranjero. Washington, D.C. March 2018.
Barragan M. Who Goes Where? A Descriptive Study of the Power of Institutions and Schools in the Mexican education system. Conference title for paper “School and Institutional Effects on Secondary Education Transitions in Mexico” presented in the Annual Comparative International Education Society (CIES) Conference, Washington, D.C. March 2015.
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
2024 Dual Enrollment Fund
2023 Learning Renewal Fund (The Steans Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust)
2022 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Fellowships for Minoritized Professionals in Educational Measurement
2020-2021 Non-Resident Fellow Center for U.S. Mexican Studies
2020-2021 UC-Mexus Advanced Doctoral Fellow
2020 AERA In-Progress Research Gala Paper
2019 UCLA Summer Teaching Fellowship
2017-2020 CONACYT / UC-Mexus Doctoral Fellowship
2016-2017 UCLA Student-Athlete of the Year
2016 UCLA GSE&IS Dean’s Scholar: Lee Memorial Fellowship
2016 National Youth Award (Government of Mexico)
2015 ITAM’s La Flecha Al Aire Javier Beristain Award
Awarded to the most distinguished education thesis
2015 Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute's Mentored Global Research Fellowship
2015 Stanford’s Center for Latin American Studies Research Grant
2014-2015 Stanford’s GSE Claudio X. Gonzalez Fellowship
2013 CONACYT/ITAM Scholarship
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Education Finance and Policy
American Educational Research Association
Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness
National Council on Measurement in Education
Comparative International Education Society
RELEVANT SKILLS
Speak, write and understand Spanish and English fluently
Stanford, UCLA and University of Illinois CITTI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) IRB certified
Software: STATA, R, ARGIS, MPLUS, HLM, and Python