Ernesto Trevino

Q & A with Ed.D. Candidate, Ernesto Trevino

What did you do before you came to the GSE?

I worked for the Mexican Secretariat of Education and for the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Comments on the coursework?

Out of all the excellent courses that I took, four of them were exceptional. The Seminar on Education, Poverty and Inequality in Latin America taught by Fernando Reimers is definitely a must for anyone interested in education in this region of the world. It gives an overview of educational policy from different theoretical and methodological perspectives. The other exceptional course was Politics, Policy-Making, and Political Action in Education with Richard Elmore. In this course I learned to interpret policy-making and schools as a complex political terrain.

In terms of research methods, two courses have marked my development as a researcher. The Logics of Qualitative Research presents the student with a thorough menu of options to engage in qualitative inquiry. Applied Data Analysis, taught by John Willett, is the other methodological course that opens for students a whole range of possibilities to investigate the topic of their interest.

What is your research question?

What are the factors of the schools that influence student achievement in indigenous schools in Mexico after controlling for race and socioeconomic status? Are these factors different for rural non-indigenous schools?

What is your career goal?

I am planning to work in policy evaluation in Latin America, focusing on the way schools can reduce educational inequalities.