Dr. Bañuelos received her PhD in Sociology from the University of
Chicago in 2016 and worked at the Robert W. Woodruff Library at
Emory University prior to coming to Davis. She studies the
history of higher education – especially the evolution of
for-profit occupational training programs targeted to women and
students of color. She is currently writing a book on the history
of the modern for-profit university. Dr. Bañuelos is also
interested in initiatives that increase undergraduates’
engagement with historical and archival work.
Marcela Cuellar joined the School of Education in July 2014 as an
assistant professor in higher education & leadership. She
received her doctorate in Higher Education and Organizational
Change at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information
Studies. Her research examines access and equity in higher
education, Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging
HSIs, and Latinx student success. More specifically, Dr.
Faculty ProfileEMPHASIS AREA: LLC, LMS. Media and culture; Development of non-cognitive social success skills, Comics & Graphic Novels, Interactive Narratives, Games
Darnel Degand joined the School of Education as an assistant
professor in July 2017. He studies the various ways media
and society influence the development of social success
skills by exploring the social processes that exist within media
production environments and media consumption experiences. His
research also involves the design and development of educational
media products and experiences.
Cassandra Hart is an associate professor of education policy. She
evaluates the effects of school, state and national education
programs, policies, and practices on overall student achievement,
and on the equality of student outcomes. Hart’s work has focused
on school choice programs, school accountability
policies, and effects on students of exposure to
demographically similar teachers. She is also interested in the
effects of virtual schooling on student outcomes, both in K-12
and post-secondary settings.
Margarita Jimenez-Silva is an associate professor and director of
teacher education at the School of Education in University of
California, Davis. Her research focuses on preparing and
supporting teachers to work with culturally and linguistically
diverse learners, especially in addressing emergent bilinguals’
linguistic and academic content development. More specifically,
her research strands include teacher education pedagogy and
curriculum, educational policy, and family/community engagement.
Michal Kurlaender investigates students’ educational pathways, in
particular K-12 and postsecondary alignment, and access to and
success in postsecondary schooling. She has expertise on
alternative pathways to college and college readiness at both
community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. In
addition to working with national data, Kurlaender works closely
with administrative data from all three of California’s public
higher education sectors–the University of California, the
California State University and the California Community College
systems.
Francisco (Paco) Martorell joined the School as an assistant
professor in July 2014. Martorell completed his PhD in economics
at UC Berkeley. Prior to joining the School, he was an Economist
at the RAND Corporation and was a professor at the Pardee RAND
Graduate School since 2006. He has broad research interests in
both higher education and K-12 policy. Current projects cover
areas including developmental education in colleges, the effects
of grade retention, the returns to for-profit colleges, the
impacts of school facility investments, and community college
tuition subsidies.
Faculty ProfileEMPHASIS AREA: SOEP. Latina/o and Native American identity formations in P-20 systems; Transition to college for students of color in K-12, Access
Office hours: Fall Quarter 2017 — By Appointment Only
Gloria M. Rodriguez’s current research explores notions
of educational investment that reflect efforts to build
upon community strengths in order to address community
needs within and beyond educational settings. Dr. Rodriguez
also engages in research that focuses on the political
economic conditions and educational trajectories of
Chicana/o-Latina/o communities, other communities of color,
and low-income populations in the U.S.
Faculty ProfileEMPHASIS AREA: LMS. Test validity analysis; The use of assessment as an educational reform lever; Grading; Evaluation of educational programs
Megan Welsh joined the School in July 2014 as an assistant
professor in educational assessment and measurement. Since 2008,
she was an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut.
Her primary areas of research include test validity analysis, the
use of assessment as an educational reform lever, grading, and
evaluation of educational programs.
With over fifteen years of professional experience, Winn has
worked and consulted with foundations, cities, and non-profits
including Casey Family Programs, Annie E. Casey, W.K. Kellogg
Foundation, City of Newark (NJ), City of Madison (WI), St. HOPE,
MLK Community Resources Collaborative, and Race to Equity.
His expertise includes youth programs/education, civic and
community engagement, strategic partnerships, race and equity,
and community based participatory research.
