Participants
Cynthia Adlerstein
Early Childhood Educator, Master and PhD in Social Sciences. She is currently an academic at the Faculty of Education of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Panel of Experts Advisor for the Early Childhood Education Reform since 2014 and co-investigator of the comparative study "State of the art and guiding criteria for policy development training and professional development of teachers in early childhood in Latin America and the Caribbean" under the Regional Strategic on Teachers Project for Latin America and the Caribbean OREALC/UNESCO Santiago.
Over the past five years she has been responsible for two FONDEF research projects dedicated to practical modeling of physical learning environments in early childhood education; participated as co-investigator in two FONDECYT projects aimed at understanding the practical knowledge of childhood educators in teaching oral and written language and science.
Cecilia Barbieri
Senior Education Specialist at the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) in Santiago, Chile.
She has worked as an Education Specialist at UNESCO since 1999, mainly in Africa and Asia. Before joining UNESCO Ms. Barbieri worked in the field of technical and vocational training and institutional capacity building, as well as in the field of education for peace, human rights and intercultural education with an international NGO.
She holds a Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Bologna, Italy, and also specialized in Development Sociology, Sociology of Education and International Humanitarian Law in Belgium and Italy.
Carlos Eugenio Beca
Professor of Philosophy at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He has worked in government and academia on issues of education policy, teaching profession, rural education and adult education.
Between 2000 and 2010 he directed the Center for Improvement, Experimentation and Pedagogical Research, CPEIP. Mr. Beca has developed teaching activities in the school system and higher education, including continuous training of teachers and principals.
He is currently Executive Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat of the project "Regional Strategy on Teachers - Teachers for Education for All" OREALC/UNESCO Santiago, currently based in Centro de Política Comparada en Educación (CPCE) de la Universidad Diego Portales, and is also a teacher in the Continuing Education Program of Education at the Universidad de Chile.
Esther Care
From Brookings Institution, is senior member in the Center for Universal Education. She focuses on educational assessment, curriculum, and assessment reform, and the assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. She is director of the Assessment Curriculum and Technology Research Centre (funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in the Philippines).
She was the international research coordinator for the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) project, which was supported by Cisco, Microsoft and Intel, and by the governments of Australia, Finland, Portugal, Singapore, UK and the USA. This project, with multiple international governments, commercial and academic partners, showcased innovative approaches to the assessment of complex skill sets, with implications for student learning, teacher pedagogy, and government policy.
As the stimulus for developing student skills beyond traditional academic subject increases, Dr. Care’s work in the assessment and teaching of 21st century skills contributes technical and policy expertise for both developed and developing countries as they confront the challenge of educating their youth to navigate the 21st century world of work.
Jorge Celis
Undersecretariat of Interagency Integration, Ministry of Education of the District of Bogota, Colombia, is a sociologist, holding a master’s degree in Sociology from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and a master´s in international studies and comparative education from the University of Stockholm (Sweden).
Mr. Celis has worked as a university lecturer, consultant in curriculum issues, training and institutional development and doctoral insertion, evaluation of public policies in secondary education and access to higher education and research in teaching profession.
He worked at the Institute of Development Policy of the Universidad Javeriana and the Vice-Rector of Research at the Universidad de Los Andes. He was adviser to the Division of Strategic Programs in Colciencias, the Quality for Higher Education of the Ministry of National Education and Academic Dean of the Catholic University of Colombia.
Cristian Cox
Sociologist from the Universidad Catolica de Chile, receiving his Ph.D in Sociology from the University of London, in 1984. He is the director of the Technical Secretariat of the Regional Strategy on Teachers in ALC, led by OREALC/UNESCO Santiago. Currently he is head of the Centre for Comparative Policies in Education at Universidad Diego Portales.
Previously he was Dean of the Faculty of Education in the Universidad Católica de Chile and the director of the Curriculum and Evaluation Unit of the Chilean Ministry of Education (1998-2006), from where he led the design and implementation of the curriculum reform of the schooling system of Chile in the late nineties.
He has worked as a consultant for OECD, World Bank, IADB and UNESCO and was Tinker Visiting Professor at Stanford University in 2005. Author of three books and co-author and/or editor of seven, his research interests include educational policies, teacher training and citizenship education.
Camilla Croso
Coordinator of the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education CLADE (Campaña Latinoamericana por el Derecho a la Education), a network that represents 15 national education forums, 8 regional networks from Latin America and 5 international NGOs with solid presence in the region. CLADE seeks to influence policy making both at a regional and national level, as well as internationally.
As president of GCE, Camilla represents civil society as a member of the UN Global Education First Initiative Steering Committee, UNESCO's Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education for All (CCNGO), and as the Co-Chair of the Education for All Steering Committee. She graduated from the University of São Paulo in 1994, and received her master’s in Social Policy & Planning in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics in 1998.
Ricardo Cuenca
Social psychologist, PhD in Education from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He is Senior Researcher and, currently, General Director of the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP). He is also Senior Professor in the Department of Education at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, where he is a member of the Faculty Council.
He has been member of the National Education Council in Peru, President of the Peruvian Educational Research Society and President of the Peruvian Educational Forum. He has been coordinator of the research component of the Regional Policy Program for the Teaching Profession of the Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) and Education Program in Peru of the German Cooperation (PROEDUCA-GTZ). He has advised educational programs related to teacher issues in the ministries of education in Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Bolivia.
He has been consultant at the OREALC-UNESCO, IDB and GIZ. He has received research grants from the Ford Foundation, the IDRC of Canada, CLACSO and the Latin American Observatory of Inequality at the University of Miami. His articles and books have been published in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, USA and Peru.
Adriana Delpiano
Minister of Education of Chile. She holds a degree in social work from Universidad Católica de Chile and a Master’s in Educational Sciences from the Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Mexico. She was Minister of National Assets, director of the National Women's Service and Undersecretary of Regional Development; director of Sociocultural Area of the Republic Presidency, and Mayor of the Metropolitan Region.
Ms. Delpiano was part of the Interdisciplinary Program for Research in Education (PIIE) as a researcher and director. She was also a professor at the School of Social Work at the Universidad Católica de Chile; executive director of urban transformation project Cerrillos Bicentennial Park City; and executive director of the Fundación Educación 2020.
Saturnino de los Santos
Deputy Minister of Certification and Teacher Career Development of the Ministry of Education (MINERD) of the Dominican Republic.
Educator. Ph.D. in Education with specialization areas, Major in social research and Minor in evaluation; Master of Educational Outreach concentration in planning and evaluation at The Ohio State University (OSU) and Bachelor of Education in the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD).
Isabel Díaz
Undersecretary of Early Childhood Education. She is an early childhood teacher of the Universidad de Chile and a PhD in Education from the Universidad de Granada, Spain. In addition, she is a specialist in curriculum development and design of public policies for early childhood.
During her career she has worked as director of Early Childhood Education career at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado. Ms. Díaz was an academic in teaching careers in various institutions of higher education, national and international consultant in curriculum, evaluation and training field, and national coordinator of curriculum development level of preschool education in the Ministry of Education.
Elena Duro
Secretary of Educational Evaluation Ministry of Education and Sports of Argentina, is Professor in Science Education of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and has a postgraduate degree in research methodology Di Tella University.
She has been a specialist for UNICEF in Argentina; worked as a teacher in higher / university level and public service in Buenos Aires, UNLP - DGCyE.
Marlon Escoto
Minister of Education of Honduras. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Letters, studied journalism at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, and graduated as an agronomist at the Universidad Nacional de Agricultura, in Catacamas, Olancho.
Mr. Escoto has been president of the Universidad Nacional de Agricultura en Olancho. He graduated from Teacher Training in Higher Education and has a Masters in Human Settlements and Environment of the Universidad Católica de Chile.
Linda Darling-Hammond
President of the Learning Policy Institute, is Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University where she is Faculty Director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.
She is a former president of the American Educational Research Association and member of the National Academy of Education as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her research and policy work focus on issues of educational equity, teaching quality, and school reform.
She has advised school leaders and policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels. In 2008, she served as director of President Obama's education policy transition team. Her book, The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity will Determine our Future, received the coveted Grawemeyer Award in 2012.
Dirk Hastedt
Executive Director of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).
He was previously Co-Director of the IEA Data Processing and Research Center (IEA DPC) based in Hamburg, Germany, since 2001, where he was responsible for the center’s international field of work. Mr. Hastedt joined the IEA Germany foundation in 1989 to work for the IEA Reading Literacy Study and TIMSS 1995, and from 1997 held the position of a Senior Researcher at the IEA DPC. From 2003 to 2005 he was project manager for TIMSS 1999.
Since 2001, he had been responsible for the data processing for, amongst other studies, TIMSS 2003 and 2007, and PIRLS 2006. Mr. Hastedt is also co-editor in chief of the IEA-ETS-Research Institute’s journal ‘Large –scale Assessments in Education’.
Carlos Henríquez
Executive Secretary of the Agency for Quality Education - Chile. He holds a Master’s in management & public policy, and a bachelor degree in business and economics.
His career in the educational field includes positions as general manager of MIDE UC, general manager of the Municipal Corporation of Education and Development Services of Maipu, and university professor at the Faculty of Administration and Economics at the Universidad de Santiago, Chile.
Sen. Harcourt Husbands
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.
He was a teacher in Social Studies at Wesley Hall Junior for many years. He is the President and General Secretary of the Barbados Union of Teachers and the President of the Caribbean Union of Teachers. He has worked for the Communications Workers of America in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. He has also been the Executive Director of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation and a Vice President of the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation.
Christian Libeer
Accreditation Manager and Teacher Evaluation at Center for Improvement, Experimentation and Pedagogical Research of the Ministry of Education of Chile.
He is a sociologist of Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano, and has a Diploma in Assessment and Evaluation of Learning Education of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
He is also Academic of Research Methodology in Education Magister at Universidad Mayor, Chile.
Mercedes Miguel
Secretary of Innovation and Quality in Education of the National Ministry of Education and Sports in Argentina since December 2015.
She was General Director of Education Planning and Innovation of the City of Buenos Aires for six years. In this position, she also chaired the city’s Teacher Training School.
Previously, she advised National Deputies before the Educational Commission of the National Argentine Congress. She has vast experience as an educational consultant and advisor for national and international organizations.
Martin Icaza
Sociologist of Universidad Alberto Hurtado and MSc Economics of Education of Institute of Education, University of London.
He is Technical Assistant (Curriculum and Evaluation) at the Latin American Laboratory for Assessment of Educational Quality (LLECE), Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago).
Mr. Icaza has been Research Assistant at Advanced Research Certer of Education (CIAE, Universidad de Chile) and external consultant for Ministry of Education in Chile.
Edith Moraes
Undersecretary of Education and Culture (Uruguay), she is a teacher graduated of Instituto Normal del Departamento Artigas, Master of Education from the Universidad Católica de Uruguay "Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga".
She graduated from the Universidad de la República in Education Sciences and has a postgraduate degree at the Universidad de Barcelona in Values Education.
In educational administration, Ms. Moraes has served as teacher and principal in public schools, she was zone and national Primary Education inspector. Later she served as Director General of the Council of Early Childhood Education and Elementary and general director of the Education Training Council ANEP.
Gabriela Moriconi
Public Administrator of the FGV - EAESP (Brazil), Master and Ph.D. in Government and Public Management FGV - EAESP.
Researcher at the Carlos Chagas Foundation and expert of the Regional Strategy on Teachers UNESCO, with experience in the fields of people management in public sector and education, with emphasis on education, education policies and evaluation of educational indicators.
Pablo Orrego
Technical Assistant of Data Analysis at OREALC/UNESCO, psychologist and Master in Models and Areas of Social Science Research of the Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibersitatea, Spain.
With expertise in construction, adaptation in measuring tools and data analysis in educational field, he has also work at Quality of Education Agency, of the Ministry of Education in Chile.
Marcela Pardo
Anthropologist and Masters in Early Childhood Educational Psychology. She is Research Associate of the Advanced Research Certer of Education (CIAE, Universidad de Chile) and coordinator of its Early Childhood Education area. She has conducted research on initial training of pre-school teaching, including coordination of a comparative study on policies for training and professional development of pre-school teaching in Latin America, within the framework of the Regional Strategic Project on Teachers for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago).
Ms. Pardo has been project manager for the development of the Guiding Standards for pre-school teaching and has coordinated the development of the Inicia test for pre-school teaching, both projects for the Ministry of Education.
She was also Alternate Director of FONDEF project "Construction of assessment instrument for development/ learning of Chilean boys and girls/ from 0 to 6 years" TADI, developed by CEDEP and CIA.
Sergio Parra
Coordinator Teacher Professional Development Area of the Center for Improvement, Experimentation and Pedagogical Research (CPEIP) of the Ministry of Education of Chile. He is engineer from the Universidad de Tarapacá and Magister in Public Policy and Management at the Universidad de Chile.
Mr. Parra supports in the design, implementation and evaluation of various actions of teacher training proposals from the CPEIP. Financial and program Manager of teacher training programs developed by the CPEIP. He is also advisor of evaluation processes, research or studies conducted in teacher training programs and CPEIP.
Fredy Peñafiel
Vice Minister of Education of Ecuador. He has a Master in Information and Communication applied Technology to Education from the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Diploma in Edu-communication (Universidad Politecnica Salesiana), a degree in Social Communication, mention in research Communication (Universidad Central del Ecuador).
Mr. Peñafiel is a writer, teacher and poet, and has published books and anthologized in several countries. He has been member of the team updating and strengthening curriculum of basic education and manager of the Proyecto Nuevo Bachillerato Ecuatoriano.
Andrés Peri
Sociologist of Universidad de la Republica de Uruguay and Ph.D. in demography of the Austin University of Texas, USA. Has collaborated in diverse publication regarding the educational topic, social structure, inequality and demography.
He is the director of the Research, Evaluation and Statistics Division of ANEP CODICEN, were he developed, with other colleges, the Online Learning Assessment System (SEA), the Primary Teaching Education Monitoring, amongst other projects.
He has been a consultant for several international agencies –CARE, WPF, CEPAL, CELADE-, and is a postgraduate teacher at the Social Science faculty in Universidad de la República.
Daniel Pier
Coordinator of OAS Inter-American Teacher Education Network (RIED). He has a Master’s degree in Education with emphasis on teaching and curriculum from Harvard University Graduate School of Education; he is a specialist in professional teacher development and content developer with twenty years of experience in education, communications, and project management.
Mr. Pier worked as a teacher and journalist in Chile, Costa Rica, and the United States. He has trained teachers and writers in educational radio; he has created educational materials, and managed programs in Uganda, Nigeria, Guyana and El Salvador, and has also helped to design and launch a new teacher training institute in Cap-Haitian, Haiti.
Atilio Pizarro
Chief for Planning, Management, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago). He is a Fulbright Scholar, Master in Public Management (concentration in International Development), Northeastern University, Boston, USA. Mr. Pizarro is a graduate of Public Administration School of Government and Administration of the Universidad de Chile and has a degree in Public Management for Territorial Development of FLACSO.
He has a vast experience in education mainly through his work at the Ministry of Education of Chile in several management positions in the fields of research, planning and quality assurance of education. His experience includes participation in the design of educational policies and the development and evaluation of projects and programs, design and implementation of systems of quality assurance of education, production and analysis of statistics, school management and educational leadership.
He has participated in various research and publications according to his roles and responsibilities in the Ministry of Education of Chile and OREALC/UNESCO Santiago.
Antonio Prado
Executive Secretary of ECLAC. Brazilian economist, Antonio Prado took upon the position of Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on 1 November 2009, having been appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon.
During most of his professional career, Prado has specialized in the analysis of technological changes in industry and their impact on economic development, the labour market and Brazil's industrial relations.
María José Ramírez
International consultant in education.
Between 2010 and 2015 she worked as an education specialist for the World Bank, supporting countries to develop their learning assessment systems.
Previously, she worked for the Ministry of Education of Chile (1998-2000 and 2005-2006), leading the Analysis and Communication team of the national assessment program (SIMCE), and implementing the international study TIMSS. Between 2000 and 2004 she was a research assistant in the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center, USA, where she was in charge of the analysis of questionnaires and development of educational indicators. She also was the college director of Universidad Diego Portales, Chile (2007-2010).
She has published, taught, and presented on educational evaluation and quality in different countries. She has a PhD in Education from the Boston College, USA (2004).
Christian Sánchez
Coordinator of Initial Formation of the Center for Improvement, Experimentation and Pedagogical Research (CPEIP) of the Ministry of Education, Chile.
He is PHd in Education from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC); History and Geography teacher. He is a professor at the PUC as instructor and researcher at the Center for Policy Studies and Practice in Education.
Harvey Sanchez
Executive Director of the National Institute of Educational Evaluation of Ecuador (INEVAL) and National Coordinator of the Latin American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education (LLECE) in Ecuador.
He studied Actuary and Psychology at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), holds a master’s in Science of Complexity and conducted his doctoral studies at the Institute of Geography of the UNAM.
He has been the Chief of a mathematics and statistics department at UNAM, was former Director of National Examinations Postgraduate Studies and Coordinator of Statistical Analysis at CENEVAL and ministerial advisor in Mexico.
He has also been a member of research projects in the UNDP, UNAM, CENEVAL, the Ministry of Health, the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation and the Health Research Fund and Social Security.
In 2013 he received the Medal of Merit in "Career" by the State of Mexico and the Scrolls to "Educational Merit" and "Humanist Merit" awarded by the Meritorious Society of Geography and Statistics of Mexico.
Jorge Sequeira
Sequeira is currently the Director of the Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago).
He has had a long career in the UN System, spanning more than 30 years in Unites Nations, working in Education for All, sector analyses, educational planning and management, Education Management Information Systems (EMIS), statistics, strategic planning and organizational reform. In 1992 he was transferred to UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Bangkok as Programme Specialist. In 1996 he became Head of the Educational Planning and Sector Analysis Section in the same office. In 1998, he was appointed Head of the UNESCO Cluster Office for Central Asia, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
From 2001 to 2004 he served as Chief of Education, Child Protection and Early Childhood Care and Development in UNICEF Myanmar. In 2004, he was appointed Director of the UNESCO Office in Pakistan where he participated in the One UN initiative. Since late 2008, Mr. Sequeira is the Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Office provides advisory services and high-level policy advice to all LAC Member and Associated States to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, notably SDG-4 (“Education”). The guiding principles of the programme concern the right to quality education for all and the contribution of education to reduce inequality in the LAC region. The main lines of intervention are: education planning and quality; assessment of learning outcomes and indicators; teachers, the teaching profession in all its dimensions, including ICT; global citizenship education for “learning to live together”; and technical/vocational education and training for job creation and employment.
Mr. Sequeira is also a member of the UNDG LAC (UN Development Group for LAC) and of various regional inter-agency working groups. Presently, along with the UNESCO team in the region, he is leading the design and implementation of the 2015-2030 Education Agenda for LAC in collaboration with Governments, UN convenors and partners that range from CSOs, bilateral agencies, donors, to the private sector.
Eugenio Severin
Co-founder and CEO of “Your class, your country”, a company dedicated to innovation in education. He also works as an international consultant in education institutions such as UNESCO, IDB, World Bank and others.
Mr. Severin was Senior Specialist in the InterAmerican Development Bank, Division of Education, from 2008 to 2012, responsible of projects design and monitoring, and the use of technology in education. He worked from 2003 to 2008 in Fundacion Chile, as the responsible for Technology in Education projects. Was Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Education of Chile between 2000 and 2002, and became National Director of the Office of Citizens Affairs at the same Ministry.
In 1991 he earned a Degree in Literature at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and in 2000 an MBA from Loyola College in Maryland (USA). In 2008 he obtained a Diploma in Public Policy in Education at the Faculty of Economics and Business from the Universidad de Chile.
Carlos Staff
Academic Deputy Minister of Education of Panama, is a Biology teacher with a Master Degree in Education.
He has served as teacher in secondary and university levels. Mr. Staff was Assistant Director and Regional Director of Education of the, Ministry of Education of Panama (MEDUCA); National Director of Student Affairs of the MEDUCA; General coordinator of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and Health, at the Universidad Latina de Panamá.
Paul Torres
Professor and Principal Researcher. Phd in Pedagogical Sciences and PhD© of Sciences. Sub director of the Central Institute of Educational Sciences. Secretary of the Permanent Court of Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences of the Central Institute of Educational Sciences
Mr. Torres is member of the Scientific Advisory Body and the National Commission for the Improvement of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cuba. He is also an international education consultant and peer reviewer of national and international scientific journals.
Jaime Veas
Director of the Center for Improvement, Experimentation and Pedagogical Research (CPEIP) of the Ministry of Education, Chile.
He is a Teacher of History and Geography of the Universidad de Chile, with extensive experience in management and development of educational policies. He has been part of the implementation of national programs of professional recognition to teachers and the Teaching Excellence (AEP) and the Teachers’ Teachers Network (RMM). He was also part of the creation of the National Teacher Evaluation System.
Denise Vaillant
PhD in Education, University of Québec à Montréal, Canada. She has a Master’s in Educational Planning and Management, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Ms. Vaillant has held various positions in the National Administration of Public Education in Uruguay; she is a university professor, consultant to several international organizations and author of numerous articles and books on the subjects of teachers, educational reform and innovation.
She currently directs the Institute of Education and the Doctoral Program in Education at the Universidad ORT Uruguay, and is a Researcher Level II of the National Research System (SNI) of Uruguay. Ms. Vaillant is part of the team of international advisers of the Regional Strategy on Teachers at the OREALC/UNESCO Santiago. Further information: www.denisevaillant.com
