Andres Molina is a Senior Research Fellow at the Mitchell Institute, Victoria University.

Andres completed his PhD in Education at Victoria University and holds a Master's in International Comparative Education, International Educational Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University, and is a Sociologist from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Prior to joining Victoria University, Andres was a Senior Researcher at the Australian Education Research Organisation, Senior Researcher and Advocacy Officer at The Smith Family, and Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Andres was the Director of two programs at the MIDE UC Measurement Centre of Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and Director of the Advanced Human Capital Program at the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research, Chile.

Andres has worked for more than 20 years in the design, analysis, evaluation, and implementation of educational projects and programs in several countries, including Chile, the United States and Australia, with a special focus on longitudinal and international comparative studies. His work explores the roots of educational and social inequality, highlighting the far-reaching consequences of school segregation for individuals and communities. Andres uses mixed methods in his research, with expertise in the use of complex statistical techniques to analyse large administrative and survey data.

Andres has worked across government, non-profit and academic sectors to support educational change based on evidence. His work has been widely disseminated through presentations, reports, and academic articles.

Portfolios

Areas of expertise

  • Educational and social inequality
  • Social cohesion
  • School segregation
  • Student transitions and outcomes
  • International comparative education
  • Educational trajectories and pathways
  • Quantitative methods and analysis
  • Longitudinal studies
  • Education systems and policy

Contact details

(03) 9919 1886
[email protected]

Publications

Refereed journal articles

Molina, A., & Lamb, S. (2022). School segregation, inequality and trust in institutions: evidence from Santiago. Comparative Education, 58(1), 72-90.

The Smith Family (2022). The Catch-Up Learning program: Supporting students experiencing disadvantage through online tutoring at home, The Smith Family.

Molina, A., Shlezinger, K., & Cahill, H. (2021). Asking for a friend: seeking teacher help for the homophobic harassment of a peer. The Australian Educational Researcher, 1-21.

Molina, A., Cahill, H., & Dadvand, B. (2021). The role of gender, setting and experience in teacher beliefs and intentions in social and emotional learning and respectful relationships education. The Australian Educational Researcher, 1-17.

Carnoy, M., Brodziak, I., Molina, A., Socias, M. (2007). The Limitations of Teacher Pay Incentive Programs Based on Inter-Cohort Comparisons: The Case of Chile’s SNED. Education Finance and Policy, 2007, Volume 2, Issue 3, MIT Press, Cambridge, USA.

Books

Molina, A. (2021). School Segregation and Social Cohesion in Santiago: Perspectives from the Chilean Experience. Springer International Publishing.

Refereed book chapters

Molina, A. (2023). School segregation and effects on social cohesion: The case of Chile. In Berends, M., Schneider, B., & Lamb, S. (Eds.). The Sage Handbook of Sociology of Education. SAGE Publications Limited, United Kingdom.

Molina, A., Manzi, J. (2024). School Segregation and Student Skills, Dispositions, and Engagement in Santiago. In Lamb, S. & Rumberger, R. (Eds.). Inequality in key skills of city youth: An international comparison. Special Issue American Educational Research Association.

Molina, A., & Lamb, S. (2023). School segregation, inequality and trust in institutions: evidence from Santiago. In Perry, L. B., Rowe, E., & Lubienski, C. (Eds.). Comparative Perspectives on School Segregation. Taylor & Francis.

Conference presentations

Molina, A. (2022). School segregation and social cohesion [Webinar]. International Research Network on School Segregation and Education Marketization, World Education Research Association.

Molina, A. (2020). Women and precarious employment in young adulthood. Gender and Sexuality at Work Conference, 18 Feb 2020, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Molina, A. (2019). Access and equity in tertiary education in Chile, presented at the 4th International Conference on Higher Education of the Belt and Road Initiative, 9-11 Nov. 2019, Beijing, China. Invited speaker.

Molina, A. (2019). Examining the role of family background in precarious work and youth transitions. Paper presented in the panel Experience of young adulthood in Australia: evidence from the Life Patterns project, Journal of Youth Studies Conference, 02-04 December 2019, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.

Molina, A. (2019). School segregation and cognitive and social and emotional skills in Santiago, presented at the 7th Chilean Graduate Conference, 21-22 Nov. 2019, Melbourne, Australia.

Molina, A. (2017). Impact of educational segregation on institutional trust and social cohesion in Santiago, presented at the 4th Interdisciplinary Congress of Educational Research 2017, Santiago, Chile.

Molina, A., Manzi, J. (2017). Social Segregation and Cognitive and Social Emotional Skills in Santiago, presented at the conference Inequality in Cognitive and Social Emotional Skills: An International Comparison of Policy and Practice, sponsored by the American Education Research Association, in Santa Barbara, USA.

Molina, A. (2016). Attitudes and Dispositions for Social Cohesion: The Case of Secondary Students in Santiago, Chile, presented at the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference 2016, Melbourne, Australia.

Molina, A. (2004). Educational Decentralization in Chile: Fiscal Efficiency of Chilean Municipalities, presented at the 48th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.