Student - College of Education

Edgar Torres is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests lie within the inequities that exist among special populations, more specifically, English learners within the public school finance context. During the 2015 legislative session, Torres worked for Texas State Representative Mary E. Gonzalez as a lead education policy fellow. He focused on school finance policy and assisted the representative in drafting multiple bills relating to ELs, standardized assessments, and school finance policy.

Torres has received numerous awards. As an undergraduate student, he earned multiple scholarships to support his academic endeavors. As a doctoral student at UT, he earned multiple fellowships, including Alexander Caswell Ellis Fellowship in Education. In 2016, Torres was named one of the Barbara Jackson Scholars through the University Council for Education Administration.

Prior to arriving at the University of Texas, Torres was a middle school social studies and mathematics teacher. In 2011, he was named Secondary Teacher of the Year for Alice Independent School District. Currently, he serves as the Associate Principal for Cedar Creek High School in Bastrop ISD.

Rebecca M Callahan (Supervisor)
Research interests include immigrant bilinguals transition from adolescence to young adulthood, as well as their associated educational processes.

Huriya Jabbar (Committee Member)
Examines the social and political dimensions of market-based reforms and privatization in education, including school choice and decision-making in K-12 and higher education contexts.

Angela Valenzuela (Committee Member)
Specializes in urban education from a sociological and multicultural perspective, with a focus on minority youth in schools, particularly at the K-12 level.

Chair, Hispanic Research Issues SIG, American Education Research Association(2018)

Associate Principal, Cedar Creek High School, Bastrop Independent School District(2017)

Assistant Principal, Bastrop Independent School District(2015 - 2017)

Assistant Principal, Alice Independent School District(2013 - 2014)

Torres Ovando, E., Maddocks, D. & Valenzuela, A. (2018). Assessment and English language learners in special education. Dual language education: Politics, paradigms, and promises. New York: Springer.

Torres Ovando, E. (2017). Book review: Dreamers: An immigrant generations fight for their American dream.. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 39(3), 398–400. doi:10.1177/0739986317716079.

Barbara Jackson Scholar, University Council of Education Administration (2017 - 2019)

Alexander Caswell Ellis Fellowship in Education, University of Texas (2016 - 2018)

The University of Texas at Austin Fellowship, University of Texas (2014 - 2016)

South Texas Academic Rising Scholars Scholarship, South Texas Academic Rising Scholars (2014 - 2015)

Secondary Teacher of the Year, Alice Independent School District, Alice Independent School District (2010 - 2011)

ELs in Texas school finance: Academic achievement & legislative perspectives, University Council of Education Administration, Houston, Texas (2018)

English language learners in Texas school finance: How the status quo continues to marginalize youth, University Council of Education Administration, Houston, Texas (2018)

Advocacy masquerading as inquiry? A critical conversation about How ed schools became a menace.", University Council of Education Administration, Houston, Texas (2018)

Understanding education savings accounts in K-12 education: An integrative review of literature, American Education Research Association, New York City, New York (2018)

Will school vouchers benefit low-income families? Assessing the evidence, Texas Center for Education Policy, Austin, Texas (2015)

Edgar Torres Ovando