Margarita Olivera-Aguilar

Margarita Olivera-Aguilar is a senior researcher at AIR. She has extensive experience developing and validating cognitive and social and emotional learning (SEL) assessments and applying quantitative research design and statistical methods (such as structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling). Her research interests include the measurement of cognitive and SEL skills, the evaluation of fairness in assessments via a measurement invariance framework, socio-emotional and civic learning, culturally responsive education, and closing opportunity gaps.

Before joining AIR, Dr. Olivera-Aguilar was a research scientist at Educational Testing Service for eight years, where she examined the impact of violations of measurement invariance in latent profile analysis, mediation models, and randomized control trials. She also conducted projects to identify opportunity-to-learn indicators in social, emotional, and civic learning and to identify the motivational factors and barriers that African American and Hispanic students consider when making career decisions. She was an assistant professor at the National University Autonomous of Mexico. She has served as a psychometrician and quantitative consultant at the National Center for the Evaluation of Higher Education in Mexico.