Mariana Coolican, PhD, MED

Conducting research on "Teacher training and ongoing professional development of middle-tier leaders and evaluation: Cases of Argentina" contributes to critical insights into educational leadership.

Supporting the development of the IIEP project "Strengthening instructional leadership at district and school levels in Guyana," of enhancing national educational capacity.

Participating in the Leadership, Innovation, and Training (LIT) Group and the Guyana Team to advance instructional leadership initiatives.

Taught an intensive course on "Value Co-creation for Sustainable Development" for doctoral students within the Global Network Program (GNP).

Cooperated with academia, international organizations, and governments to implement the GNP and prepare Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and related agreements.

Organized and coordinated international symposiums focused on education and financing.

Conducting a research study on pre-service and in-service education alignment within Argentina's classroom and national system.

Applied for a Japan Society for a Promotion of Sciences (JSPS) Grant-in-aid to secure funding for fieldwork in Argentina.

Delivering lectures upon request, contributing to academic instruction and knowledge dissemination.

Conducted a research study on pre-service and in-service education alignment to classroom and the system in Argentina.

Provided lectures upon request, contributing to academic instruction and knowledge dissemination.

Provided technical support to the Guinea-Bissau Ministry of Education (MoE) in developing an Enabling Factor Analysis (EFA) and a Partnership Compact (PC).

Facilitated access to a System Transformation Grant (STG), System Capacity Grant (SCG), and Multiplier Funds (MF) totaling up to $5.91 million USD.

Enabled preparation steps for a harmonized sector-wide approach, contributing to building an effective education system and sustainable development.

Provided technical assistance to the Yemeni Ministry of Education (MoE) to develop a Partnership Compact Arrangement.

Secured four Global Partners for Education (GPE) grants totaling $137.0 million USD, including System Transformation, System Capacity, Multiplier, and Girl's Accelerator Grants.

Ensured successful implementation of interventions by aligning with strategic priorities and identified systems-strengthening activities, informed by Enabling Factors Analysis (EFA).

Conducted a research study on teachers and lifelong learning in six Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Pacific regions.

Analyzed educational systems, learning value, and verification of learning practices, credentials, and employment.

Served as an active Independent Reviewer for the International Review of Education - Journal of Lifelong Learning (IRE) academic articles since March 2022.

Provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) to complete two Global Partners for Education (GPE) grants totaling $11.5 million USD.

Secured a System Capacity Grant (SCG) through an Enabling Factor Assessment (EFA) and a Systems Transformation Grant (STG) to accelerate progress on national education priorities (2022-2026).

Developed a Partnership Compact Arrangement, approved with full indicative STG allocation (2023/12), to support transformative education priorities and systems strengthening.

Contributed to building and strengthening strategic partnerships through networking, knowledge management, and advocacy with UN agencies, bilateral donors, international NGOs, funding organizations, academia, and the private sector.

Oversaw an international consultant on the WFP-UNICEF Country Champions Initiative, documenting and compiling interventions across 6 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Supported the ECLAC-IPPE UNESCO-UNICEF LACRO Research Team in investigating and drafting a regional study and five-country studies on secondary education structure and segmentation.

Reinforced cooperation, pursued research collaboration, opportunities, and training, leveraging funds to promote sustainable and broad results for children, adolescents, and youth.

Advised the Super Global High School Programme, aiming to foster globalized leaders for international roles.

Contributed to the program's mission of promoting global citizenship and sustainable development through high school education.

Conducted research studies, contributing to academic publications and knowledge dissemination.

Provided lectures upon request and assisted Visiting Professors in their academic duties.

Oversaw doctoral and master students in their dissertation and thesis work, guiding their academic progress.

Introduced the basis for an intertwined Social Protection System (SPS), establishing the first National Commission for drafting SPS Law and conducting consultations for National Policy.

Drafted proposals and secured 3 grants totaling $85K for health, social protection, and child protection from private companies, the European Union, and UNICEF WCARO.

Coordinated a non-formal education project on financial literacy and empowerment of rural women, contributing to the design of cash transfers and child/women grants (One UN).

Designed and coordinated the UNCT Joint Programme on SPS, collaborating with UN Agencies and external partners in health, HIV/AIDS, education, C4D, and child protection.

Contributed to child-sensitive public investments by designing and directing a research study on Public Finance for Children (PF4C) in collaboration with national and international consultants.

Revised key country management documents (UNDAF, SitAn 2017, CPD 2019-2023, CPMP, CMT, MYR, MTR), incorporating concrete actions for resource mobilization and M&E reporting.

Trained 60 Government officials and 11 national/international consultants in areas like OOSC, ECCE, Inclusive Education, RBM, MICS6, MODA, SPS, SSR, and PF4C.

Acted as Representative OIC in the absence of the Representative and as UNCT Member, ensuring continuity of operations.

Coordinated the Education Program SABER Plus across 4 regions of Burkina Faso, with inputs to the Senegal Programme.

Supervised a team of 60 surveyors, 5 statisticians, and 4 consultants.

Conducted subsequent analysis of data in close collaboration with CEDRES, targeting regional and provincial directorates of basic education and literacy, community, and PTA unions.

Coordinated the Pakkoku Field Team for the Comprehensive Study of 4 Education Colleges in Myanmar.

Managed research, design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting processes for mid-term and final reports.

Assisted Professor Kazushige Hirata in delivering Spanish language instruction.

Trained high-level officials from Southeast Asian, Pacific, Asian, Middle Eastern, and African countries in a 6-week JICA Training Program on "Finance and Administration of Education."

Tracked implementation, monitoring, and evidence-based research reports on country development plans.

Provided teaching assistance in Human Capital Development, Social Research Methods for Development, and International Education, delivering lectures on curriculum studies and career development.

Assisted 10 Visiting Professors from George Washington University, EDC, and World Bank.

Oversaw doctoral and master students in their dissertations and theses on ECE, education achievement, quality education, internal efficiency, and OOSC.

Conducted qualitative and quantitative research on multicultural education, curriculum studies, and public-private partnerships in education.

Conducted research on Public-Private-Partnerships in education across multiple cities in Brazil.

Managed data collection and analysis from the Ministry of Education Brazil, INEPE, District Education Bureaus, ECE, primary, secondary, and university settings.

Contributed to increased capacity to build resilience and prepare children and school communities to respond to emergencies and disasters.

Focused on Disaster Risk Reduction Education (DRRE) and Education in Emergencies (EIE) in Fiji and Peru through reports and translations.

Launched the Education about Religions and Beliefs (ERB) Clearinghouse, promoting interfaith understanding.

Updated the INEE Minimum Standards Handbook for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises, and Early Reconstruction.

Managed Clearinghouses of Education about Religions and Beliefs (ERB), Media Literacy Education, and Migration, feeding 500+ documents into repositories.

Conducted research on multicultural education.

Conducted research focused on Disaster Risk Reduction Education (DRRE).

Conducted research focused on quality education and curriculum studies.

Managed information on disaster preparation, early recovery, and emergencies for countries including Nepal and East Timor.

Conducted research on Disaster Risk Reduction Education (DRRE).

Conducted research on girls' education, including field visits to Taiz Governorate as part of the JICA Yemen's Girl's Education Project (BRIDGE).

Published a paper on the social studies' Yemeni textbooks for grades 7 to 9 of Basic Education (KU, 2006), focusing on quality of education.

Conducted research on a comparative study of Social Sciences Education educational curricula in Buenos Aires and Cordoba provinces in Argentina.

Conducted research on environmental education, specifically case studies of the garbage problem in Nepal, India, and Argentina.

Engaged in research activities as a Researcher at Okayama University, contributing to academic inquiry.

Provided dedicated teaching and support for children with special needs.

Contributed to the development and implementation of a specialized educational program.

Taught Social Sciences at both upper and lower secondary school levels.

Coordinated the "Youth Parliament" program, fostering civic engagement among students.

Led the "A Saltar la Pared" environmental education program.

Coordinated the "School-Enterprise" program, promoting entrepreneurial skills.