Santiago Cueto Caballero
Senior Researcher
PhD in Educational Psychology - Indiana University
scueto@grade.org.pe
Santiago Cueto holds a degree in Educational Psychology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and a PhD in the same field from Indiana University in the United States. He has been a Visiting Researcher at the University of California at Davis and the University of Oxford. He is currently a Senior Researcher at GRADE, where he coordinates the Peru component of the international study Young Lives/Niños del Milenio. He is also a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the Catholic University in Peru.
He has been a member of the National Council for Education, Technical Board of the National Institute for Educational Assessment (INEE) in Mexico, President of the Peruvian Educational Research Society and Executive Secretary of the Educational Research Fund of the Inter-American Dialogue (Latin American Education Reform Program). He has worked as a consultant to international organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and UNESCO.
His main areas of interest are education and human development, particularly within a poverty context. He has published articles in various academic journals as well as books and has also served as Editor for scientific articles at The Lancet, the International Journal of Educational Development, the Catholic University’s Psychology Journal, World Development, Children and Society, among others.
In 2003, at the Global Development Network’s (GDN) Annual Conference, one of his works received the prize for best research project in the Education, Knowledge and Technology category. This study was later published as GRADE Research Paper 43. In 2010, he received the National Award in Psychology by the Professional Board of Psychologists in Peru (Colegio Nacional de Psicólogos). In 2016, he was appointed as distinguished alumni from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. In 2018, he received the Magisterial Palms in the degree of Amauta by the Ministry of Education of Peru.
Publications
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JournalPersona
Beca Vocación de Maestro: motivos para elegir la carrera docente en el Perú
2025 Fernando Guerra, Santiago Cueto, Marjhori Gómez
The teaching profession in Peru has been characterized by low prestige and limited institutional support. In 2015, to attract talented individuals with vocation and academic excellence, the Ministry of Education created the Vocación de Maestroscholarship. This study is framed within this context with the objective of identifying the motivations for studying education among a group […]
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JournalRevista Peruana De Investigación Educativa
¿Cómo se configuran las barreras y facilitadores para la adopción de un programa de educación digital en matemática luego de la pandemia?
2025 Giulia Celi Giuffra, Santiago Cueto, Jessica Simon, Claudia Sugimaru
This study uses a qualitative approach to explore the barriers and facilitators to the adoption of the digital mathematics education program, Conecta Ideas Perú (CIP), by teachers in the post-pandemic Peruvian context. Through semi-structured interviews in 2022 and 2023, the experiences of four teachers from four public educational institutions were investigated. Framed within the Unified […]
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How is educational resilience understood in Latin American and Caribbean countries?
2025 Aranza Ballesteros, Santiago Cueto, Ivonne Porras, Claudia Sugimaru
The first report of the AdaptED project examines the concept of educational resilience—its meanings and practices—across GPE countries, considering the systemic characteristics, challenges, and threats they face. This analysis aims to contribute to the identification and mobilization of evidence, as well as to informed decision-making that supports and strengthens the development of public policies and […]
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Chapter in BookEnsino médio, educação integral e tempo ampliado na América Latina: Vol. 2. Cenários e desafi os contemporâneos
Interrupción escolar en secundaria en el Perú: datos, evidencia y políticas
2025 Vanessa Rojas, Antonio Campos, Santiago Cueto, Alan Sanchez
Discontinuation of schooling by students in secondary education in Peru is a critical problem that impacts the development of young people and their future opportunities. Despite advances in educational coverage, structural challenges persist that unequally affect different groups of students. This paper examines trends in secondary school dropout, its main causes and the public policies […]
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JournalRevista Latinoamericana de Estudios Educativos
Tablets or mobiles? Use of devices for a reading application during the pandemic
2025 Dalia Rojas Saldaña, María López Estrada, Santiago Cueto, Juan Leon
The objective of this research was to identify if there is a differentiated impact on the access and use of a reading application (Booksmart, by Worldreader) between students who used tablets compared to those who used mobile phones to access the resource. It also sought to understand the perceptions of the actors involved regarding the use of the application on each […]
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Do Children Benefit from Internet Access? Experimental Evidence from Peru
2018 Ofer Malamud, Santiago Cueto, Julián Cristiá, Diether W. Beuermann
This paper provides experimental evidence for the impact of home internet access on a broad range of child outcomes in Peru. We compare children who were randomly chosen to receive laptops with high-speed internet access to (i) those who did not receive laptops and (ii) those who only received laptops without internet. We find that […]
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Does visual acuity have an effect on children’s educational achievement?
2017 Santiago Cueto, Javier Escobal, Juan Leon, Mary Penny
Inequity is an important issue for many international initiatives, including the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One aspect of inequity that has received little attention is the impact of disability on education. This working paper explores whether mild or moderate levels of visual impairment are associated with educational performance for 7 and 8-year-old children in […]
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El apoyo de FORGE al desarrollo del Currículo Nacional de Educación Básica del Perú
2017 Jessica Tapia, Santiago Cueto
Various national normative documents and international experience underscore the importance of having documents that clearly indicate the learning expectations for students, based on which the various lines of educational policy must be articulated. Thus, according to the General Education Law, the National Curriculum is the basis of the National Pedagogical Policy, and the Ministry of […]
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Early childhood development: wealth, the nurturing environment and inequality first results from the PRIDI database
2016 Aime Verdisco, Santiago Cueto, Jennelle Thompson
This paper presents findings from the Regional Project on Child Development Indicators, PRIDI for its acronym in Spanish. PRIDI created a new tool, the Engle Scale, for evaluating development in children aged 24 to 59 months in four domains: cognition, language and communication, socio-emotional and motor skills. It also captures and identifies factors associated with […]
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Education aspirations among young people in Peru and their perceptions of barriers to higher education
2016 Gabriela Guerrero, Claudia Sugimaru, Alexandra Cussianovich, Bieke De Fraine, Santiago Cueto
Results from the Young Lives survey show the existence of a gap between young people’s aspirations for higher education and their actual chances of accessing this level of education. This paper uses qualitative information from Young Lives in order to gain a deeper understanding of young people’s aspirations as well as their perceptions of the […]
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JournalRevista Latinoamericana de Estudios Educativos
Tablets or mobiles? Use of devices for a reading application during the pandemic
2025 Dalia Rojas Saldaña, María López Estrada, Santiago Cueto, Juan Leon
The objective of this research was to identify if there is a differentiated impact on the access and use of a reading application (Booksmart, by Worldreader) between students who used tablets compared to those who used mobile phones to access the resource. It also sought to understand the perceptions of the actors involved regarding the use of the application on each […]
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JournalThe Lancet Psychiatry
Economic inequalities in adolescents’ internalising symptoms: longitudinal evidence from eight countries
2024 Thomas Steare, Sara Evans-Lacko, Mesele Araya, Santiago Cueto, Hai-Anh H. Dang, Revathi Ellanki, Gemma Lewis, Kelly Rose-Clarke, Praveetha Patalay
Background Research, mainly conducted in Europe and North America, has shown an inequitable burden of internalising mental health problems among adolescents from poorer households. We investigated whether these mental health inequalities differ across a diverse range of countries and multiple measures of economic circumstances. Methods In this longitudinal observational cohort study, we analysed data from […]
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JournalEconomics of Education Review
Late-childhood foundational cognitive skills predict educational outcomes through adolescence and into young adulthood: Evidence from Ethiopia and Peru
2024 Jennifer López, Jere R. Behrman, Santiago Cueto, Marta Favara, Alan Sanchez
We estimate associations between foundational cognitive skills (inhibitory control, working memory, long-term memory, and implicit learning) measured at age 12 and educational outcomes measured at ages 15 and 19–20 in Ethiopia and Peru, using the Young Lives data. The estimates adjust for rich sets of controls and include measurements of children’s baseline abilities. For a […]
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JournalInternational Journal of Obesity
School environments and obesity: A systematic review of interventions and policies among school-age students in Latin America and the Caribbean
2022 María Jesús Vega-Salas, Claudia Murray, Richard Nunes, Alessandra Hidalgo-Arestegui, Katherine Curi-Quinto, Mary E. Penny, Santiago Cueto, Julie Anne Lovegrove, Alan Sanchez, Karani Santhanakrishnan Vimaleswaran
The rapid rise in obesity rates among school children in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) could have a direct impact on the region’s physical and mental health, disability, and mortality. This review presents the available interventions likely to reduce, mitigate and/or prevent obesity among school children in LAC by modifying the food and built […]
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JournalJournal of Development Economics
Do children benefit from internet access? Experimental evidence from Peru
2019 Ofer Malamud, Santiago Cueto, Julián Cristiá, Diether W. Beuermann
This paper provides experimental evidence for the impact of home internet access on a broad range of child outcomes in Peru. The authors compare children who were randomly chosen to receive laptops with high-speed internet access to (i) those who did not receive laptops and (ii) those who only received laptops without internet. Researchers find […]
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Classroom composition and its association with students’ achievement and socioemotional characteristics in Peru
Educational Assessment in Latin America2018 Santiago Cueto, Juan Leon, Alejandra Miranda
This collection presents educational assessment research from Latin America, adding to a relatively small but growing body of research considering educational assessment and evaluation issues in this large region. The predominance of Chile reflects its early highly centralized education system, and the fact that it adopted national testing before other Latin American countries. It was […]
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Inequidades en educación
Investigación para el desarrollo en el Perú: once balances2016 Santiago Cueto, Alejandra Miranda, María Cristina Vásquez
This study presents the current status of four groups—demarcated by gender, ethnicity, poverty, and disability—exploring educational inequalities based on laws and indicators of access, achievement, and learning opportunities. In addition, it analyzes the content of the Public Teaching Reform Act. The results show that although there are no large differences in educational indicators between men […]
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Peru: Socioeconomic Conditions on Student Achievement
Education in South America2015 Santiago Cueto, Juan Leon, Alejandra Miranda
Education in South America is a critical reference guide to development of education in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The chapters, written by local experts, provide an overview of the education system in each country, focusing particularly on policies and implementation of reforms. Key themes include quality and access, multicultural […]
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Educational opportunities and learning outcomes of children in Peru: a longitudinal model
Growing up in poverty: findings from Young Lives2014 Santiago Cueto, Juan Leon, Ismael G. Muñoz
This collection brings together the latest evidence from Young Lives, a unique international study that focuses on children and poverty – particularly how poverty affects their development and their lives as children, and how children and their families respond to poverty. It shows how the persistence of inequality amid general economic growth is leaving some […]
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Conductas de riesgo entre adolescentes peruanos: un enfoque longitudinal
Salud, interculturalidad y comportamientos de riesgo2011 Santiago Cueto, Víctor Saldarriaga, Ismael G. Muñoz
Datos sobre frecuencia de consumo y determinantes individuales y familiares, a través del tiempo, de cuatro conductas de riesgo entre adolescentes de 15 años: consumo de cigarrillo, alcohol y drogas, y sexo sin protección.
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La educación de niños y niñas con discapacidad en el Perú durante la pandemia
2021 Gabriela Ramos, Santiago Cueto, Claudia Felipe
This policy brief is based on a study that analyzes how the health emergency of COVID-19 has changed the way in which inclusive public educational services are offered and the possibility of students with disabilities at the primary level in the modalities of EBE and EBR in Peru to exercise the right to education.
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The Challenges of Inequality and COVID-19 for Young People in Peru: Evidence from the Listening to Young Lives at Work COVID-19 Phone Survey
2021 Kath Ford, Santiago Cueto, Alan Sanchez
This policy brief looks at the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of adolescents and young people in Peru as they transition into adulthood, focusing on how widening inequalities are hitting those from disadvantaged backgrounds hardest.
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¿Qué diferencia hacen las escuelas? Un estudio de métodos mixtos en colegios secundarios del Perú
2021 Juan Leon, Gabriela Guerrero, Santiago Cueto, Paul Glewwe
The study on which this policy document is based analyzes which factors are associated with good results of students in public secondary educational institutions (IE), despite their adverse socioeconomic condition. For this purpose, a mixed methods design is used that follows a sequential explanatory model, which allows us to explore the effect of different types […]
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Acceso a dispositivos y habilidades digitales de dos cohortes en el Perú
2020 Santiago Cueto, Juan Leon,
The technical note on which this policy brief is based details the construction of two indicators: basic computer skills and basic internet skills. This document also explores the determinants of access and digital skills in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. However, this publication focuses on the findings for Peru.
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Predictores de la deserción escolar en el Perú
2020 Santiago Cueto, Claudia Felipe, Juan Leon
The paper on which this policy brief is based analyzes what factors are associated with dropping out of school in the four countries covered by the Young Lives longitudinal study: Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. For this, personal, family and educational factors are considered. This policy brief focuses on the findings of Peru.
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Urgency and possibility: first initiative of comparative data on child development in Latin America
2015 Aimee Verdisco, Santiago Cueto, Jennelle Thompson, Oliver Neuschmidt
For many children, the circumstances of their birth and earliest years have lifelong consequences. Where and to whom a child is born can predict her economic and social outcomes later in life. Children born to parents who invest emotional and economic resources in their development tend to become healthy and productive adults, passing on the […]
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Inclusión social: diálogos entre la investigación y las políticas públicas
2014 Martín Benavides, Miguel Jaramillo, Santiago Cueto, Gabriela Guerrero, Juan Leon, Nestor Valdivia, Lorena Alcazar, Manuel Glave, Maria Balarin, Juan Jose Diaz, Juana Kuramoto, Gerardo Damonte
Esta publicación recoge el espíritu del seminario internacional "Cambios Institucionales para un Estado más Inclusivo" (julio de 2012), y apunta a lo más relevante y valioso de cada exposición, intervención y comentario.
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Salud, interculturalidad y comportamientos de riesgo
2011 Lorena Alcazar, Santiago Cueto, Martin Valdivia, Ismael G. Muñoz
Tres Mimeos del Seminario Desigualdad, salud y educación realizado en Lima en noviembre del 2010 con el auspicio de la Fundación Ford, a través del Instituto de Educación Internacional y del IDRC.
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¿Quién se queda atrás? Resultados iniciales del estudio Niños del Milenio. Tercera ronda de encuestas en el Perú.
2012 Santiago Cueto, Javier Escobal, Mary Penny, Patricia Ames
Este documento presenta los resultados iniciales de la tercera ronda de encuestas en el Perú del estudio de largo plazo Niños del Milenio realizadas entre fines del 2009 y principios
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Reformas pendientes en la educación secundaria
2009 Santiago Cueto, Sebastián Galiani, Paul Gertler, Ernesto Schargrodsky, María Antonia Gallart, Marcela Sandra Cerrutti, Georgina Binstock, Gilda Figueiredo Portugal Gouvêa, Maria Eliza Fini, Maria Helena Guimarães Castro, Maria Inês Fini, Sergio Tiezzi, Stella Maria Barberá da Silva Telles, Vera Lúcia Cabral Costa, Antonio Carlos Dias Junior, Gisele Brandão Machado de Oliveira, Paulo de Oliveira, Delba Teixeira Rodrigues Barros, Virgínia Torres Schall, Ernesto Yáñez, Scarlet Escalante, Wilson Jiménez, Franz Arce, Aída M. Mainieri Hidalgo, Santiago Rincón Gallardo Shimada, Emilio Domínguez Bravo, Annette Santos del Real, Gabriel Cámara Cervera, Dalila López Salmorán, Rodolfo Elías, José R. Molinas
Los estudios presentados fueron desarrollados en el marco de las actividades del tercer concurso del Fondo de Investigaciones Educativas gestionado por PREAL con apoyo del Banco Mundial por medio de GDN.
No se han encontrado publicaciones de Santiago Cueto en la categoría Mimeo
Projects
- Preventing school dropout in Lima and Callao high schoolsOctober 2022
- Supporting public school teachers in the return to classesSeptember 2022
- Impact of COVID-19 on the education of children with disabilities in PeruDecember 2020
- Implementation of the ConectaIdeas program remotely in public schoolsJuly 2020
- Worldreader ProjectSeptember 2019
- Supporting the preparation of a proposal on rural educationApril 2019
- Inequality of opportunity in Peru: How can young people develop relevant skills and find decent employment in a rapidly changing job market?December 2018
- Cost-effectiveness analysis of educational interventions and strategies to promote the use of Skills BankOctober 2018
- Systematization of Fundacion Telefonica’s Digital Classroom ProgramAugust 2018
- Systematization of the Digital Classroom program of Fundación TelefónicaAugust 2018
Media
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Instrumental learning in the returning to school classes, by Santiago Cueto
September 16, 2022 Education and learning
“One cannot universally hierarchize learning into, for example, fundamental and secondary (or non-fundamental). Instead, I think it can be argued that learning in reading and mathematics is instrumental for learning in other areas and throughtout life”. Santiago Cueto, Senior Researcher at GRADE, shares his thoughts on learning recovery initiatives focused on reading and mathematics. His article includes a video of the seminar […]
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The National Educational Project to 2036, by Santiago Cueto
November 18, 2020 Education and learning
“The PEN’s considerations on full citizenship and strengthening democracy are relevant to the current context. […] The pandemic has made inequities very evident or has exacerbated. Aprendo en Casa and the program to close digital gaps point in the direction However, we constantly hear stories of students who cannot regularly connect to their classes due […]
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Comment, GRADE frente al COVID-19, Media GRADE
Santiago Cueto in RPP Noticias: The danger of school dropouts during the pandemic
September 21, 2020 Education and learning
According to the Ministry of Education, 230 thousand students have left the educational system this year. What factors are associated with school dropout? The study by Santiago Cueto, country director of Young Lives Peru and Executive Director at GRADE, and colleagues find two main ones: the need to work and the lack of interest in studying. “It is […]
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Media GRADE, Opinion Article, GRADE frente al COVID-19
Is school dropout increasing this school year?, by Santiago Cueto
September 9, 2020 Education and learning
“The combination of risk factors increases the probability of dropping out. Thus, for example, students who live in poverty, who have young children and do not have a computer or cell phone, are at greater risk than those who only present one of these circumstances”. Santiago Cueto, Executive Director at GRADE and Country Director of Young Lives […]
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Media GRADE, Opinion Article, GRADE frente al COVID-19
Santiago Cueto in El Peruano: “Today, more than ever, early childhood is in the hands of families”
May 14, 2020 Education and learning
“Today, more than ever, those first years of life are in the hands of families. Although families cannot assume health-related interventions, they can take on some educational aspects. We do not need to be initial education teachers to think and give time so that our girls and boys get involved in different activities related to […]
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Media GRADE, Opinion Article, GRADE frente al COVID-19
Santiago Cueto in El Peruano: “Today, more than ever, early childhood is in the hands of families”
May 14, 2020 Education and learning
“Today, more than ever, those first years of life are in the hands of families. Although families cannot assume health-related interventions, they can take on some educational aspects. We do not need to be initial education teachers to think and give time so that our girls and boys get involved in different activities related to […]
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Media GRADE, Opinion Article, GRADE frente al COVID-19
CREER Project in La Mula: What does the strategy “Aprendo en Casa” asks to us Peruvian families?
April 16, 2020 Education and learning
With the strategy “Aprendo en Casa”, a new bond could be forming both within homes and between families and schools. Read the new article written by the team of our Creciendo con las Escuelas Rurales Multigrado del Perú (CREER) / Project Growing with the Rural Multigrade Schools of Peru via La Mula.
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About PISA and other indicators, by Santiago Cueto
January 14, 2020 Education and learning
“More relevant to analyze are some results linked to this assessment, which go beyond means and relative positions. […] among the countries evaluated, Peru is one that is mainly characterized by the inequity in its results”. Santiago Cueto, executive director at GRADE, reflects on the challenges of PISA and other indicators to increase the national mean […]
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Innovation in education? Of course, whenever convenient, by Santiago Cueto
October 21, 2019 Education and learning
According to Santiago Cueto, although educational innovation is important, it is a means and not an end. Furthermore, creativity can always be fueled by existing information, in particular that which comes from research, and about which there are multiple sources to consult. Read the new article by our Executive Director for Fundación Telefónica Perú.
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Why educate in Peru today?, by Santiago Cueto
August 26, 2019 Education and learning
Why educate in Peru today? Our executive director Santiago Cueto writes about how education should help us overcome the main challenges facing the country: little respect for institutions, violence, corruption, inclusion and low productivity. The article has been published by Fundación Telefónica Perú
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Santiago Cueto opina en “Educación inicial: Faltan 27,000 maestros para educar a los niños del Perú”
May 23, 2015 Education and learning, State reform and public institutions
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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Jesús Herrero, el jesuita que veló por la educación en Perú
December 16, 2013 Education and learning
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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Especialistas opinan sobre estudios de programa Juntos
February 7, 2013 Poverty and equality
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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“La meta en el Perú no ha sido reducir brechas sino promedios”, dice Santiago Cueto sobre desnutrición infantil
February 29, 2012 Poverty and equality
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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Niños de madres con educación primaria inconclusa más desfavorecidos en Perú
February 20, 2012 Poverty and equality
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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Entrevista a Santiago Cueto sobre la situación y perspectivas de las medidas y programas del sistema educativo
June 2, 2016 Education and learning, State reform and public institutions
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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Adelantar el ingreso ha subvalorado el quinto de media, entrevista a Santiago Cueto en Prepárate de El Comercio
October 16, 2015 Education and learning
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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Usos de las evaluaciones de rendimiento escolar en el Perú: entrevista a Santiago Cueto, José Antonio Calderón (DRE Puno) y Pilar Saavedra (DRE San Martín) en Radio Exitosa
March 27, 2015 Education and learning, Poverty and equality, State reform and public institutions
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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Santiago Cueto sobre pronunciamiento del CNE en torno a resultados obtenidos por el Perú en la prueba TERCE
December 22, 2014 Education and learning, Poverty and equality, State reform and public institutions
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
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En el Perú hemos hecho más evaluaciones que un buen uso de estas
May 9, 2014 Education and learning
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
No se han encontrado novedades de Santiago Cueto en la categoría Reference
Presentations
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Oportunidades y trayectorias educativas de dos cohortes de estudiantes en el Perú
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, 23 November, 2018
Presentación en el II Congreso Internacional de Medición Psicológica de la Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
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Inequalities in educational opportunities and outcomes in secondary schools in Peru
Ciudad de México, 26 March, 2018
Presentación en la 62° Conferencia Anual de la Sociedad de Educación Comparada e Internacional CIES 2018.
Selected Publications
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¿Qué hemos aprendido del estudio longitudinal Niños del Milenio? Síntesis de hallazgos
2018 Santiago Cueto, Javier Escobal, , Nicolás Pazos, Mary Penny, Vanessa Rojas, Alan Sanchez, Claudia Felipe
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Cobertura, oportunidades y percepciones sobre la educación inclusiva en el Perú
2018 Santiago Cueto, Vanessa Rojas, Martin Dammert, Claudia Felipe
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