Jose Eos Trinidad is an Assistant Professor in the Policy, Politics, and Leadership cluster of the University of California Berkeley School of Education. He is a sociologist focused on the study of organizations outside schools and the study of schools as organizations. Bringing together the sociologies of organizations and education, his research interrogates education policy, civil society, and institutional change. He received his Joint PhD in Sociology and Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago.
Research
His research has been published in more than 35 peer-reviewed journal articles such as in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis; Educational Researcher; Socius; Sociological Inquiry; Race Ethnicity & Education; and Social Science & Medicine. His newest book, Subtle Webs: How Local Organizations Shape US Education (Oxford University Press), is coming out in early 2025. He is author of two other books, one of which won the Philippine National Book Award.
His research primarily investigates the interaction between schools and "outside" research, philanthropic, and nonprofit organizations — with consequences for our understanding of public policy implementation, school improvement, and civil society. His current research looks at these cross-sector partnerships (1) in large urban school districts like Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City, (2) with quantitative datasets assembled from US nonprofit tax records, and (3) in new civic organizations in developing countries. To understand policies and politics holistically, he is a multi-method researcher using quantitative causal inference strategies, qualitative interviews, and network analysis.
View his curriculum vitae.
View his Google Scholar.
View his journal PDFs.
Teaching
He teaches courses on causal inference (advanced quantitative methods), organizational theory, and education inequality and policy.
Note for PhD Applicants
Please feel free to send me an email to introduce yourself and your work to me. One of the most important considerations with graduate school application is finding a fit between you and your potential advisor. In my case, I am happy to be an advisor if you have any of these interests: (1) cross-sector partnerships between schools, districts, and "outside" philanthropic or nonprofit organizations; (2) education policy research using quantitative methods and organizational theories; and (3) sociology of education.
Impact
Jose Eos Trinidad has important contributions to the study of organizations outside schools, K-12 education policies, and higher education processes. He has introduced the concept of “school improvement organizations,” emphasizing their salient variations in terms of direct school support, research/ advocacy, and philanthropy (Ed Researcher). A number of publications have also introduced or appropriated new concepts like interorganizational coupling (EEPA), organizational positionality (Ed Policy), and interorganizational learning (Qual Soc). While focused on the US, he has new studies on how education nonprofits and social enterprises function within highly centralized education systems in developing countries. Trinidad has been one of the leading voices in studying the intricacies of organizations outside schools—with an emphasis on their interorganizational connections, their strategic work with state institutions, and their emergence in various contexts.
In terms of the quantitative study of K-12 schools as organizations, a number of highly cited papers have discovered how test-based accountability does not just affect students’ performance but can actually have negative consequences for their motivation to perform (Socius), how racial suspension gaps become reified even with suspension reduction policies (Race Ethnicity and Educ), and how the relationship between growth mindset and academic achievement is moderated by socioeconomic status (Social Psych of Ed). Other quantitative papers have explored school organizational issues during COVID-19, school leadership dynamics, social dimensions of expectancy value theory, school achievement in developing countries. Across these various studies, Trinidad has contributed to (1) providing an organizational lens into traditional policy questions and (2) uncovering new issues, mechanisms and outcomes in education.
In terms of the qualitative study of higher education institutions as organizations, similarly highly cited papers have discovered how quantification in higher education can simultaneously be tightly and loosely coupled (Acta Sociologica), how student-centered learning is interpreted and shaped by teachers and students (Journal of Further & Higher Ed), and how organizational identity comes as a product of tension rather than as a set concept (ISCE). Although no longer his primary focus, Trinidad has contributed to studying the dynamics of higher education through specific organizational processes like quantification and identity formation. In both K-12 and higher education, he has shown how organizational perspectives can enrich analysis, offer new insights, and uncover novel mechanisms for change.
Publications
[40] Trinidad, Jose Eos. Forthcoming. “From Accountability to Algorithms: Interorganizational Learning and the Transformation of Quantification in Education.” Qualitative Sociology.
[39] Jacob, Jonathan, and Jose Eos Trinidad. Forthcoming. “District Demographic Predictors of Anti-CRT and Anti-LGBT Education Disruptions.” American Journal of Education. [equal first authorship].
[38] Tsai, Hsin-Ta, and Jose Eos Trinidad. 2025. “Effect of International Roommates on College Outcomes: Evidence from Students of Disadvantaged Backgrounds.” Educational Policy, online first, 1-30. doi: 10.1177/08959048251315481
[37] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2024. “From Boardrooms to Classrooms: How Interorganizational Networks Influence Education Policy Adoption.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, online first: 1-26. doi: 10.3102/01623737241254791
[36] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2024. “Positionality in the Politics of Education: Strategies and Constraints of Education Reformers.” Educational Policy online first: 1-33. doi: 10.1177/08959048231220038
[35] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2024. “Interviewing K-12 Education Experts and Elites.” Frontiers in Education 1: 1-7, doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1286151
[34] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2023. “Rethinking School Improvement Organizations: Understanding their Variety, Benefits, Risks, and Future Directions.” Educational Researcher online first: 1-8. doi: 10.3102/0013189X231179116
[33] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2023. “The Irony of Accountability: How a Performance-Inducing Policy Reduces Motivation to Perform.” Socius 9: 1-15. doi: 10.1177/23780231231180387
[32] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2023. “An Organizational Sociology of Education: Using Structural, Network, and Ecological Perspectives in the Study of Schools.” Sociological Inquiry. online first. 1-26. doi: 10.1111/soin.12583
[31] Ngo, Galvin Radley, Davijay Leighton Engay, Janela Leemae Gaw, George Milbrain D. Kho, Lorenzo Lagamon, Kerima Ruth Sonaco, Lars Michaelsen Salamante, and Jose Eos Trinidad. 2023. “Student-Centered Learning During COVID-19: Lessons from Paulo Freire and Teaching in Higher Education.” Philippine Sociological Review 71: 96-112. doi: 10.2307/48750343
[30] Trinidad, Jose Eos, Assumpta Nina San Andres, Peter Louise Garnace, & Stanley Guevara. 2023. "Effective Subunits in Ineffective Systems: Simultaneous Tight and Loose Coupling in Higher Education Data Use." Acta Sociologica online first: 1-16. doi: 10.1177/00016993221145369
[29] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2022. “Meaning-Making, Negotiation, and Change in School Accountability, Or What Sociology Can Offer Policy Studies.” Sociological Inquiry online first:1–26. doi: 10.1111/soin.12485.
[28] Trinidad, Jose Eos, and Ronnel B. King. 2022. “Ability Grouping Predicts Inequality, Not Achievement Gains in Philippine Schools: Findings from PISA 2018.” Educational Research for Policy and Practice 21(2): 305-322. doi: 10.1007/s10671-021-09307-8.
[27] Leung, Christy Y.Y., Jose Eos Trinidad, and Dana Suskind. 2022. Increases in Language Input are Sustained among Mothers of Low SES: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Parenting: Science and Practice, online first: 1-33. doi: 10.1080/15295192.2022.2115912.
[26] Leung, Christy Y.Y., Jose Eos Trinidad, and Dana Suskind. 2022. Video-Based Anticipatory Guidance on Early Cognitive and Language Development in the First Six Months: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of Pediatrics online first: 1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.03.008.
[25] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2021. “Social Consequences and Contexts of Adverse Childhood Experiences.” Social Science & Medicine 277:1–9. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113897.
^ Media coverage: invited podcast feature for Down the Research Rabbit Hole
[24] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2021. “Childhood Adversity and Deviant Peers: Considering Behavioral Selection and Cultural Socialization Pathways.” Children and Youth Services Review 121:1–11. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105844.
[23] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2021. “Structural Limitations and Functional Alternatives Reducing Suspensions and Preserving Racial Suspension Gaps.” Race Ethnicity and Education 24(1):96–111. doi: 10.1080/13613324.2018.1538119.
^ Winner: Earl S. and Esther Johnson Prize for Best MA Thesis
[22] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2021. “Equity, Engagement, and Health: School Organisational Issues and Priorities during COVID-19.” Journal of Educational Administration and History 53(1):67–80. doi: 10.1080/00220620.2020.1858764.
[21] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2021. “Teacher Satisfaction and Burnout during COVID-19: What Organizational Factors Help?” International Journal of Leadership in Education online first:1–19. doi: 10.1080/13603124.2021.2006795.
[20] Trinidad, Jose Eos, and Enrique Niño P. Leviste. 2021. “Toward Greater Access and Impact: Directions for a Sociological Understanding of Philippine Higher Education.” Industry and Higher Education 35(3):201–10. doi: 10.1177/0950422220954062.
[19] Trinidad, Jose Eos, Maxine Diane Raz, and Iva Melissa Magsalin. 2021. “‘More than Professional Skills:’ Student Perspectives on Higher Education’s Purpose.” Teaching in Higher Education online first:1–15. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2021.1891043.
[18] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2021. “Nuancing Interdisciplinarity: Between and Beyond Liberal Arts and Professional Education.” Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia 10(2):209–30. doi: 10.13185/PAHA2020.10202.
[17] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2021. “Dialogue, Discernment, and Creative Tensions in Jesuit Higher Education.” International Studies in Catholic Education online first:1–17. doi: 10.1080/19422539.2020.1858638.
[16] Leyretana, Kaela, and Jose Eos Trinidad. 2021. “Predicting or Preventing Lifelong Learning? The Role of Employment, Time, Cost, and Prior Achievement.” Journal of Adult and Continuing Education online first:1–16. doi: 10.1177/14779714211054555.
[15] Haw, Joseph Y., Ronnel B. King, and Jose Eos Trinidad. 2021. “Need Supportive Teaching Is Associated with Greater Reading Achievement: What the Philippines Can Learn from PISA 2018.” International Journal of Educational Research 110:1–11. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101864.
[14] King, Ronnel B., and Jose Eos Trinidad. 2021. “Growth Mindset Predicts Achievement Only among Rich Students: Examining the Interplay between Mindset and Socioeconomic Status.” Social Psychology of Education 24(3):635–52. doi: 10.1007/s11218-021-09616-z.
[13] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2020. “Material Resources, School Climate, and Achievement Variations in the Philippines: Insights from PISA 2018.” International Journal of Educational Development 75:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2020.102174.
[12] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2020. “Religion and the Creation of Normal Appearance: Findings from a Philippine Prison.” Social Sciences and Missions 33(1–2):105–27. doi: 10.1163/18748945-03201018.
[11] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2020. “Will It Matter Who I’m in School with? Differential Influence of Collective Expectations on Urban and Rural US Schools.” International Studies in Sociology of Education 29(4):344–65. doi: 10.1080/09620214.2019.1673791.
[10] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2020. “Understanding Student-Centred Learning in Higher Education: Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions, Challenges, and Cognitive Gaps.” Journal of Further and Higher Education 44(8):1013–23. doi: 1.1080/0309877X.2019.1636214.
[9] Trinidad, Jose Eos, Galvin Radley Ngo, Ana Martina Nevada, and Jeanne Angelica Morales. 2020. “Engaging and/or Effective? Students’ Evaluation of Pedagogical Practices in Higher Education.” College Teaching 68(4):161–71. doi: 10.1080/87567555.2020.1769017.
[8] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2019. “Teacher Response Process to Bureaucratic Control: Individual and Group Dynamics Influencing Teacher Responses.” Leadership and Policy in Schools 18(4):533–43. doi: 10.1080/15700763.2018.1475573
[7] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2019. “Collective Expectations Protecting and Preventing Academic Achievement.” Education and Urban Society 51(9):1147–71. doi: 10.1177/0013124518785444.
[6] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2019. “Stable, Unstable, and Later Self-Expectations’ Influence on Educational Outcomes.” Educational Research and Evaluation 25(3–4):163–78. doi: 10.1080/13803611.2019.1676789.
[5] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2019. “Understanding When Parental Aspirations Negatively Affect Student Outcomes: The Case of Aspiration-Expectation Inconsistency.” Studies in Educational Evaluation 60(1):179–88. doi: 10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.01.004.
[4] Trinidad, Jose Eos, and Galvin Radley Ngo. 2019. “Technology’s Roles in Student-Centred Learning in Higher Education.” IJAR – International Journal of Action Research 15(1):81–94. doi: 10.3224/ijar.v15i1.06.
[3] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2018. “Towards a Model for Evaluating Spiritual Recollections.” International Journal of Children’s Spirituality 23(3):230–47. doi: 10.1080/1364436X.2018.1456411.
[2] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2018. “Using Pre-Test and Post-Test Data to Understand Spirituality Programs: Opportunities and Limitations.” International Journal of Children’s Spirituality 23(4):412–28. doi: 10.1080/1364436X.2018.1538044.
[1] Trinidad, Jose Eos. 2017. “Interdisciplinarity and Ignatian Pedagogy.” Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia 7(2):1–17.
Interests and Professional Affiliations
- American Sociological Association
- American Educational Research Association
- Sociology of Education Association
Interests
Causal Inference
Education Policy and Systems Research
Sociology of Education
Sociology of Organizations
