Marco A. Murillo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Education in the School of Education and Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University. Prior to joining Santa Clara University, he served as Postdoctoral scholar at UC Los Angeles and UC Berkeley. He earned his BA in Political science and History from the University of California, San Diego and a PhD in Education (Urban schooling) from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Murillo’s research focuses on the college preparation, persistence, and completion of racially minoritized students, with an emphasis on Latinx and immigrant-origin students. His current research centers the educational experiences of Latinx immigrant-origin transfer students. Utilizing arts-based (e.g., self-portraits) and testimonio methodologies, the research centers participants’ identities and to examine how college structures and practices are (mis)aligned with who they are and the types of educational and social supports they need. Dr. Murillo’s research has been published in journals such as AERA Open, Urban Education, Community College Review, and Peabody Journal.
Dr. Murillo’s teaching philosophy centers three areas: (1) student centered teaching; (2) building critical leadership consciousness to inform practice; and, (3) advising and mentoring. His educational leadership courses include Servant Leadership, Leading for Diversity, equity and Inclusion and Using Data to drive organizational Change. He is committed to preparing students to lead in increasingly diverse schools and organizations.
Murillo, M. A. & Takagi, A. R. (2024). “Why are you going to community college?”: A study on Latinx transfer students’ college-conocimiento. Journal of Community College Research and Practice
Murillo, M. A. (2024). Latinx immigrant-origin community college students: Examining persistence and transfer through a funds of identity framework. Community College Review.
Martinez, K., Elaine M., Murillo, M. A., & Rodriguez, M. (2024). Unravelling child language brokering for health: Understanding the complexities behind children’s interpreting for health care. Journal of Leadership, Equity, and Research, 10(1), 22–41
Murillo, M. A., Liboon, C. A., & Quartz, K. H. (2023). Immigrant family legal clinic: A case of integrated students in a community school context. Journal of Educational Change. 24(2), 365–392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-021-09447-x .
Murillo, M. A., Quartz, K. H., Garcia, L. W., & Liboon, C. A. (2021). Nested contexts of reception and K–12 schools: Addressing immigration status. AERA Open, 7(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211056344
Murillo, M. A. (2021). Undocumented and college-bound: A case study of the supports and barriers high school students encounter in accessing higher education. Urban Education, 56(6), 930-958. https://doi.org/10.1177/004208591770220
Quartz, K.H, Murillo M. A., Trinchero, B., & Neri, R.C, & Jacobo, S. (2019) Framing, supporting, and tracking college-for-all reform: A local case of public scholarship. The High School Journal, 102(2), 159-182.