Overview
Sofia Aburto is a state/district/school professional development and technical assistance provider for comprehensive school improvement focusing on supporting turnaround schools. As a senior engagement manager with the Quality Schools and Districts team, Aburto helps leaders and teachers leverage strengths and address persistent challenges by implementing or refining educational systems, enhancing Tier 1 instructional practice, and aligning leader growth, site needs, and district goals.
Aburto oversees the content development and delivery of WestEd’s Tier 1 Instructional Practice and Coaching and Transformational Leadership services across numerous states and districts. She supports leaders and instructional staff through multiple elements of school improvement processes, including comprehensive needs assessments, data and root cause analyses, goal setting, prioritization of intervention strategies, school improvement planning, and ongoing analysis of data to guide instructional practice and academic plan monitoring.
As an instructional coach, she offers professional development in research-based instructional strategies and job-embedded coaching for administrators, academic coaches, and teachers in conducting classroom observations and providing teacher feedback. Schools adopting these services have overwhelmingly shown increased academic achievement gains, closing of achievement gaps, and an exiting from school improvement designations at the conclusion of services.
Before joining WestEd, Aburto conducted national and state research and evaluation studies examining the impact of federal funding on services and the academic achievement of children from families of low-income and English language learners. She has taught test theory, research methodology, and statistics in schools of education and departments of psychology. Aburto is committed to helping districts and schools provide all students access to high-quality teaching and leadership.
Education
- BA in psychology, Fresno State University
- Pupil Personnel Services Credential Program, Fresno State University
- ABD PhD in educational psychology, Stanford University
Honors, Awards, and Affiliations
Coaching Design Leadership Team for WestEd Strategic Investment Project: Equity Centered Coaching Initiative
WestEd AZ State Coordination Team
WestEd UT State Coordination Team WestEd BIE State Strategy Team