Associate Project Scientist (CS)

SUMMARY OF ORGANIZATION/UNIT:

The UCLA Center for Community Schooling advances democracy, justice, and public education by helping schools become vibrant, community-centered places where young people learn and thrive. Bringing research, policy, and practice into close conversation, the Center partners with students, families, educators, and public agencies to support meaningful and lasting school transformation. This work is grounded in long-term research-practice partnerships with the two UCLA Community Schools in LAUSD, where democratic values and community voice shape everyday learning. At the state level, the Center co-leads California's $4 billion Community School Partnership Program, supporting more than 2,000 public schools and reaching over one million students and families. Through applied research and implementation support, the Center demonstrates how universities can be powerful partners in advancing equitable, community-driven change.

UCLA has established and maintained an active program of engaged scholarship and research at the UCLA Community School since 2009, when the school opened. Given the success of the UCLA Community School and the establishment of the Mann UCLA Community School in 2016, the UCLA Center for Community Schooling was established to study and share research and practice at both sites-supported by a Regional Training Center grant from the University of Pennsylvania to expand university-assisted community schools on the West Coast.

Since that time, the UCLA Center for Community Schooling has become a nationally recognized leader in community school transformation. Its work synthesizes emerging research, rigorous documentation of practice, and strategies for continuous improvement to generate insights and tools that support educators and communities.

DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:

The Research and Evaluation Specialist, under the direction of the Co-Directors, works to advance the research and practice priorities of the Center through leadership, coordination, and collaboration across multiple domains of work.

The Research and Evaluation Specialist will contribute high-level expertise to the Center's research portfolio, supporting the design, implementation, and advancement of complex research and evaluation projects focused on community schooling and education systems change. The Specialist will make significant and creative contributions to a range of research projects and agendas alongside the co-directors, PIs, and project staff. The Specialist will also play a central role in shaping research design, leading analytic efforts, and contributing to the production of research that informs policy and practice.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Contribute substantively to the design and execution of qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed-methods research projects
• Develop alignment across research projects to ensure a coherent research agenda
• Lead or co-lead analytic components of large-scale research projects, including interpretation and synthesis of findings
• Collaborate with faculty and research teams to refine research questions, methodologies, and conceptual frameworks
• Under the supervision of PI, contribute to the development of research products, including technical reports, policy briefs, and scholarly publications
• Translate research findings into accessible and actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and community stakeholders
• Participate in research-practice partnerships and engage with students and educators at partnership schools, advocates, and government partners
• Support dissemination of research, including presentations, convenings, and policy briefings
• Mentor and provide guidance to junior researchers and project staff, as appropriate

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: (must address the degree level):

• Doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D., or equivalent) in education, public policy, sociology, economics, or a related field
• Demonstrated expertise in research design and methodology, including quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches
• Experience contributing to collaborative research projects, particularly those connected to education policy or practice
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience contributing to research reports, publications, or policy-relevant writing
• Ability to work effectively in collaborative, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged environments

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Knowledge of K-12 education systems, particularly in areas related to equity, school reform, or community schooling
• Experience working with large-scale administrative or longitudinal datasets and/or community-engaged research approaches
• Knowledge of hierarchical modeling, causal inference, or other data reduction techniques, and other complex statistical methods
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently use various software to manipulate data and conduct quantitative analyses (preferably R or Python)
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex research findings for non-technical audiences
• Experience contributing to grant writing or development of funded research projects
• Experience mentoring or supporting the development of junior researchers or staff