Job Description:
About Brown:
Brown University is a leading research university distinct for its student-centered learning and deep sense of purpose. Our students, faculty and staff are driven by the idea that their work will have an impact in the world.
Brown University offers a flexible work/life balance; summer hours, winter break and a comprehensive Benefits package including time off, annual paid holidays; benefits offerings including health, dental, vision, tuition assistance, retirement, wellness, employee discounts and more. To learn about Brown University’s benefits, visit the University Human Resources web page for further information.
About the Annenberg Institute:
The Annenberg Institute is Brown University’s education research institute. Our vibrant community includes Brown University faculty, postdoctoral research associates, staff, students, and multiple partners in Rhode Island and across the US. We partner with education leaders and global scholars to connect people, evidence, and practices to build toward a more effective and equitable education system that enables all students to thrive academically and in other ways. Our knowledge initiatives catalyze conversations across the research landscape, synthesizing what we know and mobilizing practitioners, policymakers, and researchers toward collaborative impact.
About the Opportunity:
The Senior Research Associate will support a large-scale evaluation of the Massachusetts Literacy Launch Initiative, a statewide effort to improve literacy instruction from pre-K to grade 3. The incumbent will join a large team supporting this evaluation to help explore the implementation and impact of several state early literacy policies on teacher and student outcomes. The incumbent will help develop and lead key research analysis projects as part of the evaluation.
The incumbent will be part of the Annenberg Institute’s Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL) research team, led by Annenberg faculty John Papay and Nathaniel Schwartz. RPPL is a partnership that brings together professional learning (PL) organizations, district and state education systems, and researchers from the Annenberg Institute to strengthen how the field learns about and improves teacher professional learning. RPPL’s central goal is to rethink how we learn about teacher PL, shifting from studies that explore whether a specific program works to a broader learning agenda designed to identify how PL design features and the enabling conditions of PL improve teachers’ instructional practice and, as a result, students’ classroom experiences, well-being, and academic growth. RPPL focuses on supporting the learning of teachers who work with students from historically marginalized groups.
Responsibilities:
Reporting directly to the Principal Investigators, the Senior Research Associate drives all aspects of project planning for multiple research projects for this research team in a dynamic, layered team setting. The position takes a lead role in designing studies, leads data collection and analysis efforts, develops project models, engages practitioners and PL organizations as partners in research work, and writes academic papers, reports, presentations, and grant reports.
The incumbent will need to have a strong understanding of early literacy policy and practice and extensive expertise in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods. We are particularly interested in applicants with demonstrated experience using research to inform policy and practice.
Qualifications:
Education and Experience
● Master’s degree in related field (PhD or EdD preferred) with 5-7 years of research experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
● Ability to work independently or as a member of a team
● Experience working on large-scale research studies
● A strong quantitative background.
● Strong background in education research.
Competencies:
● Strong analytical and writing skills.
● Training and expertise in utilizing quantitative research methods, including experience working with complex data sets.
● Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
● Strong ability to explain methods to research staff and provide guidance on models and interpretation of output.
● Experience reviewing code and ensuring data best practices are being followed by the research team.
● Experience distilling and translating substantive takeaways from analyses to policy/practitioner audience.
Additional Information:
This position is 100% grant funded and is for one year with the possibility of renewal, based on satisfactory work performance and dependent upon funding
Please include a resume as one attached .pdf document, 2 writing samples as one attached .pdf document, and the cover letter, transcript, and letters of recommendation or names of references (3) as another single .pdf document (for a total of three attachments).
Background and education check required.
Please reach out to samuel_madison@brown.edu with any questions.