Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research on important social issues and delivers technical assistance and capacity building services domestically and internationally in health, social development, education, and workforce to a growing roster of clients and partners. Our mission is to generate and use rigorous evidence that contributes to a better, more equitable world.
The National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR) specializes in research using longitudinal administrative data on students and teachers (see www.caldercenter.org). These longitudinal databases allow us to examine the effects of educational policies and practices on the learning gains and long-term outcomes of all students in a district or state over time. The current iteration of CALDER particularly focuses on the following topic areas: (1) Personnel policies and educator effectiveness; (2) Connections between K-12, college, and the workforce; (3) School choice and accountability; and (4) Schools, communities, and social policy.
We currently have an opportunity for a PhD-level Researcher to join our team. The position will initially be funded by ongoing grants related to preservice teacher preparation and career and technical education with a particular focus on students with disabilities, but applicants with research interests and experience aligned with any of the topic areas listed above will be considered. This is a remote position, but the preferred location is Seattle, WA (with available in-person office space) to facilitate coordination with other remote researchers working in Seattle. Application review will begin on November 1, 2021, and the position is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2022 with some flexibility to complete PhD requirements. Please provide a CV and a 1-2 page cover letter describing prior research and interest in specific CALDER topic areas.
Responsibilities
- Help lead quantitative analyses of state and district administrative databases on students and teachers
- Support primary data collection from surveys and partnering organizations to supplement these longitudinal databases and analyses
- Collaborate with research staff on the coding and cleaning of both secondary and primary data to support project work
- Co-author academic papers and research briefs, and present at academic and other local and national conferences to disseminate project findings
- Participate in grant proposals to support future CALDER projects
- Clearly communicate with partners and represent CALDER and AIR in a professional manner
- Communicate effectively, orally or in writing, with partners, site-based staff, and other stakeholders
Qualifications
- PhD in a field relevant to CALDER research (e.g., Economics, Education, Public Policy, Statistics, etc.)
- Experience with quantitative data collection and analysis of longitudinal education data
- Ability to lead data analysis activities using quasi-experimental and other econometric analyses
- Ability to communicate research findings both in writing and orally
- Demonstrated familiarity with the organization of quantitative education data, including database structure, record layouts, and file structure
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience of research principles and design
- Ability to articulate a clear interest in the substantive education topic areas addressed by CALDER research
- Knowledge of STATA and/or other analytic and data management software (e.g., R, Python, SAS).
- Available to travel locally and nationally to academic conferences and project meetings