The Education Trust—West works for the high academic achievement for all students at all levels—pre-kindergarten through college. We expose opportunity and achievement gaps that separate students of color and low-income students from other youth, and we identify and advocate for the strategies that will forever close those gaps. We work alongside parents, educators, policymakers, and community and business leaders across the state in transforming K-12 public schools into institutions that serve all students well. Lessons learned in these efforts, together with unflinching data analyses, shape our state policy agenda. To learn more, please visit wwww.edtrustwest.org.
Job Description Overview
The Education Trust—West (ETW) seeks a full-time Senior Research and Policy Analyst. This position will lead and contribute to a range of K-12 and higher education research and policy projects. The successful candidate will have superb quantitative skills, strong familiarity with California education policy, and a passion for making complex information easily digestible to broad audiences. Position reports to the Deputy Director of Research, Policy Analysis, and Practice.
The ideal candidate has a passion for improving the educational experiences and outcomes for low-income students and students of color, and an unwavering belief that these students could be much more successful if institutions better served them. Works well in a fast-paced, mission-focused, collaborative work culture. Can independently navigate ambiguity and find solutions for complex problems.
Major Responsibilities
Proactively scope out and propose new research and data analysis projects that can help advance ETW’s policy and advocacy agenda
Manage research projects from end to end, including: developing research questions and designs, collecting and cleaning data, analyzing data, analyzing policy, surfacing best practices, and presenting findings through written reports, presentations, web tools, and data visualizations
Collect, analyze, and present data on K-12 achievement, higher education access and success, financial aid, and other measures
Perform policy analysis, conduct literature reviews, and network with key thought leaders to identify the most effective and strategically advantageous policies and practices for improving K-12, college, and career access and outcomes for students of color and students in poverty
Develop innovative solutions for packing and presenting data and complex policy information to an array of stakeholders, including policy makers, parents, and the public
Field varying and sometimes urgent requests for data and information from policymakers, media, and partner organizations
Manage consultants, contractors, and/or data analysts, as needed
Other duties as assigned
Qualifications and Experience
Passion for improving the educational experiences and outcomes for students of color and low-income students coupled with a strong knowledge of social justice and equity-related issues
A mix of strong analytical, research, writing, and communication skills, with an emphasis on quantitative analysis and interpretation and presentation of quantitative data to lay audiences
A master’s degree in education, public policy, statistics, or related field and a minimum of 5-10 years of professional experience in related field
Familiarity with major sources of state and national education data, especially those focused on California K-12 and higher education
Expertise in using Excel to collect, organize, and clean data (ability to do so in database environments is a plus)
Experience analyzing large student and/or institution-level data sets using SPSS, STATA, R, or other statistical packages
Strong follow-through skills and attention to detail, especially under deadline pressures and amid competing priorities
Self-starter who has the creativity and initiative to seek out new approaches and contacts
How to apply
Application Process
Please send a compelling cover letter and resume that describes your interest in the position, your relevant qualifications and experience; please also include a writing sample. Submit your application materials to jobs@edtrustwest.org
In the Subject Line write the name of the position you are applying for and your last name: e.g. “Senior Research & Policy Analyst_Smith”
Please save your resume and other materials as attachments with names as follows:
“Senior Research & Policy Analyst_Smith_Resume”
“Senior Research & Policy Analyst_Smith_CoverLetter” (and so forth)
NO TELEPHONE INQUIRIES PLEASE
The Education Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages diversity in all facets of the organization’s work.