Research Analyst IIAuto req ID 25480BR
Business Title Research Analyst II
School/Unit Harvard Graduate School of Education
Sub-Unit ------------
Location USA - MA - Cambridge
Job Function Research
Time Status Full-time
Schedule
Department CEPR
Salary Grade 056
Union 00 - Non Union, Exempt or Temporary
Duties & Responsibilities The
Research Analyst IIwill be part of a growing team at the Center for
Education Policy Research (CEPR), the Strategic Data Project specifically and the Education Accountability project at
Harvard University.
It is the mission of the Strategic Data
Project to transform data use in education to improve student achievement. SDP endeavors to do this in three primary
ways: 1) conducting rigorous diagnostic
analysis on teacher effectiveness and college-going success using agency data;
2) placing top-notch analysts as data fellows in each agency for two years; and
3) widely disseminating key findings and helpful tools to non-SDP partners. The Education
Accountability Project (EAP), housed in the Harvard Graduate School of
Education, conducts research on the design and effects of test-based
accountability (TBA) systems. Its current projects investigate (1) which
characteristics of testing programs facilitate unwanted responses and score
inflation, (2) how the effects of TBA varies across categories of schools and
students, (3) the relationships between score inflation and various measures of
school effectiveness, (4) the effects of TBA on later outcomes, such as
postsecondary performance, and (5) new test designs that can differentiate
meaningful gains from score inflation.
The
Research Analyst IIwill support and conduct analyses focused on two a
variety of key policy priorities, including teacher employment patterns, student pathways
to college, and the effects of test-based accountability systems. The
research agenda carried out by the analyst will provide a foundation for
decisions that improve student achievement, and generate a growing demand for
data analysis that fundamentally alters the way decisions are made in public
education. Key analyst
responsibilities will include:1) Creating analyses that influence the ability and capacity of
schools and teachers to improve student achievement and attainment;
2) Building strong relationships with the staff and leadership of
partner school districts; providing problem-solving, technical, and research
support to partner agency staff;
3) Creating a deeper understanding of districts, education policy, and
statistical analysis;
4) Collaborating with CEPR and EAP leadership, Harvard faculty, and
partner agency staff to continually refine the analytic work product;
5) Locating available source data, evaluating source quality,
transforming/combining data sources, and making recommendations regarding
fitness for use;
6) Assembling, cleaning, managing, documenting, and analyzing large
longitudinal data sets derived from multiple sources. Identifying outliers and
anomalies that require attention prior to analysis, identifying and resolving
methodological challenges;
7) Performing core programming/analytic tasks with moderate
supervision;
8) Performing diverse research tasks other than programming with
moderate supervision;
9) Contributing to the development of new projects and proposals;
10)Writing and presenting key research findings to an internal
audience; drafting reports and presentations for partner leadership, including
boards, superintendents, principals, executive team;
11)Collaborating with partner agencies, which may involve intermittent
periods of time at partner offices, preparing and executing the Center's
research agenda. Intermittent periods of travel (up to 3-4 days per week)
may be required.
This is a term appointment, through April
2012, with strong likelihood of extension.
Please upload cover letter and resume as one document.
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in public policy,
economics, statistics, computer science or a related field. Minimum one year of professional experience
working with STATA and /or SAS programming and data analysis, including data
management, cleaning, analysis, and report writing. Excellent written communication skills required.
Additional Qualifications
Master's degree preferred and deep
knowledge of statistics, computation, and rationale. Experience working with data of varying
quality and from varied source systems; demonstratedpreparation and cleaning skills. The
ability to communicate technical topics to non-technical audiences is
helpful. Proven ability to work under
pressure, accurately assess problems, and develop solutions. Experience
working as part of a cross-functional team. K-12 sector or university research
experience, as well as knowledge of enterprise data management systems/tools a
plus.
We regret that the Harvard Graduate School of Education does not provide
Visa sponsorship.
Additional Information
Launched
in 2008, the Strategic Data Project (SDP )
housed at CEPR, partners with some of the nation's largest school districts,
school networks, and state education agencies to bring high-quality research
methods and data analysis to bear on strategic and policy decisions.
SDP
currently partners with fourteen school districts, state education departments,
and charter management organizations, helping the leaders and
Fellows in these agencies use data analysis in smart ways that translate into
student achievement gains. Funding is in
place to grow to 20+ partners over the next two years.
For more
information about the Strategic Data Project, please refer to the CEPR
website:
and follow the link.
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