ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION AND THE OPPORTUNITY

Ed Trust seeks a Higher Ed Research Fellow to join a staff committed to fulfilling our mission of closing opportunity gaps that disproportionately affect students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

The Fellow will manage the data and analysis for the team’s tools, including creating a streamlined process for downloading, cleaning, merging, and appending postsecondary data to create the metrics contained in Ed Trust products such as College Results, Segregation Forever, The Affordability Gap, and the Public Tableau. The work will primarily focus on using publicly available data to create compelling narratives about the current state of access, accountability, affordability, and success for low-income students and students of color in postsecondary education.

Ed Trust is committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the U.S. education system. Through our research and advocacy, Ed Trust improves equity in education from preschool through college, engages diverse communities dedicated to equity and justice, and increases political and public will to build an education system where all students will thrive.

This role, available immediately, is based in our Washington, D.C office and is full-time for less than 12 months. The Fellow reports to the Director of Higher Education Research and will serve as a member of the Ed Trust National Higher Ed Research Team.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The major responsibilities for this role include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Manage the redesign, improvement, and updating of metrics hosted on College Results, an interactive webtool for students, policymakers, and institutional leaders that provides information on over 2,000 four-year colleges and universities across the nation
• Mine data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the College Scorecard, U.S. Census, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and other sources to produce datasets that help identify institutions and states that are successfully enrolling and graduating underserved populations, or making significant progress in those areas
• Analyze national datasets to identify barriers to access and success for students of color and low-income students in higher education
• Develop and analyze equity metrics that assess how successful institutions and states are at increasing access, accountability, affordability, and success for students of color and low-income students
• Collect literature and draft research to inform team projects and policy recommendations
• Develop tools and processes to aid postsecondary improvement efforts
• Package research and data for lay audiences and funders in Education Trust presentations, briefs/reports, webtools, blogs, grant applications, and the website.

IDEAL SKILLS AND CHARACTERISTICS

• Shared belief in Ed Trust’s mission and a commitment to improving educational equity with a focus on racial equity
• Dedication in contributing to and maintaining an equitable working environment
• Strong critical thinking skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Teamwork skills and an eagerness for collaboration
• Problem-solving ability
• Willingness to receive and act upon, as well as provide, constructive feedback
• Continuous learner

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and experience:

• At least a bachelor’s degree in education, public policy, statistics, research methodologies, or a related field; enrollment in a Master’s degree program is preferred
• Experience in a research role, including quantitative data analysis
• Experience with statistical software (R, SQL, Python, STATA, SPSS) and/or data visualization (Power BI, Tableau, R, gplot, etc.)
• Familiarity with higher education issues, preferred
• Familiarity with cloud database systems (AWS), preferred

COMPENSATION

The pay for this position ranges from $19 - $30/hr and offers are commensurate with education and experience.

The Education Trust prioritizes the health and well-being of its employees and, to that end, offers a highly competitive benefits package. Medical, dental and vision insurance are covered at 100% for the employee, with significant coverage also offered for spouses, domestic partners, and dependents. We offer an Employee Assistance Program at no cost to the employee. We provide sick leave, vacation leave and paid holidays (we follow the federal government for most holiday closures).

VACCINATION FOR COVID

At The Education Trust, the health and safety of our employees is of the utmost importance. As such, all Education Trust employees are required to be fully vaccinated and remain up to date on their vaccinations for COVID-19. New hires should be fully vaccinated and up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations prior to their first day of work. Requests for accommodations due to medical or religious reasons will be reviewed by Human Resources.

The Education Trust is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.