PERTS seeks a full-time Research Fellow to help shape the national conversation about equity in education.

PERTS (perts.net) helps educational organizations advance educational equity by enabling them to continuously measure the impact of educational practices on students’ experiences—experiences like identity safety, personally and culturally relevant content, and feeling like a valued member of a caring community. (See perts.net/elevate/measures-refs.) For more about PERTS’ approach to creating outstanding learning experiences, see our OpEd in EdWeek or our article in the Teachers College Record.
 

PERTS began as a laboratory at Stanford University, and has led and contributed to research published in journals such as Psychological Science (e.g. Paunesku et al., 2015), Nature (e.g. Okonofua et al., 2016), and Science (e.g. Yeager et al., 2019), as well as industry-facing white papers (e.g. Gripshover et al., 2022; Student Experience Project, 2021). We sit at the intersection between research and practice, and strive to produce top-quality research that is immediately actionable for education practitioners.

The Research Fellow will lead the design, implementation, and dissemination of several research studies funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Overdeck Family Foundation, and the Raikes Foundation. This includes overseeing research projects from start to finish, including publication in field-facing manuscripts (similar to our recent empirical paper) and/or in peer-reviewed journals. The expectation is that the Research Fellow will serve as lead author on one or more such publications.

Research studies led by the Research Fellow will fall into several categories: (1) research on the structural and professional learning supports that are needed for educators to create better and more equitable learning environments; (2) research to validate a new set of survey measures aimed at children in grades 3-5; and (3) evaluation research to understand the impact of PERTS programs on student experience and learning outcomes. Depending on interest and expertise, the Research Fellow will contribute to research in one or more of these categories.
 

The role is a full time, exempt, remote position reporting to the Director of Research, at the starting rate of $90K - $115K annually, depending on experience and the local cost of living. The Research Fellowship is a two-year position, and may be renewed beyond that time, pending additional funding.
 

PERTS has a remote working culture that welcomes candidates from across the U.S. Our team is committed to contributing to something bigger than ourselves while caring for each other as a team. As such, we are a small (15 staff members), family-friendly, human-centered organization. We come to work as whole people, and push each other to grow and do our best while maintaining a warm and inclusive spirit. We love the truth, we focus on improvement instead of blame, and we believe that practicality beats purity.
 

Because inequitable educational systems disproportionately harm people of color and people from working class backgrounds, we believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities. We are especially interested in working with candidates who have experience within inequitable education systems, and are driven to dismantle those inequities.
 

What We Offer

• Full-time, fully remote, two-year position: competitive salary, with a comprehensive benefits package (for more details, please see below) on a remote team. The may be renewed beyond two years, pending additional funding.

• Field-facing research experience: In academia, we are trained to produce research to be consumed primarily by other scientists. At PERTS, we produce research for and with members of the broader field of education, which includes not only scientists, but also teachers, school and district leaders, policy leaders, nonprofit groups, etc. The Research Fellow will learn to design research and write clearly and persuasively for this broader audience.

• Family-friendly culture: Whether your family consists of children, parents, siblings, a partner/spouse, or other relatives and friends (not to mention pets!), PERTS offers a flexible schedule and strong work/life balance that allows you to tend to loved ones.

• Career Advancement: The Research Fellow will be given ample opportunity to attend conferences (such as Carnegie Summit and the CASEL SEL Exchange), form relationships with partners (e.g. the Equitable Learning and Development Group at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, the Network for College Success, CASEL, the Student Experience Project and many more), and learn skills to help them translate their academic research background into a meaningful career in education improvement, research, or policy.
   

Core Responsibilities

The Research Fellow will report to the Director of Research. Their responsibilities will include…

• Leading the design, implementation, analysis, writing, and dissemination of research studies from start to finish, with support from the PERTS Director of Research, Data Analysts, and Research Coordinator. (60%)

• Contributing to research studies led by other members of the PERTS team, including writing up results from previously-conducted PERTS research studies, co-authoring publications led by other members of the PERTS Research team, etc. (20%)

• Collaborating with members of the program and technology teams to incorporate research insights into PERTS products and services. (10%)

• Conducting hands-on data collection for qualitative research studies (e.g., lead focus groups and interviews with adult educators or conduct cognitive interviews with elementary-aged school children). (10%)

• Travel is required 2-4 times per year, pending safe travel conditions, to visit research sites, attend bi-annual PERTS team retreats and potentially other events such as conferences and network convenings.
   

Required Skills, Experiences, and Dispositions

The following skills and experience will allow a person to excel as a Research Fellow at PERTS. We encourage candidates with strengths in many of these areas (not necessarily all of them!) to apply:

• Mission-Driven: Ability to articulate your passion for working towards a more equitable and human-centered education system.

• Conscientiousness: Exceptional attention to detail, with a record of following through on challenging commitments with minimal supervision (including in remote work settings).

• Growth Mindset: Life-long learner willing to seek knowledge and new experiences in order to get the job done, e.g. by learning new software, skills, research methods, and concepts; continuously seeking and responding to feedback; and taking initiative to enhance our work.

• Practicality and Simplicity: Proven track record of translating complex ideas into simple study designs and writing about research using simple language accessible to the lay public.

• Research Experience: Experience conducting research studies with human subjects independently, start-to-finish. This includes seeking IRB approval, implementing the research, analyzing data, and writing up results. We are especially interested in candidates with research experience in a field related to the social sciences (e.g., education, psychology, sociology, economics, African-American studies, gender studies, etc.).

• Methodological Expertise: PERTS research employs a wide variety of methodological approaches. We are looking for candidates with strong expertise in one or more of the following areas. (Note: we do not expect a single candidate to be expert in all of these areas. Please do apply if you are experienced in at least one of these areas!)

  • Education program evaluation— Conducting systematic analyses of the impact of education programs (e.g. curricula, professional development programs, etc.) using methods that license strong causal inference, such as RCTs, propensity score analyses, difference-of-differences analyses, etc.

  • Experimental psychology— Designing experiments to test specific, theory-driven hypotheses in the behavioral sciences, using factorial designs and other experimental methods.

  • Psychometric measurement validation— Validating survey measures using a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods, including scale reliability analysis, Rasch analysis, latent class analysis, and the use of cognitive interviews to establish reading level and construct validity.

  • Qualitative research methods— Especially using case studies, surveys, action research, and focus groups/interviews to understand and solve practical problems in a field related to education or social justice. We are especially interested in candidates who have employed qualitative research in mixed methods studies, alongside quantitative data.

  • Research with children— Conducting research with young children, including collecting verbal assent for research, developing age-appropriate study materials and procedures, building rapport with children, and collecting data with children effectively in a school setting.

  • Continuous improvement— Conducting Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, developing practical measures, co-designing a theory of change with education stakeholders, etc.
     

If you think this might sound like you, please apply! We find the best candidates often feel they only meet some of the criteria, but apply anyway because they are compelled by our organization’s culture and mission. If that sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.
 

Application Process & Timeline

1. If you are interested, please apply here perts.net/researchfellow by January 31, 2024. Note that all applications will be reviewed after this deadline, rather than on a rolling basis.

2. Other stages will include submitting a sample of your written research, 2-3 interviews with our team, and submitting references.

3. Applicants who do not include cover letters will not be considered.

4. We aim for a start date in mid-March to early April, but have some flexibility on this depending on the needs of the candidate and the hiring process.
    

Compensation and Benefits

• The starting salary range is $90K - $115K annually, based on experience, education, and location.

• Comprehensive healthcare benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; annual professional development funding; as well as confidential counseling, designed to support the passion and energy we look for in our staff.

• There is a 403b match up to 5% of salary.

• Generous paid time off starting at 8 weeks of holiday/vacation time per year including: 12 paid days of organization-wide holidays, two weeks of paid team-specific breaks, and 15 days of paid vacation in the 1st year, moving up to 25 days by the 8th year. In addition, there is time off for illness, family leave, parental leave, jury duty, military, bereavement, and other circumstances.

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Equal Employment Opportunity

PERTS is a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Center. Tides Center is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and welcome your application even if you do not meet every one of the above requirements. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, political affiliation, disability, or medical condition. We encourage and consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified applicants with a disability may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.