Associate Project Scientist (Community Schools)

The UCLA Center for Community Schooling advances democracy, justice, and public education by helping schools become vibrant, community-centered places where young people learn and thrive. Bringing research, policy, and practice into close conversation, the Center partners with students, families, educators, and public agencies to support meaningful and lasting school transformation. This work is grounded in long-term research-practice partnerships with the two UCLA Community Schools in LAUSD, where democratic values and community voice shape everyday learning. At the state level, the Center co-leads California's $4 billion Community School Partnership Program, supporting more than 2,000 public schools and reaching over one million students and families. Through applied research and implementation support, the Center demonstrates how universities can be powerful partners in advancing equitable, community-driven change.

UCLA has established and maintained an active program of engaged scholarship and research at the UCLA Community School since 2009, when the school opened. Given the success of the UCLA Community School and the establishment of the Mann UCLA Community School in 2016, the UCLA Center for Community Schooling was established to study and share research and practice at both sites-supported by a Regional Training Center grant from the University of Pennsylvania to expand university-assisted community schools on the West Coast.

Since that time, the UCLA Center for Community Schooling has become a nationally recognized leader in community school transformation. Its work synthesizes emerging research, rigorous documentation of practice, and strategies for continuous improvement to generate insights and tools that support educators and communities.

The Research and Evaluation Specialist, under the direction of the Co-Directors, works to advance the research and practice priorities of the Center through leadership, coordination, and collaboration across multiple domains of work.

The Research and Evaluation Specialist will contribute high-level expertise to the Center's research portfolio, supporting the design, implementation, and advancement of complex research and evaluation projects focused on community schooling and education systems change. In particular, the Specialist will play a key role in moving our statewide research agenda forward by making significant and creative contributions to the research alongside the co-directors, PIs, and project staff. The Specialist will play a central role in shaping research design, leading analytic efforts, and contributing to the production of research that informs policy and practice, including write up and dissemination of findings.

* Contribute substantively to the design and execution of qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed-methods research focused on California's Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP)

* Lead or co-lead analytic components of the CCSPP large-scale evaluation, including interpretation and synthesis of findings

* Collaborate with faculty and internal and external research teams to refine research questions, methodologies, and conceptual frameworks

* Oversee internal and external reviews of findings

* Contribute and oversee the development of research products, including technical reports, policy briefs, and scholarly publications

* Translate research findings into accessible and actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and community interest-holders

* Participate in and lead research-practice partnerships and engage with educators, advocates, and government partners in spaces developed and led by the State Transformational Assistance Center

* Assist Regional Technical Assistance Centers, Local Educational Agencies and schools in accessing data and findings, and using data

* Support dissemination of research, including presentations, convenings, and policy briefings

* Mentor and provide guidance to junior researchers and project staff, as appropriate

* Doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D., or equivalent) in education, public policy, sociology, economics, or a related field

* Demonstrated expertise in research design and methodology, including quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches

* Experience contributing to collaborative research projects, particularly those connected to education policy or practice

* Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience contributing to research reports, publications, or policy-relevant writing

* Knowledge of K-12 education systems, particularly in areas related to equity, school reform, or community schooling

* Experience working with large-scale administrative or longitudinal datasets and/or community-engaged research approaches

* Knowledge of hierarchical modeling, causal inference, or other data reduction techniques, and other complex statistical methods

* Demonstrated ability to efficiently use various software to manipulate data and conduct quantitative analyses (preferably R or Python)

* Ability to work effectively in collaborative, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged environments

* Demonstrated ability to translate complex research findings for non-technical audiences

* Experience contributing to grant writing or development of funded research projects

* Experience mentoring or supporting the development of junior researchers or staff

Basic Qualifications (at time of application):

* Doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D., or equivalent) in education, public policy, sociology, economics, or a related field

* Demonstrated expertise in research design and methodology, including quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches

* Experience contributing to collaborative research projects, particularly those connected to education policy or practice

* Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience contributing to research reports, publications, or policy-relevant writing

Additional Qualifications (at time of application):

* Knowledge of K-12 education systems, particularly in areas related to equity, school reform, or community schooling

* Experience working with large-scale administrative or longitudinal datasets and/or community-engaged research approaches

* Knowledge of hierarchical modeling, causal inference, or other data reduction techniques, and other complex statistical methods

* Demonstrated ability to efficiently use various software to manipulate data and conduct quantitative analyses (preferably R or Python)

* Ability to work effectively in collaborative, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged environments

* Demonstrated ability to translate complex research findings for non-technical audiences

* Experience contributing to grant writing or development of funded research projects

* Experience mentoring or supporting the development of junior researchers or staff

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As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
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