CRP Announces Opportunity for Postdoctoral Scholar in Higher Education Research
Postdoctoral Opportunity in Higher Education Research
Overview of Research and Postdoc’s Role
Through a grant from The Ford Foundation, CRP will conduct two complementary research projects over the course of 18 months. The project’s aim is to use the best evidence to broaden the agenda of policy debates on 1) community college structures and 2) the equity of U.S. higher education systems for racial minorities.
In order to expand the policy debate and foster consideration of new policies, the postdoc should have competencies in the following areas:
- Carrying out a comprehensive literature review and summary of existing data
- Conducting high level interviews with administrators and faculty
- Identifying the central research questions
- Managing a paper commissioning process with the aim of developing and publishing a series of studies that will guide, stimulate and reframe the discussion
- Writing and synthesizing the findings into a major report, including a set of recommendations for moving forward with basic institutional change
- Organizing and presenting at policy briefings in Sacramento, Austin and Washington, DC
- Writing periodic policy briefs discussing civil rights dimensions of current or proposed higher education policy decisions
- Identifying other potential areas of higher education research for CRP to pursue
- Crafting funding proposals to support this work.
Education, experience, technical and personal skills required:
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Ph.D. in education, public policy, or related field. Preferably two years or more postdoctoral experience. Advanced working knowledge of educational research sufficient to understand, plan, manage, and conduct research and public policy projects on higher education, including admissions processes used in higher education systems, the effectiveness of alternative admissions models in interracial contexts, community college structures, and/or other areas. |
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Published research on higher education policy and/or civil rights issues. |
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Proven ability to conduct quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, design and analysis, and development of data collection plans and instruments (surveys, interviews, observations). |
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Organizational skills, including developing timelines, managing priorities, juggling multiple tasks, monitoring progress, and staying on deadline. |
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Demonstrated skill in working as part of a team; ability to collaborate with colleagues. |
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Ability to travel to sites within and outside the state to represent the Civil Rights Project as required by the research or at the request of the Co-Directors. The researcher must be a self-starter and creative problem solver. Experience in diverse communities and familiarity with other languages and cultures are always bonuses at CRP. |
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Application Process:
The application deadline is November 30, 2013
Please submit a letter of interest, CV, writing sample and three references to:
Laurie Russman, CRP Coordinator, crp@ucla.edu
