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POSITION SUMMARY: The Senior Research Associate will support Ounce programs by working with early childhood education program staff at Educare and other research staff to monitor and ensure accuracy of data collection in programs, oversee research and evaluation studies connected to the early education programs, lead analysis of data and serve as the local evaluation partner (LEP) in a national Implementation Study with similar early education programs. The Senior Research Associate will also serve on internal and external committees as needed and keep abreast of new developments in the field.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS:

• Reports to the Vice President, Research and Evaluation
• Supervises one Research Associate II
• Supervises two Research Assistants
• Supervises one Administrative Assistant II (part-time)

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND KEY TASKS:

• Ensure a coherent and integrated research plan for the Chicago Educare Center
• Provide suggestions and ideas for further research/evaluation studies that will improve Chicago Educare programming and develop research designs appropriate for the Educare program serving children 0-5 and their families
• Serve as the Chicago Local Evaluation Partner (LEP) for the Implementation Study in the Bounce Learning Network of Educare Centers. The Implementation Study is directed by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina.
  • Attend and participate in bi-annual Bounce Learning Network (BLN) meetings, particularly the NEP/LEP meetings where Implementation Study issues are discussed with other LEPs and Frank Porter Graham
  • Participate in data reviews as needed on aggregate BLN data in order to assure clean, clear and accurate data for outside presentations o Supply assessment videos to Frank Porter Graham as requested
  • Participate in data audits by Frank Porter Graham
  • Participate in annual reliability verification of classroom assessments by FPG
  • Respond to requests for verification and checks from FPG
• Monitor data collection at Educare for the Implementation Study, Math Initiative, Language & Literacy Initiative and any future project requiring program data collection
• Supervise Research Associate II in management and coordination of data collection at Educare
• May require administering direct child assessments for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years and assessments of classrooms
• Manage contracts and supervision of consultant data collectors
• Ensure accuracy and reliability of data from Educare by setting up and monitoring systems to check accuracy of measurement protocols, data entry and data from the Ounce MIS Ounce NET
• Oversee and guide the Chicago Educare Follow-Up Study o Monitor collection of data for Follow-Up Study and ensure accuracy and reliability of data
  • Supervise two research assistant staff in collection of data o Provide team leadership for the project
  • Interface when needed with Educare program leadership for planning focus groups and other study events and to facilitate a working partnership between program staff and Follow-Up study research staff
  • Lead planning effort for focus group and other study events o Build on current Parent Newsletter and establish other mechanisms for continued participation of cohorts
  • Ensure annual review by Ounce IRB and liaison with Chicago Public Schools IRB for access to CPS database for comparison purposes
• Analyze Educare and Follow-Up Study data
  • Ensure a workable database, exportable to SPSS, that includes variables necessary to provide in depth and cross cutting analyses of Educare data, including historical data
  • Build on and improve if needed the existing set of descriptive statistics currently in use for program and organization reports
  • Use qualitative analytic techniques where applicable
  • Develop further analytic plans that provides more nuanced and in-depth results that will be used for program improvement and development
  • In partnership with program leadership and the BLN Director for Continuous Program Improvement, utilize and transform data and analytic findings into program actions and steps
  • In partnership with program leadership and the BLN Director for Continuous Program Improvement, develop additional data gathering techniques that lead to improved teaching practices (such as progress monitoring) or overall program practices
• With the VP, Research and Evaluation, determine roles and responsibilities between research, outside evaluators and program
• Work closely with the Research Associate II to ensure accurate integration with Ounce NET MIS
• Collaborate with the Development Department and program leadership to cultivate new funding opportunities for Educare projects
• Write proposal sections as needed by the Development Department for Educare program and research projects
• Write grant reports as needed for funders
• Provide presentations of data for a variety of end users, including program and executive staff, Ounce Board, funders and other evaluators as needed
• Write papers and make presentations for the field and policy makers policy makers as needed
• Keep abreast of research developments relevant to the field of early childhood development and education. Summarize relevant findings as needed and requested for other Ounce research staff, the Executive Team and other Ounce staff
• Participate in division team meetings and data review meetings

EDUCATIONAL AND WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRMENTS:

• Ph.D. or completion within 6 months in Child Development, Human Development, Child Psychology, Educational Psychology or Special Education, all with specialty in early childhood.

REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Excellent understanding of research design including: methodology, sampling, questionnaire development, data collection, analysis, report writing
• Minimum three years of experience in research projects with supervision of graduate or research assistants and the following set of experiences: minimum two years in applied research setting or program setting; minimum 1 year research project management; minimum one year assessment of young children with experience in assessment of infants and toddlers a plus
• Interest in and proficient with a variety of analytic techniques including techniques that use non-categorical and qualitative data
• Proficient in computer software including SPSS or similar statistical programs. Knowledge of relational database, Access and/or SQL a plus
• Excellent interpersonal skills, negotiation and team building skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to interpret and communicate research findings to staff and families
• Ability to work within an interdisciplinary team as a cooperative and supportive team member
• Ability to maintain an independent perspective while collaborating closely with a wide variety of program personnel
• Understanding the organic nature of programs and how research methodology can be adapted a plus
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with racially and ethnically diverse communities and staff
• Ability to represent the division and organization in professional and public settings.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Must have experience with office equipment and able to manually operate and use a computer
• Finger dexterity sufficient for typing, filing, handling records, and other office equipment
• Clearly hear and understand telephone conversations
• Must be able to speak, read, and write in fluent English
• Must be able to travel within and between sites and to conference or training sites

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