Southern Education Foundation

Postdoctoral Research and Policy Analyst

Atlanta, Georgia

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Founded in 1867 as the George Peabody Education Fund, the Southern Education Foundation’s (SEF) mission is to advance equity and excellence in education for all students in the South, particularly low income students and students of color.  SEF uses collaboration, advocacy, and research to improve outcomes from early childhood to adulthood.  Our core belief is that education is the vehicle by which all students get fair chances to develop their talents and contribute to the common good.

 

The Postdoctoral Research and Policy Analyst position is generally dedicated to the advancement of higher education research, policy analysis, and programming intended to improve access to college and degree completion among low income students and students of color. This includes a focus on the institutions of higher education dedicated to serving them as well as related federal and state policies that influence institutional practice.

 

The ideal candidate will have substantial research experience and knowledge of higher education equity issues. The candidate must demonstrate a passion for engaging in research that is useful to scholars, practitioners, and policy makers, and as such has experience communicating to these various audiences.

 

Salary and benefits are competitive and commensurate with experience.

 

MISSION AND HISTORY OF THE SOUTHERN EDUCATION FOUNDATION

In its 148 year history, SEF has earned a remarkable reputation for advocacy, programming, and social justice leadership, all aimed at improving educational equity for low income students and students of color.  Still true today as it was in 1867, it is difficult to deny the relationship between having access to high quality educational opportunities and social mobility.  Virtually every region of the nation is grappling, to some degree, with closing achievement gaps, improving the performance of the public education systems, and creating more durable links between public investments in education and the civic and economic returns these systems yield. What cannot be lost is the pressing need to address persistent achievement disparities for low income students and students of color present at every stage of the educational pipeline.  Equally important is the undeniable relationship between these educational disparities and the social, economic, and democratic future of the nation.

 

SEF is working on multiple fronts to ensure that the public is knowledgeable and engaged; that the information available to leaders and decision-makers clearly identifies critical challenges and points to plausible solutions, and to provide assistance to practitioners tasked with redressing the most pressing educational challenges.  SEF strives to fulfill its mission through the following four core program areas:

 

 

Promoting Early Learning Opportunities: Decades of studying the link between poverty and education have confirmed for SEF high quality early childhood programs may be the single best investment for getting young children, especially in the new majority of low income students in the South, to be school-ready and succeed. SEF has been a leader in the region in telling the story of why early learning investment matters and the potential impact it can have on student outcomes and state economies.

 

Advancing Public Education: Public education for all children has long been a cornerstone of democracy in the United States, and the American South has been in the center of the battle to achieve this goal.  Today, we see disinvestment in our public schools as a hindrance from achieving equity in education for all, and we work to push back on these efforts to advance well-funded, safe, supportive and diverse public schools that are held to meaningful and fair standards.

 

Improving College Access and Completion: The economic and social returns for a post-secondary credential are indisputable.  SEF’s higher education efforts are designed to address a range of issues that influence student success and degree attainment among low-income and minority students.  With a focus on the post-secondary institutions most likely to serve these students, SEF takes up critical issues known to influence their participation and completion in higher education.

 

Leadership Development: SEF recognizes a serious leadership crisis in our nation, where fewer people today are extending their voices to the plight of the poor or feel they can make a difference in the complex educational systems of today.  Since W.E.B DuBois served as one of its first fellows, SEF has established a variety of leadership development efforts aimed at increasing the capacity of young leaders and nonprofit organizations and institutions in the region.

 

SEF executes five primary strategies across these program areas:

 

1. Leveraging knowledge of the field: by establishing and operating task forces, work groups, and learning communities to organize knowledge and advance new solutions to long standing problems;
2. Putting good ideas to a fair test: promoting, conducting, and using demonstrations, pilots, and evaluations to shape policy and practice;
3. Mobilizing the public: through direct engagement to education and organize, providing research, tools, and in some cases capital assistance to organizations for advancing public education through policy and practice reforms that improve learning opportunities for vulnerable children and youth;
4. Developing leadership: training the next generation of change agents focused on equity in education in the South through fellowships from undergraduate to mid-career; and
5. Communications as a change strategy: conducting and commissioning research and messaging campaigns to support progressive public policy and practice reforms in education, from early learning through higher education.

 

 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH and POLICY ANALYST

Reporting to the Program Director for Higher Education Research and Policy, the Postdoctoral Research and Policy Analyst will:

 

• Support the execution of research studies related to college access, college student learning, experiences, and outcomes, and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). Research projects are developed and pursued with the goal of addressing issues important to the success of low-income students and students of color in post-secondary settings. This includes analysis of relevant policies at multiple levels and the operation of colleges and universities.

 

• Support the conceptualization and production of data-driven publications for multiple audiences, including but not limited to periodicals targeted to university practitioners, publications intended to inform state and federal policy communities, and peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Research findings and analysis produced by SEF may appear in external publications or be designed and published internally.

 

• Support the management, development, and execution of SEF’s campus based programs and initiatives. SEF’s higher education programs are informed by research and emerging findings with a focus on improving the capacity of college and universities to better serve students, especially students of color and low income students. This also includes the coordination of higher education interns, consultants, and other campus partners.

 

• Support the grant writing and reporting processes. This also includes supporting the monitoring of grantee activities and outcomes.

 

• Attend and participate in relevant higher education events and conferences as a SEF emissary. This includes higher education research associations, higher education association convenings, meetings that involve philanthropic partners, and SEF project and advisory meetings.

 

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The successful candidate will have substantial research experience and knowledge of higher education equity issues. The candidate must demonstrate a passion for engaging in research that is useful to scholars, practitioners, and policy makers, and as such has experience communicating to these various audiences.

 

While no one person will embody all of the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following attributes and experiences:

 

• Doctorate degree in higher education, education policy, student affairs, or related/relevant field required

 

• SEF is seeking a candidate who has experience conducting and publishing original research

 

• Experience working at or with college campuses and/or in the nonprofit/public interest sector is strongly preferred

 

• Strong knowledge of and passion for higher education equity issues

 

• Superior communication skills; must be able to conceptualize, write and edit publications and grant proposals; excellent public speaking skills; ability to communicate to multiple audiences

 

• Must be able to work independently as well as part of a team

 

APPLICATIONS

 

The Southern Education Foundation provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

 

To apply for this position please submit your cover letter and resume to Micah Evans, Program Assistant at mevans@southerneducation.org. No phone calls or emails please.

 

More information about the Southern Education Foundation may be found at http://www.southerneducation.org