About the Organization and the Opportunity
The Education Trust (Ed Trust) seeks a Research Analyst to join a passionate staff on the Higher Education Research & Data Analytics Team who are committed to fulfilling our mission of closing opportunity gaps that disproportionately affect students of color and students from low-income families.
The Analyst will help produce research that highlights trends and inequities in Higher Education. The analyst will develop research briefs, data tools, presentations, and other communications that will advance, promote, and elevate the organization’s key education priorities. The work will focus on using large data sets to create compelling narratives about the current state of access, accountability, affordability, and success for students of color and students from low-income families.
Ed Trust is comprised of fierce advocates for the high academic achievement of all students — pre-kindergarten through college, particularly those of color or living in poverty. Through research and advocacy, Ed Trust’s goal is to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement that affect millions of young people across the U.S. — especially students of color and those from low-income families. We work alongside educators, policymakers, parents, and community and business leaders across the country to advocate transforming schools and colleges into institutions that serve all students well. Lessons learned in these efforts, together with unflinching data analyses, help shape our state and national policy agendas.
This role, available immediately, is based in our Washington, DC office and is eligible for telework for up to 3 days per week . The Analyst reports to the Director of Research & Data Analytics and serves as a member of the Higher Education team.
About the Analyst Role
The responsibilities and objectives for the role include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Conduct quantitative analyses – using publicly available data – that examine socioeconomic and race-based patterns in opportunity and success, leveraging coding skills and analytics software
- Mine data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and other sources to identify institutions and states that are successfully enrolling and graduating underserved populations, or making significant progress
- Support the development and analysis of equity metrics that assess how committed institutions and states are to access, accountability, affordability, and success
- Create written reports and other tools
- Assist with the redesign, improvement, and annual update of tools and resources for students, policymakers, and institutional leaders that provides information related to student success, accessibility, and affordability on over 2,000 four-year colleges and universities
- Liaise with reporters, practitioners, and advocates, and contribute to the Ed Trust’s social media presence and blogs
- Support the organization’s efforts to leverage data and research to inform policy design and practice, including assisting with the development of tools and processes to aid postsecondary improvement efforts
- Draft literature reviews, memoranda, and other documents on key access, accountability, affordability, and success issues related to the division’s mission
- Package research and data for lay audiences and funders in Education Trust presentations, briefs/reports, webtools, blogs, grant applications, and the website
- Respond to rapid response inquiries about data and research from staff, as well as work with the higher education team to respond to policymakers, advocates, the media, and the public
Ideal Skills and Characteristics
- Shared belief in Ed Trust’s mission and a commitment to improving educational equity
- Dedication in contributing to and maintaining an equitable working environment
- Excellent analytic and communication skills, both oral and written, and in a variety of formats and contexts
- Strong project management skills and attention to detail
- Advanced knowledge and experience in Excel and SPSS
- Demonstrated ability to produce quantitative and qualitative research analyses that address key issues in higher education with a keen emphasis on equity and closing gaps in opportunity and outcomes
- Demonstrated capacity to set priorities; work on multiple detail-oriented tasks, often on a time-sensitive basis; and work effectively both individually and as part of a team
- Demonstrated ability to manage and manipulate data and conduct descriptive analyses with excellence
Qualifications and Experience
The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and experience:
- At least a bachelor’s degree
- Interest in understanding higher education policy, and the ability to learn, understand and apply relevant qualitative and quantitative higher education data
- Interest in understanding federal and state policy contexts that affect higher education, and thoughts about how to improve these policies through appropriate policy levers
- Experience using analytical software and coding
Compensation & Benefits
The annual salary for this position starts at $ 65,000 and will be commensurate with experience.
The Education Trust prioritizes the health and well-being of its employees and , to that end, offers a highly competitive benefits package. Medical, dental and vision insurance are covered at 100% for the employee, with significant coverage also offered for dependents. We provide sick leave, vacation leave, and personal leave, and we follow the federal government for most holiday closures. To ensure staff have synchronous opportunities for rest and renewal, the office is closed for a week-long summer break and a week-long winter break. Among other offerings, we provide an Employee Assistance Program at no cost to the employee, and a generous 7% match ing opportunity on a 403(b)-retirement plan .
