Education Finance Researcher

Join AIR as a Education Finance Researcher with our Education Systems & Policy (ESP) team and be involved in our longstanding legacy of providing rigorous, impartial evidence-based research and resources on pressing and perennial education issues. The ESP team studies and supports organizations and infrastructure at the local, state, and national levels focusing on the people who operate PK-12 education systems to improve the organization of schooling and advance the organizations within those systems.

 

The candidate should have expertise and experience in applying state-of-the-art education finance research methods to address policy-relevant questions about the adequacy, equity, and efficiency of federal, state, and local funding systems. The ideal candidate will have the interest and capacity to develop into a thought leader in education finance research methods and policy, both through collaborative, client-focused project work at AIR and by pursuing their own interests with externally funded research.

 

This position has the flexibility to work remote from anywhere in the United States or from any of AIR's U.S. office locations. This does not include U.S. territories. 

 

About AIR:

 

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world.

 

The responsibilities for the position include:

• Develop research designs to evaluate federal, state, and local PK-16 education funding policies and estimate the cost of an adequate and equitable education.
• Manage or lead projects and tasks, assuming greater responsibility for project management over time.
• Analyze extant financial and administrative data collected by education institutions (e.g., K12 school districts, state education agencies, community colleges) using state-of-the-field education finance research and statistical methods.
• Collect data from primary sources that describe the types and amounts of resources education organizations have in place, their needs, and extent to which they employ evidence-based resource allocation strategies.
• Prepare written materials (e.g., technical reports, policy briefs) that describe study findings in ways that accessible and impactful to policymakers and other decision makers.
• Present findings to clients, professional associations, and the public.
• Participate in, and where appropriate lead, efforts to prepare research proposals that generate external funding for education finance-related research.
• Supervise and provide mentorship and support to junior staff by sharing approaches to solving concrete problems and providing feedback on their work.

Education, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Master’s degree with 4-7 years of demonstrated experience in education policy, economics, or related social science field with expertise in the economics of education, education finance, and/or educational policy setting and/or conducting education research or Ph.D./Ed.D.
• Knowledge or experience analyzing primary and administrative data (and particularly fiscal data) applying state-of-the-field education finance research concepts and empirical methods.
• Demonstrated experience collecting and analyzing a wide variety of primary and secondary educational data including fiscal data detailing school and district expenditures.
• Expertise in advanced social and behavioral science statistical methods including the use of regression models and rigorous program evaluation design including longitudinal data analysis.

Skills:

• Advanced expertise in using MS Office applications including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Proficiency in a commonly used statistical application (e.g., Stata, R, etc.) and open to learning new statistical tools as required by different projects.
• Effective communication skills with the ability to collaborate efficiently in a virtual wor