Data and Research Analyst, Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration, School of Law

About the Opportunity

The Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration (CPIAC) at Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL) -- the nation's pre-eminent law school for public interest education -- takes the lead in infusing NUSL's public interest mission into all facets of the student experience. While supporting the law school’s long-standing commitment to social justice, CPIAC also pilots programs and initiatives that address broader justice issues.

In 2019, CPIAC launched its flagship research initiative, the Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline Project (C2P Project), with a Northeastern University grant. The initiative is a collaboration among CPIAC; the College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD); and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH). The Cradle-to-Prison (C2P) Pipeline is a project which analyzes the cumulative impact of a variety of factors– beginning before birth and persisting through childhood, adolescence, and the teen years – that disproportionately increases incarceration of youth of color, LGBTQ youth, and youth with disabilities. Mass incarceration and the cradle-to-prison pipeline are the result of many forms of structural racism and white supremacy embodied within public policy choices through legal statutes, funding priorities, and institutional policies. The goal of the project is to harness the efforts of research and analysis to better inform legislators, other policy makers, and the public to identify more tangible and effective interventions to disrupt youth criminalization and racial disparities within the adolescent and adult criminal justice systems.

CPIAC is seeking a passionate Data and Research Analyst to join the C2P team to identify systemic inequities impacting marginalized youth, through complex data analysis.

The Data and Research Analyst will analyze and leverage the existing research efforts conducted by C2P staff to identify critical data gaps in understanding how various social and political systems disproportionately affect children of color, LGBTQ youth, and youth with disabiltiies.  The Data and Research Analyst will be responsible for data cleaning, statistical analysis, data visualization, and domain knowledge within an array of systems (i.e child welfare programs, public education models, mental health and medical institutions, and school disciplinary tools). This position will play  a central role in the early stages of data collection, transforming raw information into compelling visualizations that illuminates the issue. The Data and Research analyst will utilize their findings to inform comprehensive strategies aimed to dismantle the pipeline and address mass incarceration of juveniles in meaningful ways.

This is a full-time one-year position supported by an internal grant with the possibility of renewal contingent upon funding and performance. 

Responsibilities:

1. Data Collection and Analysis (30%):

• Collect data relevant to public education, special education, school discipline, child welfare systems, arrest and 911 records, mental health and medical institutions, housing, and other data deemed necessary to the project. This may involve working with government agencies, educational institutions, and social service organizations to acquire relevant datasets.
• Analyze and review collected data using statistical methods and data cleaning techniques, this involves identifying trends, and patterns within the data to gain a deeper understanding.

2. Data Visualization and Communication (40%):

• Transform complex data into clear and compelling visualizations, this includes creating graphs, spreadsheets, charts, and visual aids to effectively communicate findings. These visual aids will be used to highlight critical data gaps and support the need for public policy and legislative reforms.
   

3. Research Design and Implementation (20%):

• In collaboration with the C2P team, this position will design and conduct original research to fill the identified data gaps within the cradle-to-prison pipeline.
   

4. Administrative Duties (10%):

• Perform a range of administrative and special projects as needed.
• Other projects may include creat