BOSTON
PublicFocusSchools
on Children
Office of Data and Accountability
Nicole Wagner Lam, Executive Director
Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building
2300 Washington Street, 3rd Floor
Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119
617-635-9450
rc069@bostonpublicschools.org
bostonpublicschools.org
April 28, 2016
Office of Data & Accountability Research Intern
Boston Public Schools and the Office of Data & Accountability (ODA) is committed to improving teaching and
learning by supporting and leading the community in the collection, interpretation, and use of the best
possible data to make sound educational decisions. Part of improving teaching and learning opportunities
includes conducting research and evaluation on current practices, new programs/tools, and understanding
the entire BPS community (students, parents, staff, etc.). As such, the ODA office is tasked with reviewing
and approving all internal and external research to ensure alignment with district priorities, investment by
central office departments, proper methodology and security for confidential information. The below
project identifies work the ODA office would like to complete by the end of summer 2016 with the
assistance of a Summer Research Intern.
Project Overview
Boston Public Schools understands the district needs to be more proactive with research. Determining
research questions, adopting a research agenda, creating a research committee, and leveraging partnerships
externally are all goals of the district for the near future. In order to do that, it’s imperative the district has
an understanding of:
-
What research has been conducted in the district?
What findings have been made?
What research is currently happening that we know about?
What trends do we see in our past research?
What questions are BPS departments interested in?
What is the academic field of education studying?
Each of these questions are ones the district would like answers to by the end of the summer 2016.
Primary Objectives
Prepare district for adoption of research agenda and research committee by:
-
Completing a full research inventory of past and current research
Identifying common trends in approved research
Reporting on current academic research developments
Interviewing department heads to determine initial questions they want to investigate
Host a research conference at BPS where researchers are invited to present the work they’ve done in BPS
Boston Public Schools
Tommy Chang, Superintendent
Boston School Committee
Michael D. O’Neill, Chair
City of Boston
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor
Timeline and Funding:
The Office of Data & Accountability received a grant from the Stanton Foundation to the Boston Educational
Development Foundation for this project. The work is set to begin in June 2016 and finish in August 2016.
Candidate would be expected to work 20 hours a week.
Qualifications:
- Pursuing a graduate degree in social or behavioral research, public policy/administration, program
evaluation, education, or related field
- Understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods with preferred experience in the
education research field
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work effectively and comfortably in a fast paced environment both within and across
departments
- Proactive self-starter who can work independently as well as with a team
Applications:
Interested and qualified candidates should send a resume and cover letter to:
rc069@bostonpublicschools.org with “Research Intern Application” in the subject line.
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Boston Public Schools
Tommy Chang, Superintendent
Boston School Committee
Michael D. O’Neill, Chair
City of Boston
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor