Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600 schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Research Partner Manager, the Research Fellow will work with the External Research Team. This is a collaborative, research-focused role that expands the capacity of the External Research Team by working with CPS internal offices toward the development of a parent data literacy program curriculum. Along with overseeing programming for parent data/research literacy, the Research Fellow will create community-facing resource guides for school-based staff, parents, and principals toward the expansion of a well-informed and advocacy-driven research community within CPS. This position will work with the Research Partner Manager to identify the research needs of school-based and district staff and respond with necessary resources and support.
This is a part-time/temporary position that will be compensated for time worked on an hourly basis. The work schedule for this role will consist of an estimated [10 hours per week] for an anticipated period of 18 months beginning September 2023 and ending January 2025, with the potential for extension. Due to the part-time/temporary nature of this work, this is not a benefit-eligible position.
The Research Fellow will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) on parent/data literacy programming to improve parents' media/data familiarity with CPS.
• Design a research project to document the expansion of a CPS research community: How is external research partnering with Family & Community Engagement to bring parents into discussions about consent and research at the district?
• Provide feedback and support on CPS survey design for the external research team.
• Prepare short resource guides and presentations to share with principals to better address their schools' needs as outlined in Continuous Improvement Work Plans (CIWP).
• Work with Research Partner Manager to address learning needs in CPS research community using resources from Collaborative Research Partners and national education research spaces.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Research Fellow must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:

• Doctorate degree from an accredited college or university

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of research experience required
• Experience working with school-based staff preferred
• Experience with presenting research findings to various audiences preferred
• Experience with qualitative coding software (MAXQDA, NVIVO) and mapping software (GIS) preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• An equity-mindset and mission-drive approach to partnership
• Ability to conduct primary and secondary mixed methods research, with a focus on equitably engaging district stakeholders.
• Excellent communications skills (verbal and written)
• Problem-solving skills
• Proficiency in conducting literature reviews and consolidating findings
• Ability to work in a team environment as well as independently on projects

Conditions of Employment
As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions.

• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. "Up-to-date" on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters. Unvaccinated staff with an approved exemption must submit to weekly testing.