About WestEd

As a community of over 1000 researchers, practitioners, consultants, and administrative professionals from all backgrounds and life experiences, we are committed to making a qualitative difference in the lives of youth, children, and adults. We conduct and apply research, develop evidence-based solutions, and provide consulting services across the country in both rural and urban communities to improve equitable outcomes for individuals from infancy through adulthood. Serving as trusted partners in the areas of education, health, and justice, our teams enhance capacity within communities and school districts to prioritize impact — asking the right questions, customizing methodologies, developing relevant tools, and implementing best practices specific to a diverse range of stakeholder needs.

Furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion is core to who we are and how we work. We are committed to working with our clients to illuminate and address disparities, value and elevate diverse voices, and ensure equitable access to our resources and services. Read more about WestEd’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Come and join us!

SPECIAL NOTICE REGARDING THE WORK LOCATION OF THIS POSITION—Although WestEd provides the option of working at one of its facilities for employees, many roles allow employees to choose to work remotely for their own convenience. The decision to allow remote work at the employee's convenience is based on the requirements of the position or project in question.

Content Area Profile:

English Learner and Migrant Education Services (ELMES) at WestEd, which includes the Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) initiative, is looking for a team of equity-focused educators committed to improving the quality of educational opportunities for all students, with a particular focus on English and Multilingual Learners. ELMES provides professional learning, strategic systems support, curriculum, and standards development, and conducts research to enhance the quality of education for English Learners, Multilingual Learners, and Migratory Students.

Our team partners with state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs) to build educator capacity to implement necessary educational shifts to serve these students with excellence. This position will expand our ability to continue to develop and implement services that change outcomes for traditionally underserved students.

Who We Are:

We are a highly motivated team with a deep, sociocultural foundation and an equity focus. We believe equity cannot be achieved without an utmost commitment to ensuring a quality education for all students. We are committed to building educator capacity at all levels of the system to ensure quality curriculum, design and facilitate quality teaching, and develop coherent systems that serve English Learners, Multilingual Learners and Migratory Students well. We believe that by focusing in these areas, we can create the necessary conditions to implement powerful learning experiences that lead to long-term impact for students.

Our team values experience and expertise, and consists of former teachers, site, district, and state administrators, researchers, and scholars. We rely on our diverse teammates to navigate the dynamic and ever-changing contexts our school, LEA, and SEA partners face while staying true to our theoretical foundations. We are passionate and hard-working, and we value professional growth, intellectual rigor, and a collaborative culture.

The Opportunity:

Please note that we are seeking a candidate with deep content knowledge and teaching experience in secondary mathematics.

This Research Associate position is an opportunity for experienced practitioners and researchers to join a committed team and contribute to a diverse portfolio of services that builds educator capacity to ensure quality learning opportunities for all students, with a focus on English and Multilingual Learners.

As a Research Associate in Mathematics you will contribute to studies such as: 1) ongoing iterative development studies of innovative curriculum for English Learners in secondary mathematics, 2) collaborative reviews of programs, policies, and practices that schools systems offer English Learners, 3) basic use-inspired research about student thinking and language development.

This research and evaluation work includes implementation and impact evaluations of curriculum programs in authentic educational settings. The position also contributes to the professional learning of educators who are working to expand their capacity to enact the ambitious learning within the curriculum. Applicants should be self-starters who thrive in fast-paced working conditions, enjoy problematizing complex situations and seeking solutions, are intellectually curious, independently able to successfully manage a variety of project work, communicate clearly, continually pursue opportunities to learn and grow, seek feedback, build strong relationships, and advocate for others.

Serving as a critical member of the English Learners and Migrant Education Services team, the Research Associate in Mathematics will advance WestEd’s commitment to equity through four key areas of responsibility: curriculum development, impact and implementation evaluation, professional learning, and dissemination and outreach.

Note: Role requires 50%-60% travel within US.

Impact and Implementation evaluation (40%)

• Evaluate the implementation of professional learning initiatives
• Evaluate the implementation of curriculum, including collecting measures of fidelity of implementation
• Contribute to research and evaluation studies

Professional Learning (30%)

• Design professional learning experiences for secondary mathematics teachers of English Learners
• Create materials and activities that advance educator knowledge, reflection, and practice
• Coach mathematics teachers in individual and collaborative formats to advance their teaching practice

Curriculum Development (20%)

• Develop curricular materials in secondary mathematics with a focus on English Learners.
• Critically review curriculum to assess the degree to which it meets the needs of English Learners and develop augmentations to better serve English Learners
• Develop educative curriculum for mathematics teacher professional learning.

Dissemination and Outreach (10%)

• Reach a wide variety of educational partners—including educators, curriculum designers, administrators, researchers, and policymakers—with lively and engaging content
• Develop products that offer theory-grounded and practical suggestions to advance policy and practice (e.g. practice briefs, tools, blog posts, podcasts, etc.)

What We’re Looking For:

• Experience contributing to mixed methods research studies relevant to English Learners and secondary mathematics.
• Five years of classroom teaching experience with English Learners at the secondary level.
• Experience and expertise in developing curriculum for secondary mathematics and English Learners.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in mathematics.

*Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Successful candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

WestEd conducts a criminal background check and education verification for all new hires. Any offers of employment will be contingent on receiving a clear background check in accordance with applicable law.

Salary:

The full salary range for this position, WestEd level G, is $85,440 to $128,200 but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $85,440 to $106,800. The actual offer takes into account multiple factors including but not limited to education; experience; internal equity, and other organizational needs. 

In addition to the base salary, benefits include:

· 15% contribution toward retirement effective day 1 of employment

· Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts

· All health/welfare benefits are effective first of the month following hire date

· PTO: 3 weeks vacation (increases to 4 weeks beginning the 4th year of employment), paid holidays, and 12 days paid sick leave per year

· Life Insurance: value of 3x gross salary

· Opportunities for annual merit-based performance increases annual incentives

· Professional development opportunities & mentorship program

For more detail about our benefits, go to:

https://www.wested.org/work-at-wested/benefits/

Committed to the diversity of race, ethnicities, perspectives, and opportunities, WestEd offers a variety of social and professional learning communities, such as Employee Resource groups, the Data Intelligence, Insights, and Innovation PLC, and the WestEd Parent Community, just to name a few. We hope you’ll consider joining us to build better schools, communities, learning pathways, and more! #LI-Remote #LI-Hybrid