Research Director, California MTSS

The Center for the Transformation of Schools (CTS) at UCLA's School of Education and Information Studies, is dedicated to partnering with the education ecosystem to bring about systems change through Humanizing Research, Validating Practices, and Transforming Policies with key stakeholders to support equitable educational outcomes for historically underserved students. CTS' expansive research agenda and tools help school systems, government leaders and community members re-imagine the ways in which they can raise academic achievement by getting students more motivated and involved in learning, building on their strengths and the cultural resources of their families, and using education as a means to break cycles of poverty.

The California Research Director is responsible for developing, managing and executing the project's research and implementation agenda for California Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) a state funded school discipline pilot intended to address racial disparities in discipline rates and students of color identified for special education services. Reporting to the Center Directors, the Research Director will act as the primary point of contact for the Center with Orange and Butte counties on all issues related to the pilot's research agenda, including their senior leadership team and the California Department of Education as the other lead entities involved in the effort. This state pilot is part of a five year collaborative (2018-2013) with CTS at UCLA, Orange and Butte County. The Research Director will design and manage the research agenda for documenting changes in student learning outcomes, school climate indicators including in-school and out-of-school suspensions, referrals and any other relevant data for participating pilot sites. This will include determining the impact of pilot site coaches, an online learning module and the overall efficacy of the project. Annual case studies of seven districts and up to 35 schools will be managed by the Research Director and supported by CTS research team.

The Research Director will work autonomously with the Center Director and Faculty Director (Center Directors) to identifying related research projects, product development, disseminating activities, and cultivating relationship with scholarly, practitioner, and/or policy experts in order to promote the MTSS model. The Project Director will also be responsible for managing monthly meetings with Orange and Butte County, meetings with Center staff working on the California MTSS research agenda and periodic reporting to the state. The Research Director will engage with various professional organizations, state agencies, school sites and districts, community and civil rights groups, researchers, and youth to shape the research goals and strategies for CA MTSS.

Percentage of Time:
100

Shift Start:
8:00 am

Shift End:
5:00 pm

Qualifications for Position

15
Records

Qualifications

Required/Preferred

Master's degree in education or a related field preferred with a minimum of ten years of professional experience.

Preferred

10+ years of experience in related education roles and demonstrated skill in all phases of educational research, evaluation, and assessment sufficient to understand, plan, manage, and conduct research and evaluation projects.

Required

Deep expertise in working with policymaker, practitioner, and agency personnel to articulate and respond to their needs and to develop productive relationships.

Required

Ability to work independently, prioritize assignments, and follow through with minimal direction in order to perform effectively under conditions of frequent interruptions, fluctuating workloads, and conflicting time demands.

Required

Interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain cooperative relationships and ongoing communications with persons of various socials, educational, and cultural backgrounds.

Required

Skill in speaking in a clear and distinct professional manner to individuals at various organizational levels by using appropriate vocabulary and grammar to obtain and convey information.

Required

Ability to establish and maintain a broad range of campus, school district, and statewide liaisons to interact effectively with Program/Project directors and carious educational organizations.

Required

Ability to prepare and edit correspondence and reports in a concise, logical, and grammatically correct manner.

Required

Ability to supervise personnel, including organizing work flow to accomplish establish objectives, delegating responsibility, training, and evaluating effectiveness.

Required

Ability to organize material, information, and personnel in a systematic way to optimize efficiency and minimize duplication of effort.

Required

Skill in accounting to understand budgets and make necessary adjustments and projections.

Preferred

Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite.

Required

Ability to travel to off-campus workshop or meeting sites. Ability to work some evenings and/or weekends.

Required

Knowledge of University- and campus-wide policies and procedures relating to budget.

Knowledge of statewide educational agencies, their services, roles, and responsibilities to obtain and disseminate needed information.

Can be trained

Familiarity with statewide school discipline educational and organizational goals and objectives.

Required

Additional Posting Information

Bargaining Unit:
99-Policy Covered

Application Deadline:
03-25-2021

External Posting Date: