Position Description

Occupational Summary

The Center for Child & Family Policy seeks a Research Scientist to support two complementary, grant-funded research initiatives: the Critical In-Depth Reading and Wellbeing (CIDR) project (80% effort), led by Jennifer C. Mann, PhD, and the Building Bridges Through Stories project (20% effort), led by Leslie Babinski, PhD. This position will report to Research Professor Leslie Babinski.

CIDR is a school-based research and professional learning initiative designed to strengthen adolescent wellbeing and literacy engagement through culturally responsive, critical literacy–focused instruction in secondary ESL classrooms. Reporting to the Principal Investigator, the Research Scientist will play a central role in designing teacher-facing professional development materials, coordinating mixed-methods research activities across multiple schools, supporting partnerships with educators, managing and analyzing qualitative data, and contributing to scholarly and practitioner-facing dissemination. The position emphasizes ethical, relationship-centered research practices and the translation of research into scalable, equity-oriented educational models.

Building Bridges Through Stories is an innovative digital storytelling initiative that centers multilingual families’ narratives as assets for literacy learning. The project supports the co-creation of bilingual stories aligned with curriculum and literacy standards and examines how family-authored texts can enhance literacy development, cross-linguistic transfer, relationships between families and schools, and students’ sense of belonging and wellbeing. The Research Scientist will contribute to research design, teacher-facing materials, and field testing that support the project’s development as a scalable, evidence-based tool for multilingual family engagement.

This is a full-time, grant-funded three-year position, contingent on funding, performance, and project needs.

Work Performed

CIDR: Research Design, Implementation, and Coordination – 30%

·       Support the design and execution of a mixed-methods study involving approximately 60 teachers and 600 students across two cohorts.

·       Collaborate with the study team to design teacher-facing critical literacy materials and professional development.

·       Coordinate school-based data collection activities, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, classroom observations, and artifact collection.

·       Monitor fidelity to research protocols across sites and support consistent implementation of study procedures.

·       Collaborate with district partners, school leaders, and teachers to support relationship-centered research practices.

CIDR: Data Management and Analysis – 25%

·       Lead or support management of quantitative and qualitative data, including secure storage, cleaning, and documentation.

·       Conduct qualitative data analysis (e.g., interviews, observations, teacher reflections) using established coding and analytic frameworks.

·       Conduct or support basic quantitative analyses of teacher and student outcomes related to literacy engagement, wellbeing, and instructional practices.

·       Integrate qualitative and quantitative findings to address core research questions.

CIDR: Dissemination and Knowledge Translation – 15%

·       Contribute to the development of peer-reviewed journal manuscripts, conference presentations, research briefs, and funder reports.

·       Support practitioner- and district-facing dissemination products that translate findings into actionable insights.

·       Participate in presentations to academic, practitioner, and policy audiences.

CIDR: Project Management and Team Collaboration – 10%

·       Assist with project timelines, documentation, IRB compliance, and reporting requirements.

·       Support coordination and mentoring of undergraduate research assistants and other research staff.

·       Participate in regular research team meetings, contributing to agendas, work plans, and task coordination.

·       Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

Building Bridges Through Stories: Research and Implementation Support – 20%

• Collaborate with the Lead Researcher to support research design, field testing, and pilot studies examining the impact of family-authored bilingual stories on literacy development, cross-linguistic transfer, teacher–student relationships, and student wellbeing.
• Contribute to the alignment of Building Bridges research and implementation with state literacy standards, curriculum goals, and the CZI Learning Commons framework.
• Support school coordination- and family-facing research activities, including recruitment, consent, and data collection materials (e.g., classroom implementation data, teacher interviews, and family feedback) across pilot sites.

Minimum Qualifications

Education/Training

·       Doctoral degree (PhD or EdD) in Teacher Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Education, or a closely related field.

Experience

·       Minimum of five (5) years of teaching experience in secondary education (middle or high school).

·       Demonstrated experience conducting mixed-methods research in educational or school-based settings.

·       Experience working with multilingual learners, ESL programs, or culturally and linguistically diverse student populations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

·       Strong qualitative research skills, including interviewing, observation, coding, and thematic analysis.

·       Some quantitative research experience, including survey design and data analysis.

·       Deep understanding of secondary education contexts, teacher practice, and adolescent development.

·       Knowledge of literacy education, social-emotional learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, and critical literacy.

·       Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

·       Strong organizational and project management skills.

·       Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including educators, district leaders, and community partners.

·       Commitment to equity-oriented, humanizing research practices.

Strongly Preferred Competencies

·       Professional or academic proficiency in at least one language in addition to English

·       Strong scholarly writing skills, demonstrated through substantial peer-reviewed publications and/or other high-quality scholarly outputs

·       Former English as a Second Language and/or English Language Arts teacher in US public schools

Additional Information

·       This position requires periodic travel to partner school districts in North Carolina.

·       Hybrid work arrangements may be available, consistent with project needs.

·       This is a three-year appointment, contingent on funding, performance, and project priorities.

The deadline for applications is March 15, 2026.