ACHIEVEMENT DISPARITIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD, PROJECT DIRECTOR

Description

The Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy at Erikson Institute is seeking to hire a project director to provide leadership to a set of initiatives aimed at enhancing the early educational experiences of African American and Latino students in Illinois. This position is well-suited to a mid-career professional with interests and experience in educating diverse learners in public school systems (with an emphasis on the early years—prekindergarten through third grade), and who understand the connections between policy, research, and practice, and how they play out in school settings.

Roles & Responsibilities:
Reporting to a Principal Investigator (PI), the Project Director is responsible for managing the day-to-day functions and logistics of outreach initiatives intended to increase awareness of achievement disparities and to influence activity aimed at improving the academic outcomes of African American and/or Latino students. This work will involve investigating critical issues related to educating ethnically and culturally diverse students, and working closely with stakeholders across Illinois to mobilize action and a commitment to ensure African American and Latino students have access to high quality early educational experiences (prekindergarten through third grade). The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the role of culture and poverty in human development as well as experience working with public school systems. This is a two-year, grant-funded position. Key responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the planning and coordination of various outreach activities intended to increase awareness and understanding of the educational experiences of young African American and/or Latino children.
• Developing working relationships and serving as a liaison with key stakeholders and advisors.
• Planning and implementing meetings and events with external constituents.
• Drafting meeting summaries and issues briefs.
• Representing the project to the public and professionals across Chicago, Illinois, and the nation.
• Supervising staff.
• Other duties as assigned by the PI.

About Erikson
Founded in 1966, Erikson Institute is one of the nation's leading graduate schools in child development and early childhood education. It is a private, independent, NCA-accredited graduate school offering master's degrees, a Ph.D., graduate certificates, and professional development courses in child development and early childhood education. Erikson provides a variety of employee benefits, including excellent health and dental plans, life/disability insurance, transit stipend, matching retirement contributions, and more. To learn more, visit our Web site at www.erikson.edu

Erikson Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, marital or parental status, sexual orientation including gender identity, gender expression, military discharge status, physical or mental disability, or any other status or characteristic protected by law. In addition, Erikson Institute provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws (including during the application or hiring process).

Mandatory Job Qualifications

Qualifications:
• Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in education, psychology, human development, public policy, sociology, or other related field required. Training and experience related to early childhood education, child development, and African American and/or Latino student achievement required.
• Knowledge of early childhood education and issues pertaining to educating racially and culturally diverse children and serving ethnically and economically diverse families required.
• Training related to education administration/policy and experience working with public school systems strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with program evaluation methodology, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and data collection strongly preferred.
• Minimum five years experience in project management preferred.
• Superb project management skills with outstanding organizational and time management abilities required.
• Excellent relationship building skills. Demonstrated ability to influence, persuade, motivate, and negotiate effectively with others.
• Experience building coalitions of stakeholders preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to produce concise summaries and briefs and to communicate to diverse audiences required.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.