Education Development Center is hiring for a Senior Research Associate.
This is a great opportunity for research and evaluation folks with experience working on racial equity issues, as well as a deep understanding of the needs of local neighborhoods, communities, non-profits and community-based organizations in Chicago.

This position could also be a great opportunity for an ABD student or PhD graduate with experience in evaluation, philanthropy, and/or working with community organizations in Chicago.

 

Senior Research Associate in Chicago, IL, USA.

https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/EducationDevelopmentCenter/743999723218616-senior-research-associate?trid=463ac537-35c8-4256-8fe4-47ea285de0a6

 

Please note that we are looking for candidates who share EDC’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and who understand the importance of cultural responsiveness in today’s context. Candidates with lived experience of marginalized populations are encouraged to apply.

The Chicagoland Evaluation Association (CEA) is seeking nominations for the positions of Vice President and Secretary. This is a great opportunity to get more involved in CEA. Both positions will serve a 2-year term from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022. 

Use the form below to nominate yourself or another CEA member by Friday, November 13, 2020. Nominees will be contacted by the Nominating Committee to discuss the role and confirm their candidacy. Voting will take place online in mid-December.

https://forms.gle/vG3jBkpwHvQDNbTLA

About the positions:

• The Vice President performs the duties of the President in the absence of, or at the request of the President. In the absence of the Treasurer and the President, the Vice-President is authorized to sign checks for disbursements as authorized by the Board. The Vice-President is a member ex-officio of the Program Committee and may be appointed to chair that Committee by the President. This is a new position that was added to the CEA board per the new CEA bylaws that were approved by the membership in December 2019.

• The Secretary performs, or causes to be performed, the following tasks: maintains a master calendar for the organization, maintains the membership list, takes minutes at Board meetings, takes minutes at the Annual Business Meeting and makes them available to members, authenticates corporate records and maintains official corporate documents except those held by the Treasurer, verifies the security of ballots and of any Web site used for voting, and handles official correspondence for CEA.

Please feel free to contact any member of the Nominating Committee if you have questions or would like additional information: Ada Gomero (acgomero@gmail.com), Camille Lemieux (clemieux@edc.org) orRebecca Teasdale (rteasd2@uic.edu).

Ripple Effect Mapping (REM) is an evaluation method designed to assess the intended and unintended impacts of community-engaged programs and initiatives. In other words, it allows us to better understand the effect we have in a community beyond surveys and quantitative data. REM combines the use of appreciative inquiry and mind mapping to identify how a program impacted or influenced the community it serves.

We will use an interactive format to immerse participants in a virtual REM session. Because of the high level of engagement required, we request that all participants agree to turn on both their video and audio during the participatory parts of the virtual session.

Sarah Goletz, MPH is the Associate Director of Evaluation at the Indiana Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network office at the Indiana University School of Medicine.  Her background includes working with underserved communities and refugee populations to improve health outcomes. She has prior research experience in xeno-transplantation and the educational attainment of rural and disadvantaged populations.

Jennifer Taylor, DHEd, MPH is the Executive Director of the Indiana AHEC Network and an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Her background includes over a decade of experience working on a variety of health-related topics including health workforce development, program evaluation, workplace wellness, interprofessional education, behavioral health, and primary prevention.

Networking Opportunity

After the REM session, you are invited to stay on the Zoom call to network with other participants and IEA members. We will utilize breakout rooms to keep the groups smaller and conversations flowing.

Registration and more information about the training can be found here: https://indianaevaluation.org/Events

Chicagoland Evaluation Association members, the associate board of the CEA, are looking for opportunities to support our member network. If you have any opportunities (webinars, job postings, etc.) for individuals or a group (we have 99 members),  you can get in touch with me at connect@evalchicago.org and we can talk more. 

Atlanta-area Evaluation Association is hosting an event in October on Anti-Racism in Evaluation, open to all AEA affiliates. Description: "Over the past few months, the evaluation community has been discussing its role as evaluators in the recent call for social justice and work in anti-racism. The purpose of this facilitated discussion is to gather together a group of esteemed evaluators who work in a variety of sectors, evaluation practices, and settings to discuss how their work contributes to anti-racism. Evaluators will have an opportunity to discuss and share the practices they use in their work and areas where there is a need for engagement and improvement in the field of evaluation. This session is open to all AaEA members, affiliates, and the general public. Registration closes October 19th at 5:00pm EST.

Registration and more information about the panel can be found here: 

https://atl-eval.wildapricot.org/event-3976943

We are looking for members to be part of a Career Pathways in Evaluation Virtual Panel this November. We'd like a range of panelists–from entry-level to senior evaluators; consultants, internal and external evaluators; and a range of content expertise and backgrounds. New and long-term members are welcome!

Please complete this form by Friday, September 25 if you're interested in being a panelist: https://forms.gle/BUaSHDjm54UWF97J8

– The Professional Development and Events Team

• Chicago, IL, USA; Employees can work remotely
• Full-time

Apply here: https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/EducationDevelopmentCenter/743999719739854-research-associate-ii?trid=837433bf-3e56-43f4-9d11-9eac9c851dfe 

Company Description

EDC is one of the world’s leading nonprofit research and development firms.  EDC designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity worldwide. Collaborating with both public and private partners, we strive for a world where all people are empowered to live healthy, productive lives.

EDC has a commitment to promoting equity and access to high quality education and health services that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. EDC expresses its commitment to increasing equity through its strategies, services and products, which contribute to building capacity and transforming lives.

Job Description

The School Improvement Portfolio in the US Division has an opening for an Research Associate (II), reporting to a Research Scientist in Waltham, MA, Chicago, IL, or as a telecommuter.

We provide expertise in formal and informal education through designing and conducting research, evaluation, research syntheses, and secondary data analysis. We also provide technical support related to data and evidence use, and apply evidence to inform policies on a wide range of issues including school-based, community-based, and out-of-school time educational programs. We are devoted to supporting learners from communities and contexts with persistent, systemic opportunity gaps.  We are looking for candidates who share EDC’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and who understand the importance of cultural responsiveness in today’s educational context.  Candidates with lived experience of marginalized populations are encouraged to apply.

We are currently seeking a full or part-time researcher with expertise in one or more of the following content areas: multilingual learner policies, K-12 online or blended learning, and/or implementation research. Ideally the researcher has experience conducting quantitative research as well as experience working with school, district and state stakeholders. We encourage applicants who have experience with cost-analysis to apply. The researcher will join existing research studies and technical assistance projects, and will be expected to contribute both substantive and methodological expertise.

The Research Associate (II) independently provides support to complex or multiple qualitative &/or quantitative and/or qualitative investigation efforts, including:

• research & analysis, with increasing methodology expertise and independent judgment
• communicating with school staff or staff at local or state education agencies about data and research
• supporting stakeholders with evidence-based decision-making.
• drafting proposals; coordinating proposal development or execution
• assisting Principal Investigator with key deliverables
• maintaining records
• drafting, revising project plans
• writing, editing materials
• disseminating research finding in a user-friendly format

The Research Associate (II)

• Coordinates administrative and logistical tasks
• Coordinates quality assurance
• Facilitates project teamwork and feedback exchanges
• Troubleshoots complex problems, proposing initiatives and recommending or negotiating solutions
• Trains, supervises, and provides guidance or administrative direction to junior staff; often coordinates work of less experienced staff
• May be responsible for parts of diverse, small to mid-size  projects or coordinate sections of larger projects
• May travel when travel resumes

Qualifications

This position requires educational achievement; excellent writing skills; methodological expertise, demonstrable initiative, creativity, and flexibility; ability to work independently and effectively in groups; and strong interpersonal & organizational skills. Specific requirements:

• PhD in a related field
• With PhD, 0–3 years related experience (as above)
• Prior project leadership or supervisory experience preferred
• Experience with quantitative analysis
• Experience using statistical analysis software, such as R, Python, or Stata

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Apply here: https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/EducationDevelopmentCenter/743999719739854-research-associate-ii?trid=837433bf-3e56-43f4-9d11-9eac9c851dfe 

Evaluation Coordinator, Metro Chicago’s Good Food Purchasing Initiative Chicago Food Policy Action Council

Scope of Work

About the Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) of Metro Chicago

Coordinated by the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC), Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), and Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH), the Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) of Metro Chicago aims to ensure that institutional food purchasing advances an equitable, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable food system and creates good food access for all.

GFPI is based upon on the implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), which is a metric-based framework that supports institutional food buyers to direct their buying power, make informed decisions, and measure impact towards five core value categories: local economies, environmental sustainability, valued workforce, animal welfare and nutrition. GFPI posits that effective implementation must be intentional in ensuring equity for the producers and supply chain actors that are positioned to meet the GFPP’s growing demand for local, sustainable, and fair food in public institutions. Without targeted resources and investment, outreach, and technical assistance to small producers and food businesses in low-to-moderate income communities and communities of color, it is likely that inequitable power dynamics present in the industrial food system, with concentrated control and wealth in the hands of a small number of firms, would replicate itself within the GFPP supply chain. Food justice and food sovereignty inform central tenets of the GFPI: to improve equity, affordability, accessibility, and consumption of high quality, culturally relevant good food for all communities with the Chicago regional food system.

GFPI’s Key Objectives:

1. Ensure procuring City of Chicago and Cook County departments, agencies, and institutions fully implement the Good Food Purchasing Program.

2. Foster a racially and socially equitable food system that will supply City of Chicago and Cook County departments, agencies, and institutions with healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable food.

3. Advance a values-based procurement culture that supports the demand and availability of good food.

About the Position

The GFPI Evaluation Coordinator will oversee the implementation of a robust evaluation plan to study the impacts of GFPI on achieving a more healthy, humane, fair, local, and sustainable food system while ensuring that good food is accessible for all.

Activities

• Convert the GFPI Evaluation Framework into a timebound evaluation plan

• Coordinate monthly GFPI Evaluation Team meetings and participate in Midwest Consortium on Equity & Research in Food (MCERF)

• Identify which evaluation partners in GFPI’s Evaluation Team will take on which pieces of GFPI evaluation work, and establish timelines for execution.

• Ensure evaluation of planned GFPI activities in 2020/2021, including but not limited to:

  • Evaluating reach & response of new GFPP Producer Manual (Fall 2020)

  • Evaluating knowledge gained and impacts of three GFPP producer trainings (Fall/Winter 2020)

  • Evaluating relationships built, new supply chain connections, and knowledge gained from two Buyer/Supplier Mixers (Winter 2020-1)

  • Evaluating attendance and receptiveness of GFPI Institutional Summit (Spring 2021)

  • Support GFPI Project Manager and GFPI Project Associate in systematizing data collection for both process and outcome evaluation questions; help ensure GFPI

  • Coordination Team has streamlined and effective technology solutions for workflow.

  • Explore opportunities to publish evaluation research in both peer-reviewed journals and popular media outlets

Required Skills and Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in evaluation roles on similar complex projects that involve more than one organization or research entity

• Familiarity with both quantitative and qualitative research methods

• Familiarity with developmental evaluation approach

• Familiarity with participatory evaluation processes

• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated organizational project management skills

• Ability to delegate out and supervise pieces of evaluation work to multiple evaluators in a collaborative approach

• Familiarity with the food systems field and emerging research on institutional good food procurement, values-based procurement, equitable food-oriented development (EFOD), regional food systems development, and “farm-to-institution” or “farm-to-school” a plus

Time Commitment & Compensation Rate: 20 hours/week; $30-40 hourly rate commensurate with experience; 12 months: July 2020 - July 2021

TO APPLY: For individual consultants:please send a cover letter and resume; For evaluation consulting organizations or academic research centers:please send a 1-page proposal with anticipated budgetary needs and the resumes of associated key staff. For all applicants:send materials with subject line “GFPI Evaluator Application”to rcooley@chicagofoodpolicy.com by June 28th, 2020.

Right now, and in the very near future, program evaluators and evaluation researchers will be asked to explore many questions related to the current coronavirus pandemic. RFPs are already being prepared to study the effects of COVID-19 on specific populations and issue areas. We will be responsible for setting the evaluation agenda for years to come. If we harness the full potential of our influence and power, we can help secure a fundamentally different society, one that is firmly rooted in social justice and celebrates the full scope of our humanity and the sacredness of this planet.

While COVID-19 exacerbates the cruelties of our economic and political systems on a global scale, it also makes the environment ripe to continuously critique capitalist values and frameworks in both the programs we aim to understand and our evaluation practice. We ask: How can we work toward the liberation of ourselves and others if we are capitalist evaluators (un)intentionally serving a profit-over-people agenda? What would it look like to investigate unregulated capitalism in your next evaluation or explore data metrics related to the impact of privatization on the people you serve? What would it look like to build a responsive evaluation?
In solidarity, we hope to:

1. Explore, unpack, and name the values you hold and bring with you to the evaluation project with regard to the size and scope of a democratic government, public goods, and unregulated capitalism. Part of this process is to explicate the logic of capitalism and how this logic has become conventional wisdom embedded in our social policy and programs. This section will break down key terms.

1. To detect the free market ideology, the elite, and corporate-run government “dog whistles” and mechanisms underpinning program development, financing, implementation, and evaluation. In addition to the current crisis, we will review examples from neighborhood reinvestment efforts, public-private partnerships, and collective impact.

1. To discern tangible ways to build an evaluation design that is responsive to a pro-public, pro-democracy values system, and resists racialized and gendered capitalist encroachment on evaluation methodologies. Many thought leaders of color have interrogated American capitalism and our evaluations can benefit from their work. Our evaluation colleagues at AfREA, through the Made in Africa (MAE), initiative have already linked global capitalism and imperialism with monitoring and evaluation methodologies, as did proponents of decolonizing research methodologies under the tutelage of Linda Tuhiwai Smith. We extend that discourse with this skills-based session.

1. To practice warriorship we are drafting a Hard Questions handout to work through a hypothetical evaluation RFP using this macro lens. We are working on the format for this aspect of the webinar as we figure out logistics and the possible use of virtual breakout rooms.

• Since 2011, ¡Milwaukee Evaluation! Inc. has provided emancipatory field development, networking, and capacity building for evaluators serving Wisconsin and works toward a diverse, representative, and responsive evaluation workforce. It values social justice and centers people of color and underrepresented groups in its strategy. It works closely with an ever-expanding network of evaluators in the state and midwest region. We began preparing this webinar pre-pandemic as a continuation of the work started with members of the Young African Leaders Initiative in the summers of 2018 and 2019 on capitalism and evaluation. 

• In the Public Interest is a nonprofit research and policy center committed to the democratic control of public goods and services. We help citizens, public officials, advocacy groups, and researchers better understand the impacts of government contracts and public-private agreements on service quality, democratic decision-making, and public budgets.

This webinar is a centering space to help get you started on your next evaluation design using this macro lens, whether your next evaluation is an after-school arts program, neighborhood reinvestment, or an assessment of pharmaceutical bundling of COVID-19 medications. Evaluators amplify voices and set knowledge agendas. We cannot be silent or neutral on the adverse consequences of unregulated capitalism. Capitalism is no longer too big, abstract, or immaterial. Disaster capitalism is already here and evaluators must respond to this.

This original content and material for this webinar was spearheaded by ¡Milwaukee Evaluation! Inc. with the help of In the Public’s Interest, which has written extensively about conservative attacks on government and the impact of privatization on universal access to public goods.

We don’t know what May 2020 holds so we plan to record the session and offer the recording to all registrants at some point after the webinar.

This session is for evaluators, evaluation researchers, funders, government staff, and most importantly, the evaluand – the everyday warrior. To help diffuse this information throughout your organization we encourage entire teams to participate. 

If you have already directly confronted capitalism in your evaluation and would like to share a past evaluation product and your brilliant mind with the field, please contact us at milwaukeeevaluation@gmail.com.

The full announcement and background details can be found here.