Research Specialist

Research Specialist South Bend Community School Corp Research & Evaluation - South Bend, Indiana

Job Details

Job : 5689744

Final date to receive applications: Aug 01, 2026 11:59 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

Posted: May 04, 2026 4:00 AM (UTC)

Starting Date: Immediately

Position Title:

Research Specialist

Salary Range:
Regionally Competitive

Contract Length:
Full-time, Exempt 12 month

Immediate Supervisor:
Executive Director of Data, Technology & System Improvement

POSITION SUMMARY
The Research Specialist plays a pivotal role in transforming district data into actionable knowledge. This position is responsible for conducting high-level research and data analysis to assess district and school performance on key indicators and evaluate effectiveness of district’s improvement initiatives and strategies. The Specialist acts as a bridge between data and practice – managing external research partnerships, ensuring that all data-sharing activities are conducted under the highest standards of legal and ethical compliance, and providing assistance to staff on data analysis and interpretation to help move the district into a data driven decision-making institution.

The Research Specialist will perform the following core functions and other duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor.

• Research, Evaluation & Monitoring
• Conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analysis on administrative and outcome data to generate insights for instructional and operational decisions
• Track and evaluate the ROI of district-wide programs and initiatives and impact on student learning.
• Develop and maintain enrollment projection models to assist district leadership in annual staffing allocations as well as long-term strategic facility planning and enrollment policy.
• Monitor, investigate, and report the district’s disproportionality data to help close the academic achievement and equity gaps.
• Reporting & Strategic Communication
• Author research reports and white papers that distill complex findings into actionable insights for internal and external stakeholders and audiences.
• Create compelling visualizations and present findings to non-technical audiences.
• Survey Design & Administration
• Lead the development, administration, analysis, and reporting of district-wide surveys.
• Support central office departments and schools with survey design, administration, data analysis and interpretation.
• Research Management & Data Stewardship
• Act as the primary custodian of student and staff data, ensuring strict adherence to FERPA, HIPAA, and Indiana-specific data privacy laws
• Manage internal and external research requests and related data sharing agreements

• Master’s degree in Educational Research, Statistics, Psychology, Sociology, or a related field (Ph.D. preferred).
• Deep theoretical and practical knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, including survey design, sampling techniques, hypothesis testing, and internal/external validity threats.
• Solid training in advanced statistical analysis (e.g., GLM, HLM, propensity score matching, and factor analysis).
• Demonstrated mastery of FERPA and HIPAA regulations with a proven track record of maintaining data privacy and institutional compliance in the K-12 setting.
• Advanced proficiency in R (preferred) or other statistical software to perform data wrangling and statistical analysis.
• Working knowledge of using SQL to extract data from Power School or other relational databases.

• A commitment to providing high-quality support to all internal and external data stakeholders
• Meticulous attention to detail in ensuring accuracy and integrity in analysis and reporting
• Resilience and adaptability in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

Working Conditions:

• Indoor office environment
• The person in this position needs to be able to move about inside school buildings to visit classrooms and attend meetings outside of his or her office
• The person in this position must be able to transport himself or herself to all school locations within the district.
• The person in this position must be able to…