Education Equity Senior Research (Temporary)

The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the country’s first and foremost civil and human rights law organization. Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who subsequently became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, LDF was launched at a time when the nation’s aspirations for equality and due process of law were stifled by widespread state-sponsored racial inequality. From that era to the present, LDF’s mission has been transformative — to achieve racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society.

LDF’s litigation, public policy advocacy and public education programs in the substantive areas of criminal justice, economic justice, education, and political participation seek to ensure the fundamental and basic human rights of all people to quality education, economic opportunity, the right to vote and fully participate in democracy, and the right to a fair and just judicial system. LDF continues to make an impact in the area of public service and was recognized by Fast Company as one of its 2023 Brands That Matter under its public service category.

The Thurgood Marshall Institute

Since its founding under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall in 1940, LDF has been committed to transforming this nation’s promise of equality into reality for all Americans.

In 2015, LDF celebrated its 75th anniversary with the launch of the Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI). The Institute is a collaborative hub within LDF that combines a multidisciplinary approach to advocacy with LDF’s traditional litigation strengths to advance a modern vision of racial justice. The Institute’s goals are to enhance LDF’s use and mobilization of research and public education to increase its capacity to fight for racial equity, justice, and a more inclusive democracy through targeted advocacy and high impact communications campaigns.

Through TMI, LDF generates and integrates innovative research, advocacy, archival materials, and strategic communications aimed at educating the public and key decision makers. This added capacity leverages LDF’s litigation expertise, advocacy experience and unique leadership role on matters of race, law, and policy to shape the narrative on racial justice and equity. Through targeted campaigns that attack entrenched problems of racial bias, LDF’s TMI will advance holistic strategies to achieve obtainable and lasting solutions on issues of criminal justice, political participation, education and economic opportunity. In addition, the Institute serves as an active convener of thought-leaders from various disciplines to engage on cutting edge issues of racial justice in both public and private fora.

TMI is seeking an Education Equity Senior Researcher that will provide research for current and emerging education topics related to our Pro-Truth and Equal Protection Initiative. This is a full-time temporary position. The assignment is anticipated to end on June 30, 2025. The hourly rate offered for the role is $68. The Education Equity Senior Researcher may work remotely or on a hybrid basis at any of our LDF offices: New York City, NY; Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA.

Responsibilities:

• Work with other team members from TMI, litigation, policy, communications, and organizing departments to inform strategies to advance racial justice. Serve as a member of relevant internal teams working on educational equity and economic justice;
• Conduct background and investigative research on indicia of impact of policies attempts to remove discussions of race, gender, and sexual identity from K-12 public school curriculum and anti-DEI legislation and the implications of these practices for racial equity in education;
• Create TMI research publications, including a complete report on research findings and public facing presentation on findings, as well as podcast, and op-ed/blogs that translate insights and learnings from research education equity research into external-facing products for key stakeholders;
• Prepare for, and participate in, internal and external calls, meetings, conferences, and other convenings;
• Assist in summarizing research reporting purposes, website, and external use;
• Organize materials for speaking engagements, seminars, symposia, and conferences, and assist in preparation of institutional statements, remarks or speeches; and
• Other duties as assigned within the general scope of the position.

Qualifications:

• Commitment to racial justice and the mission of LDF;
• Doctoral degree in relevant fields such as education, social sciences, critical ethnic studies, etc.;
• Experience producing scholarly publications;
• Experience designing and conducting qualitative and quantitative research;
• Strong project management skills; and
• Knowledge or strong interest in civil rights and racial justice preferred.

This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts or requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. This description does not constitute a contract of employment and LDF may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

The hourly rate for this position is $68 per hour.

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The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, age, veteran status, medical condition or disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law.

Scholars interested in being considered for the TMI Education Equity Senior Researcher are expected to submit a 2–3-page cover letter discussing their interest and experience with empirical analyses of educational equity. The analyses can include conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research on any topic related to education equity in K-12 and/or higher education. Please submit an up-to-date abbreviated CV (5 pages maximum) with relevant publications to accompany the cover letter.

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