CEA Program: Research Assistant

Department of Undergraduate Education (DUE) is home to Institute of Engaged Learning (IEL) which is sponsoring these types of positions across campus. This specific position is part of the Community Engagement Associates (CEA) program in which students work in a specific department on campus to support campus and community engagement initiatives. You will see more information on the specific job and department below.

The Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy through the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs seeks to understand the intersection of social policy and systemic issues, focusing on racial disparities. We also conduct program evaluations for a variety of stakeholders across Indianapolis.

The Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy (CRISP) at the IU Public Policy Institute is assessing the effectiveness of the Martindale Brightwood Education Zone (MBEZ) Full Service Community School (FSCS) Initiative. FSCS is a federal program that provides holistic academic, social, and health services for students, students' families and community members. CRISP is assisting with data collection processes across partners, conducting focus groups with staff, community members, and students, and conducting Group Model Building (GMB) with multiple stakeholders to understand issues affecting student educational outcomes. Emphasis will be placed on interconnectedness of multiple factors affecting student educational strategies aimed at improving program implementation and eliciting more favorable educational outcomes.

Specific tasks that the community engagement associate will complete: 

Duties of the position typically include the following:

The CEA will have the opportunity to attend monthly partner meetings, being exposed to a variety of organizations across Indianapolis, including Edna Martin Christian Center, KIPP Indy, local health providers, and many other social service agencies. The purpose of the meetings is to share upcoming events as well as progress on enhancing student and family outcomes. The CEA will also conduct qualitative data activities (Including facilitating focus groups and assisting with GMB activities) to learn how to contextualize community members' voices within an evaluation, and track short, medium, and long term outcomes.

Specific qualifications (knowledge, skills, class standing, etc) we desire the project coordinator to have:

Interest in educational disparities, community engaged research, and program evaluation

By the end of this position assignment, the student will meet the following learning objectives