Founded in 1856, University of Maryland, College Park is the state’s flagship institution. Our 1,250-acre College Park campus is just minutes away from Washington, D.C., and the nexus of the nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial centers of power. This unique proximity to business and technology leaders, federal departments and agencies, and a myriad of research entities, embassies, think tanks, cultural centers, and non-profit organizations is simply unparalleled. Synergistic opportunities for our faculty and students abound and are virtually limitless in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. The University is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse faculty and staff that will enhance our stature of preeminence in our three missions of teaching, scholarship, and full engagement in our community, the state of Maryland, and in the world.

The College of Education at the University of Maryland (UMD) at College Park is seeking to hire a postdoctoral associate to work on two distinct but related federally funded projects focused on refining, implementing, and evaluating an adolescent literacy coaching model, AIM Coaching. Adaptive Intervention Model (AIM) Coaching is a coaching model for instructional leaders to use to provide differentiated ongoing professional development (PD) to middle school teachers as they implement evidence-based literacy practices (i.e., an adapted version of Promoting Adolescents’ Comprehension of Text; PACT; https://www.meadowscenter.org/projects/detail/promoting-adolescents-comprehension-of-text-pact). Work on AIM Coaching is supported by $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and $1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Along with collaborators at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin and local middle schools at the UMD and UT Austin site, the researchers plan to further the knowledge base on AIM Coaching.

The postdoctoral associate will be expected to take a leading role in assuring that all project activities are successful. This includes contributing to the refinement, implementation, and evaluation of AIM Coaching on both projects by managing internal UMD research team activities and collaborating closely with UT Austin research partners. It also includes recruiting local middle school partners and then working closely with them to accomplish several project activities such as providing professional development and coaching on AIM Coaching, data collection, data analysis, and securing and managing all research approvals. The postdoctoral associate will also be expected to engage in dissemination activities such as publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals and other outlets as well as communicating findings at conferences. This researcher will have access to and be expected to collaborate with other UMD faculty, post-docs, and students in the College of Education, and the UMD Language and Literacy Research Center.

Key Responsibilities:
Direct interaction with school partners including:
o Recruiting school districts, individual schools, administrators, literacy coaches, and teachers for participation in AIM Coaching
o Providing support to administrators, literacy coaches, and teachers implementing AIM Coaching and PACT. Note: Some of the AIM Coaching PD will be online so there will be some need to support the implementation of training in the form of online modules

Collection, management, and analysis of data including:
o Observing classroom teachers and literacy coaches
o Leading interviews and focus groups
o Organizing and administering assessments
o Managing online databases containing data collected during the project.
o Overseeing data management and assure the confidentiality of data.
o Assisting with data analysis

Team management including:
o Working with the Principal Investigator to build and maintain an effective, collaborative team.
o Communicating frequently with team members, both locally and cross-site (University of Texas at Austin).
o Contributing to team meetings.
o Preparing materials for team meetings and teacher professional development.
o Organizing project materials and project space.
o Scheduling professional development and assessment activities with school personnel.
o Creating and updating research approval forms.
o Mentoring and supervising research assistants
o Bringing own expertise to research discussions to study proposal development, design, and implementation
o Working with our research team to prepare presentations and manuscripts for peer reviewed journals

o Recently completed PhD in education, psychology, or a related field
o Strong interest in school-based research and the study of adolescent literacy and professional development/coaching
o Highly effective oral and written communication skills
o Excellent quantitative and/or mixed-methods research skills
o Excellent project management skills

Appointment Terms:
This is a 12-month, full-time position for up to 2 years. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

To Apply:
Applicants should upload the following materials electronically via the University of Maryland Jobs Portal (https://ejobs.umd.edu/):
1. Cover letter summarizing qualifications noted above
2. Current curriculum vitae
3. Names and contact information (phone number and email address) of three individuals who may be contacted as professional references
4. Two writing samples (published peer-reviewed journal articles are preferred, but can also be in-progress works)

For best consideration, please submit all application materials by February 15, 2021. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For position inquiries, please contact Dr. Jade Wexler at jawexler@umd.edu.

The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.