SCHOOL DATA INTERNSHIP

POSITION DESCRIPTION

FOCUS, a non-profit charter school support organization, is creating a paid school data intern program to recruit, train, and place students in multiple DC public charter schools for a full school year. Interns will be expected to work approximately 10 hours per week during the school year and will be held to very high standards of professionalism and responsibility.  Students who apply should be confident that they can commit to approximately 10 hours per week for the full school year.  

Each public charter school will face a unique set of challenges, meaning each data internship will also be unique.  FOCUS will be responsible for developing an approximate scope of work with each partner school, but interns should be prepared to be flexible on-site to help out as needed.  Examples of projects include:

·         Training teachers and staff in MS Excel, computer skills, and other software

·         Merging and manipulating disparate data sources and data entry

·         Running reports and performing basic data analysis

FOCUS will conduct a training program for interns in the summer/fall before interns enter schools, and on-going training as needed throughout the school year.  Training will include:

·         Assessment basics – formative vs. summative, standards based, scaled scores etc.;

·         Refreshers on technical skills (MS Excel, SQL, etc.) and school specific software;

·         Communications skills

·         General information about the public charter sector in DC.

QUALIFICATIONS

Students from all majors and class years are eligible to apply.  There will be several different types of projects that interns can take on.  The skill sets that will allow interns to succeed in each of them are different.  We have outlined the three different project types to demonstrate the types of qualifications we are looking for. 

1. Excel and Computer Training

·         The teachers and staff who will require the most training will likely be the least comfortable using technology.  Therefore interns should feel extremely comfortable explaining basic computer and Excel skills (e.g. turning a computer on, opening programs, clicking in Excel cells, using formulas for sums and averages).

·         There will also likely be staff who have basic computer and Excel skills but are seeking additional training in data analysis (e.g. sorting and filtering, pivot tables, conditional formatting). Therefore interns should feel extremely comfortable explaining more advanced computer and Excel skills.

2. Merging and Manipulating Disparate Data Sources and Data Entry

·         Charter schools often have data stored in multiple files and formats (MS Excel, Access, Student Information Systems, and even paper files).  Typically school staff would like to analyze this data from a unified source, such as a database or Excel spreadsheet.  Interns assigned to this type of project should be comfortable importing and exporting data from different types of databases, merging data using Excel and/or statistical analysis software (SPSS, SAS, etc.), creating organized systems for entering data from paper files. This is primarily a technical position.

3. Running Reports and Basic Data Analysis

·         Since school staff often lack sufficient time and resources to analyze all of their data, interns will help address this need.  Interns assigned to this type of project should be able to formulate clear research questions and analysis plans in collaboration with their school supervisor, have strong analytical skills (ability to interpret meaning from data analysis), and communicate findings visually (e.g., using charts, tables, graphs). 

TRAVEL:

Students will be expected to travel to their public charter school site several times per week.  Students’ ability to get to the site will be considered in the matching process.

COMPENSATION:

$10-15 per hour

APPROXIMATE TIMELINE:

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.  The matching process will begin in July and likely continue through August.  There will be an initial training in August or September, and the internship will run from September 2013 to May 2014.

TO APPLY:

Please visit the FOCUS web page at http://focusdc.org/data-internship to download and fill out our online application.  The application asks you to write several prompted paragraphs, self-evaluate key technical skills, and provide contact information for two references.  Once you have completed the application, please attach it along with a current resume in an email to dataintern@focusdc.org.

Internship Opportunities

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), located in Washington, D.C., conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women, promote public dialogue, and strengthen families, communities and societies.

IWPR is committed to the professional development of students and graduates interested in economic justice for women. IWPR's internship program is designed to provide participants with challenging professional experience under the guidance and supervision of staff with extensive knowledge of women's policy issues, social science research, and non-profit management.

Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 Internships
The Institute will offer internships in four areas for the Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 semesters:

Research Internship: Interns will provide administrative and research support to researchers. Duties include: assisting with literature reviews and data collection; designing charts, graphs and tables; answering phones; and filing.

Qualifications: Strong organizational skills, good interpersonal skills, interest in policy research and women’s issues; and experience with statistics, economics or social sciences through coursework. Familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel required; knowledge of STATA, SPSS, or graphics software is a plus. Qualitative research skills also a plus.

Research areas for Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 include:

• The quality of women’s jobs, including wages, access to health insurance, paid sick leave, and workplace flexibility.

• The work and welfare experiences of low-income women at the state and national levels

• Increasing access to higher education and non-traditional jobs for low-income women.

• Expanding access to income supports for women such as Unemployment Insurance and Family Leave.

• Strategies for improving child care access, affordability, and quality.

• Older women's economic issues, including social security and pensions.

• The economic status of women and girls, women of color, and immigrant women across the United States.

Communications and Outreach Internship: Intern will provide administrative and editorial support to the communications team. Duties include: assisting with proofreading; distributing e-newsletters and new releases; updating IWPR blogs and social media; building media lists and managing databases; tracking news clips; assisting with layout and design of IWPR products; answering phones; and filing.

Qualifications: Creative, innovative, and detail-oriented individual with good writing and computer skills; knowledge and experience with Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; knowledge of Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Quark Xpress, or other desktop publishing software; layout and web design experience with content management systems (CMS) a plus.

Development Internship: Intern will help the development team with direct mail, grant-management, funder research, and other elements of nonprofit fundraising. IWPR receives support from foundations and government agencies, as well as individual and organizational supporters.

Qualifications: Should have an interest in fundraising and nonprofit management; familiarity with Microsoft Excel and prior experience with fundraising at any level is desirable, but not required; basic computer skills required and prior experience with Salesforce.com or other donor databases is a plus.

Accounting Internship: Interns will provide support to the Director of Finance and Administration. Duties include: payroll and credit card expense allocations and related data entry; accounts payable tasks; bank reconciliations; creating and maintaining spreadsheets including funder financial reports; compiling Form 990 and annual audit records; preparing budget to actual reports for Board committee meetings and organizing financial  records.  Fall intern will assist with 2014 budget proposal.

Qualifications: Attention to detail, strong organizational skills; experience with or interest in accrual based nonprofit accounting. Familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel required; knowledge of Quickbooks or other accounting software is a plus.

All IWPR interns must have good computer skills, excellent writing and communication skills, and an interest in women's issues. Prior office experience is desirable. IWPR is committed to diversity and encourages people of all ethnic, cultural, economic, and sexual orientations to apply.

The Fall Internships go from August 26 to December 13, and the Spring Internships go from January 6 to May 16.  Starting and ending dates are flexible.  These are unpaid, part-time positions.  The internships require a minimum commitment of 10 hours p/week.

How to Apply:
Individuals interested in applying should submit a cover letter specifying the internship for which they are applying, a resume, and a writing sample of 3-5 pages to the Internship Coordinator at cwilliams@iwpr.org.

Applications for Fall Internships are accepted on a rolling basis until August 16. Applications for Spring Internships are accepted on a rolling basis until December 10.

Please direct any questions to the Internship Coordinator at cwilliams@iwpr.org.