Education Research Assistant Field Assessor

Overview

SRI Education is committed to bringing rigorous research and evaluation data to bear on important educational policy and practice decisions that ultimately benefit practitioners, students, and families. SRI Education is looking for temporary, part-time Research Assistants in Tennessee to conduct direct assessments with preschool students.

The Education Research Assistant, Field Assessor position offers a great opportunity to gain valuable child assessment skills using standardized measures. Applicants should have experience conducting research and/or working with children in early childhood settings. SRI will provide the mandatory training and certification on the literacy and vocabulary assessment measures in early December 2026. Much of the training will take place via Zoom with the possibility of in-person practice sessions during the first 1-2 weeks of January.

Research Assistants will conduct assessments in early childhood centers within Tennessee. Research Assistants will visit one classroom at a time, assessing 8-10 children during each classroom visit.  Assessments will take place during two phases in 2027. The first round of assessments (pre-test) will take place in early January through mid-February 2027 and will take 5-6 weeks. The second round of assessments (post-test) will take place in May and June 2027 and will take 5-6 weeks.

This role does not require travel to an SRI location, but it does require driving to early childhood centers within the state of Tennessee to conduct child assessments during the standard school day.  Staff will be paid for their participation in the training and for their time conducting assessments, cleaning assessment data, and entering data into a web-based database. All travel costs will be reimbursed. This is a temporary position starting in December 2026 and ending in June 2027. It is anticipated you will work at least 15-20 hours a week during the assessment timeframes.

Responsibilities

• Attend up to two virtual training days in December 2026 to prepare for data collection responsibilities.
• Travel to school sites to conduct direct child assessments for pre-test data collection (January – February 2027) and post-test data collection (May – June 2027).
• Communicate with SRI project manager and teachers to schedule data collection activities.
• Enter data accurately and efficiently into a web-based database.

Qualifications

• Strong organizational and interpersonal communication skills.
• Prior experience working with children (e.g., as a teacher or assistant teacher in an elementary school, conducting assessments with children, working in after-school programs, or as youth camp counselor).
• Access to a car and possession of a valid driver’s license and insurance. Data collectors are expected to drive to participating schools within Tennessee.
• Access to a personal computer and reliable internet.
• Able to participate in and complete all required security clearance measures and training.
• Available for onsite work in Tennessee Monday through Friday, 8am-1pm, at least three (3) days a week for pre-test data collection (January – February 2027) and post-test data collection (May – June 2027).

Desired skills:

• Some undergraduate coursework in psychology, education, social work, or early childhood.
• Experience with research (conducting observations, assessments).
• Spanish language proficiency

The salary range is: $30.00/hr. Salary ranges will vary and are based on several factors, including geographic location, market competitiveness and equity amongst internal employees in similar roles. Positions may also qualify for SRI's Pay for Outstanding Performance program or the annual Performance Based Compensation program. SRI also has a competitive benefits package, to view details please go to https://www.sri.com/resources/benefits/. SRI will accept applications until the position is filled.

SRI is an independent nonprofit research institute headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., with a rich history of supporting government and industry. We create and deliver world-changing solutions for a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future. For almost 80 years, we have collaborated across technical and scientific disciplines to discover and develop groundbreaking products and technologies and bring innovations and ideas to the marketplace.