The University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development's S upporting T eachers through C o aching, Obse r vations, and M ultimedia to E ducate students with D isabilities Lab (STORMED) is seeking highly qualified applicants for a one-year Postdoctoral Research Associate position, with the possibility of extension to two years based on an annual basis dependent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funding. Dr. Michael Kennedy is the head of the STORMED Lab and will supervise the successful candidate. The candidate may support implementation of the federally funded projects described below:

Project S4 (Supporting Student Science Success Through Multimedia Learning and Teacher Professional Development) is intended to improve academic achievement for middle school students with disabilities and English learners, thus helping them prepare for rigorous high school coursework and beyond. S4 is a federal funded project through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Students participating in S4 access evidence-based instructional technology through a series of multimedia modules intended to boost understanding of core concepts in science courses. Teachers receive ongoing coaching and PD via the COACHED app to improve their delivery of evidence-based vocabulary instructional practices.

Project FRaME (Using Feedback, Reflection, and Multimedia to Teach Evidence-Based Practices in Classroom Management, funded by the National Center on Special Education Research within the Institute for Education Science, is a collaboration between the STORMED Lab at UVA Clemson University, and George Mason University. The primary goal is to develop a multimedia, multicomponent instructional approach (FRaME) for use in teacher preparation coursework and field placements with a specific focus on classroom management practices at the tier one level. Over the duration of this project we will work with approximately 30 teacher preparation institutions around the country to develop and test FRaME and its capacity to support teacher candidates' knowledge and implementation of targeted classroom management practices.

Project VERIFY ( V alue Added Through E -Coaching, R eflection, I nstructional Technology, F eedback, and Y ou) is intended to support school leaders (e.g., principals, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders) in providing coaching and data-based feedback to teachers of students with disabilities. Over the course of Project VERIFY we are working with elementary school leaders to use the COACHED app to support educator implementation of academic vocabulary instruction to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. VERIFY is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs within the Department of Education (OSEP).

COACHED Capturing Observations and Collaboratively sHaring Educational Data is a multimedia web-based app featuring professional development tools to support educator implementation of evidence-based practices. Designed by Michael Kennedy and colleagues at U.Va., COACHED has four key features: 1) Classroom Teaching Scan observational tool; 2) automated yet customizable coaching feedback form; 3) multimedia PD videos, 4) self-reflection templates. The STORMED team continues to collect feedback and implementation data to improve and update the COACHED app.

Candidates can read more about each project here: https://education.virginia.edu/faculty-research/centers-labs-projects/research-labs/stormed-lab

Responsibilities

• Support the implementation of current projects, which may include research activities related to creating teacher and student professional development and learning materials, developing and refining survey measures, communicating with local district and school partners, supporting data collection including classroom observational and online survey data.
• Generate research questions for analysis utilizing quantitative and qualitative data collected from early years of the above projects and COACHED app.
• Lead and co-author papers for submission to peer-reviewed journals.
• Communicate research findings at key conferences (e.g., Council for Exceptional Children, Teacher Education Division, Pacific Coast Research Conference).
• Contribute to submission of federal and private grant proposals including to funders (e.g., current and prior funders include Institute of Education Sciences, Office of Special Education Programs).
• Support the team with data cleaning and project management tasks as needed.
• Help with activities (e.g. annual reports) to ensure funding agency and other key stakeholders are aware of project status and any barriers to successful project performance.
• Other tasks including various writing and content creation (e.g., research briefs to partners), tool development, technical assistance, and presentations.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: An earned Ph.D. is required by the start date of the position.

Preferred Qualifications

Education: An earned Ph.D. in Special Education, Education, Psychology, or a related field is required by the start date of the position.
Experience: Prior experience as a classroom teacher for at least 2 years.
Prior experience conducting analyses for, writing, and submitting peer-reviewed journal articles
Prior experience developing content and contributing to submission of a federal or private grant proposal is preferred.
Experience conducting classroom observations, generating feedback, and providing coaching is preferred.
Prior experience with project related administrative tasks (e.g., scheduling, material production, annual reporting) is preferred.
The ideal candidate is an early career researcher with a track record of publishing in scholarly peer-reviewed journals with of focus in special education. Expertise in quantitative, mixed methods and qualitative methods is also welcome and supported.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Content expertise in some of the following areas: rural and/or urban K-12 school settings, evidence-based practices for students with disabilities, conducting observations and data collection, academic vocabulary instruction, teacher professional development and coaching, culturally responsive or sustaining teaching, classroom management, and special education technology.
• Administrative expertise: Proficient with Dropbox, Box, Google Suite, Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), Zoom, Qualtrics or similar survey data collection tools, online software for delivering engaging content such as Nearpod or similar, and ability to learn new software quickly and introduce new useful applications and platforms to the team. An eye for design and visualization of data is preferred.
  
  

Anticipated Hiring Range : $55,000 to $60,000 (commensurate with qualifications). More information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA is detailed here .

Application Instructions Please apply through Workday and search for ‘'Postdoctoral Research Associate, STORMED Lab." Complete an application online. Include the following documents:

• A CV/Resume
• A Cover Letter
• Contact information for 3 references (name, email, phone number)

All documents can be loaded into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Before a formal offer of employment is extended, the selected candidate will undergo a background check per university policy.

For questions about the position, please contact Michael Kennedy For questions about the application process, please contact Margaret Weeks .

Physical Demands

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require walking some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

COVID Vaccination Requirement and Guidelines

Please visit the UVA COVID-19 Job Requirements and Guidelines webpage prior to applying for current information regarding vaccination requirements and guidelines for employment at UVA.

The University of Virginia, i ncluding the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.