PPIC’s Summer Intern Program provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students interested in a public policy career to work in a policy research environment. This intern project was proposed by PPIC research staff and designed around a specific set of tasks and deliverables that can be accomplished within the term of the internship.

Please complete your application by February 5, 2024. We expect to make the selection decisions for intern projects by mid-April.

Project Title: Improving Pandemic Recovery in Education

Project Directors

Niu Gao

Project Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic reinforces the urgent need to implement long overdue changes to improve the condition of schools and accelerate student learning. In order to address the impact of lost instructional time, California enacted several major initiatives, including the $4.6 billion Expanded Learning Opportunity Grant (ELO-G), $3.6 billion Arts, Music and Instructional Materials Block Grant, and the $7.9 billion Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant. The grant allocations are proportional to funding allocated to districts under the state’s funding formula—which grants extra funding for low-income, English Learner, and foster youth students—with the goal of prioritizing students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The state released general guidelines, but it is up to districts to implement learning recovery plans that meet local needs. This decentralized approach means that we lack crucial information on recovery activities - and their impact. We need to understand how the funding is being distributed across districts, the types of recovery activities that have been funded, and the association between these activities and student outcomes.

We are looking for an intern to contribute to our Year 2 data collection and analysis. The intern will join a multidisciplinary team of state policy leaders and scholars (including economists, educational researchers, demographers, sociologists and policymakers from the Public Policy Institute of California, the University of California, San Diego, the University of California, Berkeley and the California Department of Education) to improve education recovery in California. We will document recovery programs using publicly available district plans, bright-spot innovative and effective strategies, provide policy recommendations, and engage with policymakers, researchers, community-based organizations and the broader education community.

Intern’s Responsibilities

The intern working on this project will actively engage in data collection and management. This includes collecting and coding district recovery plans, conducting literature reviews, and possibly assisting in report writing. The intern will participate in frequent research team meetings to discuss project updates and get feedback on their work. The intern will present a summary of this work to PPIC staff at the end of the summer.

This position is supported with funding from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences through grant #R305X220028. The project is part of a national network on education recovery, and the intern may receive training and mentoring opportunities through the network.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring undergraduate or graduate training in a field related to education, economics, sociology, public policy, or a related field.

An intern working on this project should have:

• Data management experience using Excel, STATA, or R
• Excellent writing, verbal communication, and organization skills
• Ability to work independently and with a team
• Interest in California’s education policies and educational equity

The ideal candidate will also have:

• Mixed-methods research experience ­– especially analyzing qualitative data and producing summary statistics
• Foundational knowledge of educational systems, public policy, or a related field
• Experience reading and/or analyzing research, government, or policy documents
• Interest in education equity, and supporting students from historically marginalized groups

PPIC values the wide variety of backgrounds and experiences of our research staff, and key elements in the consideration of qualified candidates include excellence; diversity of talents, backgrounds, and viewpoints; and a strong fit with the institute’s mission, values, and goals.

The Research Environment

Interns are offered the opportunity to participate in the collegial atmosphere of PPIC through daily interaction with all aspects of the institute. They are invited to join the research staff in their regular meetings and to attend PPIC’s outside events, including the institute’s public affairs programs and research briefings. PPIC offers access to the Institute of Governmental Sciences library at the University of California, Berkeley, allowing interns to work with many important databases, journals, and statistical datasets. The intern program also includes a discussion of California state policy by PPIC’s government affairs staff.

Each intern’s project will include an initial meeting with research staff and towards the end of the project, a briefing by the intern on the goals, findings, and significance of the project. Interns are encouraged to discuss their work throughout the course of the project, to meet with research staff to discuss careers in research, and to meet with communications staff to learn about outreach and building an audience of policymakers.

Location, Compensation, and Time on Project

The 2024 intern program will be conducted remotely or via a hybrid setup if circumstances allow. Compensation is $23 per hour. This full-time internship will last up to eleven weeks, ideally beginning June 10, 2024.

To Apply

As part of completing this application, submit your cover letter highlighting the particular skills you bring to the project and describing how this internship would contribute to your career development, and attach your resume as PDF or Word file.

Equal Employer Opportunity (EEO) statement:

PPIC celebrates diversity and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a team that represents the backgrounds, perspectives, identities, and skills of California. No matter who you are, we invite you to apply for this role.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer.