General Description

The Special Education Leaders Uniting Policy, Early Intervention, and Research (SUPER) Fellowship Program is a unique partnership between the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services and The Innovation in Development, Engagement and Learning Systems (IDEALS) Institute at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Education. The IDEALS Institute at The Johns Hopkins University School of Education focuses on promoting high-quality early learning, developmentally appropriate care across the life-span, and impactful educational practices. The core team at IDEALS currently manages a large existing portfolio of grants, sponsored projects, and contractual work related to its mission. The MSDE Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services mission is to close existing gaps between children with disabilities and their non-disabled peers and ensure that all students will be ready for school, achieve in school, and be prepared for college, career, and community living. Through this collaborative fellowship program, promising individuals with backgrounds in education and policy will collaborate with IDEALS Institute researchers and MSDE leaders on critical initiatives and professional learning. The program connects educational policy professionals and mentors with one of two fellowship strands, each with a separate focus. The strands have been developed based on pre-identified needs outlined by MSDE. Through the program, fellows gain hands-on experience, expert mentorship, high-quality professional learning, and an opportunity to apply for future employment. MSDE and IDEALS will be able to make greater progress on these focal issues by adding the capacity of trained professionals to their teams on short-term projects, with the option of continuing promising initiatives.   

IDEALS is seeking a SUPER Project Fellow focused on Individualized Family Support Plans (IFSP) whose primary role would be to assist in developing and implementing innovations in IFSP Teams and Child Outcome Summary Processes to meaningfully address gaps among students' kindergarten readiness. The SUPER Project Fellow will also assess local needs; develop targeted IFSP Team Plans; and share resources to advance learning with particular focus on early literacy, math, and language.

Primary Job Duties:

The primary role of the Fellow is to assist in the development and implementation of deliverables for the IFSP project strand, and maintain ongoing communication with the project's Principal Investigator, Project Administrator, team members, and the sponsor. Specifically, these responsibilities include the following:

• Work in coordination with project strand team to develop and implement strategies to assess local jurisdictions' needs regarding IFSP processes, resources, and technical assistance
• Assist in the development of targeted IFSP supports that address the needs that have been identified
• Review, revise, and develop resources and supports for IFSP teams that specifically emphasize early literacy, math, and language.
• Design presentations and reports for communications with the sponsor and strand-related audiences
• Collect, analyze, and report data on the project strand deliverable progress, challenges, and areas for improvement

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications (Mandatory):

• For Research Scientist rank must hold a doctoral degree in early childhood education, special education, infant-toddler mental health, or a related field.
• For Fellow non-classified status must hold graduate degree in early childhood education, special education, infant-toddler mental health, or a related field.
• Significant additional related experience may substitute for an advanced degree.
• Working experience with IFSP processes and teams
• Passion for working collaboratively to design interventions and supports for educators, families, and students
• Background in education with interest in careers in either early childhood education policy or research
• Resilient, ambitious, self-starters interested in systems-level projects, services, and interventions
• Effective communication/presentation skills to support a variety of audiences.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Four or more years of experience in ECSE; with Infants and Toddlers Program experience preferred
• Experience developing IFSP processes and resources
• Experience with academic research - e.g., literature reviews, applying research methods, data analysis
• Must be highly motivated, productive, and results oriented

Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Practical application of family support processes in social services or early childhood education
• Skilled in data-driven cycles of instruction (e.g., needs assessments, development, teaching, implementation, and evaluation/assessment
• Providing family-centered services, supports, or interventions
• Knowledge of web conferencing tools (e.g., Zoom)
• Ability to collect data, analyze data, create reports, and prepare written communication with an attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with a varied constituency
• Strong attention to detail and highly organized
• Knowledge of and proficiency in the use of MS Office Suite software including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for corresponding, analysis, information storage, and presentation
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, and emotional intelligence as demonstrated by a personal style which facilitates collaborative relationships while effectively managing projects
• Ability to multi-task and must be organized and project oriented

Level of Independent Decision Making:

This position independently meets with members of the project team to define project requirements, update project progress, needs, and resources and makes follow-up plans independently, scope and deadline change recommendations. The employee will work collaboratively across teams at the IDEALS Institute Development and Learning Systems team and members of the Maryland State Department of Education Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services.  

Supervisory Responsibility:

This employee will not be responsible for the direct supervision of other staff members.

Application Instructions

Applicants must provide a letter of interest, current CV, and three references. To apply, submit requested application materials to http://apply.interfolio.com/97671. Please email Christina Kubilius, Sr. HR Coordinator, at christina.kubilius@jhu.edu with any questions regarding the application process.

*Johns Hopkins has mandated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, as applicable. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry.