Data Fellow (#DegreesNYC)

Intro/Program Description: #DegreesNYC is a data-informed collective impact movement co-led with young people and students, working to achieve education equity in New York City and State. We conduct research projects centered around student-identified equity issues and use our findings to organize advocacy initiatives to affect institutional and policy change.

Goddard Riverside serves as our backbone organization, and #DegreesNYC is the primary driver of Goddard Riversides educational equity agenda.

Position Description: The Data Fellows participate in the Data Fellowship, a crucial part of our growing Data and Research Hub. They help to develop research projects related to #DegreesNYCs policy priorities, shaping our research questions, gathering and analyzing data, and presenting findings. The Data Fellowship was initially created to investigate the student-readiness of CUNY institutions. We define student-readiness as the extent to which schools, campuses, and universities are primed to support students from all backgrounds. After publishing our results in our first Student-Ready Schools and Campuses Report, we began to investigate the distinct facets of student readiness and explore how student readiness may look differently for different students. We have since published our report, Wellness and Mental Health in New York City Schools and Campuses, and expect publication of a third report investigating student-readiness for justice-impacted students in the fall. The 2026-2027 cohort of Data Fellows will advance the findings in our reports, and participate in a subsequent research project, led by the Data and Research Coordinator. The Data Fellows will also participate in projects with our research partners, such as the Research Alliance for NYC Schools and Columbia University, working on research such as the Identifying Strong Transfer Pathways Project. Last, Fellows will work with the larger Youth Council, composed of Data Fellows and Advocacy Fellows, to inform the larger data-driven objectives of #DegreesNYC. They will also work with the Data Co-Op and Learning Network, a collective of stakeholder organizations focused on data issues related to education equity. Data Fellows collaborate with one another, as well as with the Advocacy Fellows, through the Youth Council. The #DegreesNYC Youth Council draws upon the lived experiences of young people to educate, advocate, and create positive change in their communities. They seek to enhance #DegreesNYCs work toward a more just, equitable and student-ready education system. They do this by elevating youth voice, promoting civic engagement and developing youth leadership.

Purpose of Position: The Data Fellows ground #DegreesNYCs research and advocacy priorities in youth and student voice. As our research focuses on the experiences of youth and students, the Data Fellows undertake an important role in narrating their experiences as high school and/or college students and uplifting others experiences through focus groups. The Data Fellows have the responsibility and power to help shape the design of our research projects to best reflect the values and concerns of young people and students and communicate findings in a meaningful way.

Schedule: October 2026 - June 2027, up to 10 hours a week

Hourly Rate: $17.00/hr

Qualifications

Role, Responsibilities, and Essential Duties

- Participate in research trainings, led by the Data and Research Coordinator or partner researchers

- Participate in the research process through the collection of data, data analysis, synthesis of findings, and report writing

- Recruit NYC students to participate in focus groups

- Lead focus groups and analyze focus group data

- Collect and create a bank and archive of student stories

- Complete work assigned by partner organizations focused on developing research skills and participating in the research process

- Present findings to partner organizations, the community, or at conferences

- Attend weekly check-in meetings with the Data and Research Coordinator

- Attend weekly meetings with the other members of the Youth Council

- Attend the #DegreesNYC team meeting at least once a month

- Attend monthly #DegreesNYC Strategy Meetings in person

Qualifications/Educational Requirements

- Must be a current NYC high school junior or senior, a current college student, or taking a gap year

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

- Excellent communication skills

- Interest in youth advocacy/empowerment

- Able to commit to working 10 hours a week and join regular, recurrent meetings

- Access to Wi-Fi and a computer

- Community organizing and political activism experience is a plus

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

- Hybrid

Contact

- If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Bork ([email protected]).

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace community grounded in respect for differences. We support hiring a broadly diverse team of qualified individuals who will contribute to our organizations.

Goddard Riverside and Isaacs Center provide equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of duties and responsibilities that will be required of this position and title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be requested to perform job related task other than those specifically presented in this description. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.