Graduate Fellowship

Nashville, TN

Graduate Fellow

“The progress that our students have made in recent years is inspiring – there is no doubt that they are capable of achieving at high levels and leading Tennessee into a bright future. While education stakeholders are already working together in exciting ways in Tennessee, it is our responsibility to redouble our innovative efforts to ensure that we are supporting our students to truly excel and thrive. The future of our state depends on it.”

                                                                             - Senator Bill Frist, Chairman and Founder, SCORE

ABOUT SCORE

The State Collaborative on Reforming Education’s (SCORE) mission is to catalyze transformative change in Tennessee education so that all students can achieve success. SCORE is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan institution founded in 2009 by Senator Bill Frist, MD, former US Senate Majority Leader. Striving to be a durable partner and trusted adviser on Tennessee education, SCORE is focused on advancing change for students from kindergarten to career through policy and practice — and taking it to scale.

SCORE has three goals that guide the organization’s work to drive success for all students in Tennessee:

  • All students receive an excellent public K-12 education.
  • All students earn a credential or postsecondary degree of value that prepares them for a career enabling economic independence.
  • Economically disadvantaged students, students of color, and rural students see improved success across all goals relative to their peers.

SCORE is based at 1801 West End Avenue in Nashville and currently operates in a hybrid environment with a mix of in-person and remote work. This role will require significant in-office time but will be eligible for occasional remote work. For more information on SCORE, please visit www.tnscore.org.

OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION

The SCORE graduate fellows program provides ambitious and dedicated graduate students an opportunity to immerse themselves in the education policy and advocacy landscape in Tennessee. Fellows will have the opportunity to become part of a dynamic organization that is deeply involved in the state’s education initiatives and is committed to ensuring success for all students. The graduate fellows program is overseen by SCORE’s Senior Director of Research and graduate fellows work collaboratively across the team on research, policy, strategic practice, and advocacy projects.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Contribute research, data analysis, and policy recommendations for various SCORE products, including policy memos, research briefs, and topical reports.
  • Transform highly technical research and data reports into actionable insights accessible to a general audience.
  • Monitor and analyze key K-12 and postsecondary education issues affecting Tennessee and the nation.
  • Conduct research to support SCORE’s strategic practice and advocacy activities.
  • Contribute original work on education reform topics to the SCORE blog.
  • Interact with state education leaders from government, business, philanthropy, school districts, and/or postsecondary institutions.

 CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

SCORE seeks a graduate student with a desire to improve education practice and policy in Tennessee. Candidate requirements include:

  1. Basic understanding of data analysis with Excel or other statistical software and a demonstrated desire to learn, or a strong track record conducting data analysis and visualization work.
  2. Experience synthesizing academic research or technical reports – a skill that will be further developed as part of the program.
  3. Ability to understand the interaction of policy, research, and practice to advance education opportunity and outcomes.
  4. Problem-solver with a commitment to working creatively to find solutions
  5. The ability to work effectively in a fast-paced office environment
  6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including telephone and videoconferencing skills

SCORE is committed to providing opportunities for professional growth by providing team members with feedback and opportunities to grow in their work.

COMPENSATION

SCORE offers a competitive per hour rate.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

SCORE’s mission is to drive transformative change in education so that all Tennessee students can achieve success in college, career, and life.  From its founding in 2009, SCORE has been grounded in the belief that diverse perspectives are required to identify solutions that will best serve Tennessee students, so we seek to bring as many viewpoints as possible into our daily work and live out collaboration as a core value. 

Within our organization, we believe it is important for our team to reflect the rich diversity of Tennesseans and Tennessee students, and we aspire for our team to understand varied viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds.  We strive to build an inclusive organization where each team member feels respected and supported, knowing that when team members are empowered to use their individual gifts, we become more effective in advancing our mission. 

SCORE is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all roles without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.


Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. There is a priority deadline of 3/15/24 to be considered in the first round of consideration.