By Brittney Dunkins
A 12-month internship, stipend and partial tuition support will be awarded to doctoral students through the AIR/GWU Scholars Program, a new partnership between the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development and the American Institutes for Research (AIR), announced last week.
Up to two students will be selected for the inaugural fall cohort, which will most likely be targeted for research on post-secondary and/or special education topics. Interested students are asked to submit their applications by June 1.
“This partnership is a wonderful opportunity for us as a community and as a university to connect our research agenda directly to the world of policy and practice.” GSEHD Dean Michael Feuer said. “It is an occasion to focus on the need to increase the quality and quantity of future education policy researchers, and to enrich opportunities for underrepresented minorities working in this area,” said Feuer.
AIR is one of the world’s largest research and evaluation organizations, with a wide portfolio of work on major issues in social science and education. AIR currently sponsors a number of master’s level research internships at universities, including partnerships with University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkley. The AIR/GWU Scholars program is the organization’s first doctoral-level collaboration.
“We are committed to bridging the gap between research, policy and practice, and we hope that the selected scholars will align with that thinking,” AIR Education Program Executive Vice President and Director Gina Burkhardt said.
“This is a truly wonderful partnership that will provide support for doctoral students who would like their research to have an impact,” she said.
In addition to a stipend, scholars will receive funding for nine credit hours of course work and mentorship from AIR staff and GSEHD faculty. Funding is renewable for up to 24 months.
Ms. Burkhardt said that AIR will partner with GW over the next six years in order to connect the intellectual capacity provided by universities with the expertise of AIR researchers in the hopes of translating research into action.
“Our goal is to start a series of conversations that push the translation of research into tools and resources for practitioners and policymakers, while embracing cultural competence and diversity,” Ms. Burkhardt said.
“Unless we have people of various backgrounds involved in the conversations about research, evaluation and practice, we’re not doing a good enough job,” she added
Candidates are required to be U.S. citizens residing in D.C. Eligible students must also have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours toward their degree.
Applications should include a resume, personal statement, writing sample, transcripts and references. Interested students should contact Associate Dean for Research and External Relations Maxine Freund.
Award recipients for the first cohort will be announced no later than July 15.