• Login

NAEP Doctoral Students Internship Program

The mission of the NAEP Doctoral Student Internship Program is to support current doctoral students by providing an opportunity to engage in methodological developments and secondary analysis and using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). During the 10-week internship program, interns will work directly with researchers from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) on research in topic areas such as psychometrics & statistical methods, process data, policy-relevant research, and re-envisioning quantitative information (data visualization). Doctoral interns will collaborate with teams on client-based projects and gain technical skills and knowledge in the field of large-scale assessment.

Meet the NAEP Doctoral Student Internship Alumni here.

Topic Areas

Click below to read more about each internship topic area:

Qualifications

  • Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
  • Current doctoral student in educational measurement, statistics, information sciences, sociology, psychology, economics, computer science, or a related field.
  • Current doctoral student that has completed two years of coursework in a Ph.D. program OR current doctoral student with a previously completed master’s degree in educational measurement, statistics, information science, sociology, psychology, economics, computer science, or a related field.
  • Experience with applying advanced statistical and/or psychometric methods
  • Knowledge of item response theory (IRT) and/or sampling theory.
  • Experience analyzing data from large-scale surveys and assessment data with complex sampling design is a plus.
  • Software skills requirements:
    • For applicants to the Policy, Process Data, and Psychometrics topic areas, demonstrable advanced experience with statistical software such as, but not limited to, Mplus, Python, R, and Stata.
    • For applicants to the Re-envisioning Quantitative Information topic area, demonstrable advanced experience with statistical software such as, but not limited to, D3.js, Nivo, Python, R, React-Vis, Shiny, and Tableau.

Additional application requirements

  • A cover letter to express applicant’s interest and qualifications for a primary and secondary area.
  • A transcript (unofficial copy), writing sample as first author, and a letter of recommendation may be requested at a later date.
  • Candidates should expect to demonstrate their stated coding and analytical skills during the selection process.

Responsibilities

The doctoral student interns will contribute to the development of statistical methods and substantive knowledge about education that inform the discussion, debate, and planning of decision-makers at national, state, and local levels. Specific research topics and project assignments will be based on a consideration of applicants’ skills and interests as well as NCES’s priorities. Example opportunities include presentations to the NCES client and proposal submissions to research conferences.

Internship Details

  • Ten weeks starting June 1, 2023.
  • The 2023 NAEP Doctoral Student Internship Program will be a virtual program. Interns are allowed to work remotely within the U.S.
  • Interns will receive an AIR-issued laptop to complete project work.
  • This is a paid internship.

Application Process

  • Apply online: Here
  • Deadline: January 27, 2023
  • Notification date: Late February 2023
  • For internship questions email: naepinternship@air.org