SRI Education is committed to bringing rigorous research and evaluation data to bear on important education policy and practice decisions that ultimately benefit practitioners, students, and families. SRI Education is looking for temporary, part-time research assistants to conduct observations of literacy instruction in early elementary classrooms. 

Work will take place in Greensboro, NC, area schools. There is a possibility for more work in other sites if applicants are willing to travel. 

This position offers a great opportunity to train on and use a standardized literacy observation protocol called the Tools for Equitable Reading Instruction (TERI). Applicants should have experience conducting lesson observations and/or working with children in early elementary school settings. Observations will be conducted in schools in the 2025-2026 school year. Training and certification on the TERI will be provided in October/November of 2025. The training will take up to 30 hours to complete and will consist of virtual, self-paced modules. Observers need to be available to conduct observations in February 2026.  Successful applicants will be paid for their time spent on the training as well as conducting observations and other research activities. This is a temporary position starting in October 2025 and ending in March 2026. There may be future opportunities for trained observers to conduct TERI observations for subsequent studies. 

• Complete TERI observation training for 30 hours using an online, asynchronous training platform in October/early November. 
• Participate in virtual team kickoff meeting(s) prior to conducting observations. 
• Conduct classroom observations during winter 2025/26 (two weeks during the month of Februrary). 
• Communicate with SRI project manager to plan data collection activities. 
• Enter observation data in a web-based database. 
• Must be willing and able to travel in-person to school sites and conduct classroom observations. 
• Willingness to complete all security measures and training required by the study, including CITI certification.

• Undergraduate degree or higher with coursework in psychology, education, social work or early childhood. 
• Strong organizational and interpersonal communication skills. 
• Experience working with children (e.g., as a teacher or assistant teacher in an elementary school, conducting classroom observations). 
• Access to a car or reliable transportation as data collectors are expected to drive to participating schools. 
• Access to a computer/digital device and reliable internet. 
• Availability to observe on site in the Greensboro, NC, area for two weeks full time in February 2026. 
• Ability to pass a criminal background check. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience with early elementary classroom observations. 
• Classroom teaching experience. 
• Interest in education research. 
• There may be an opportunity to travel to the Houston, TX, area for two weeks in December or January of 2026 for an additional round of classroom observations. Travel expenses would be paid. 

The pay is: $35.00/hr.

SRI is an independent nonprofit research institute headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., with a rich history of supporting government and industry. We create and deliver world-changing solutions for a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future. For more than 75 years, we have collaborated across technical and scientific disciplines to discover and develop groundbreaking products and technologies and bring innovations and ideas to the marketplace.