Employment Opportunities at IDRA

IDRA is an independent, non-profit organization, led by Celina Moreno, J.D. Our mission is to achieve equal educational opportunity for every child through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and succeed in college. IDRA strengthens and transforms public education by providing dynamic training; useful research, evaluation, and frameworks for action; timely policy analyses; and innovative materials and programs.

IDRA’s internship program is for individuals who are dedicated to equal educational opportunity for all children and who want to work as part of a team committed to that goal. The program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who are capable of doing staff-level work under minimal supervision. Interns are expected to perform a wide variety of tasks.

See details below. 

Interns work closely with designated IDRA staff to develop and execute projects that will further IDRA’s mission. This enables interns to broaden their professional skills and experiences. Assigned projects are based on the intern’s qualifications and interests as well as the needs of the organization.

Ideal candidates should possess the following:

• Good communication skills – written and verbal
• Ability to present oneself in a professional manner
• Ability to multi-task and manage time effectively
• Ability to produce high-quality, thorough work
• Ability to work independently and to function as part of a team
• Knowledge of using office and technological equipment or capable of learning to do so
• Self-motivation
• A strong desire to learn

The 2024 summer internship will begin in early June and will operate remotely for 8-10 weeks and 20-30 hours per week. Dates and hours are flexible and based on an individual’s needs. Interns may receive academic credit for their work through their school. Academic credit is to be managed between the individual and the school solely.

In addition to work projects and learning, IDRA’s summer internship program will include experiential learning connected to critical work and practice, lunch and learns, social networking, access to a post-internship network, and a culminating project presentation.

Education Law Internship (open!)

IDRA’s Education Law Intern will support the work of the Legal and the Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement teams. The education law intern will report to the chief legal analyst and assist with researching and publishing legal analysis of significant developments in education law; support the legal team in preparing amicus briefs, legal complaints, and other legal advocacy communications on education civil rights issues; participate in internal and external strategy sessions for impact civil rights litigation; and assist with investigations into civil rights issues. See detailed description here.

Communications Internship 

The selected intern will have opportunities to write, assist with social media management, support media relations, design graphics, conduct research, participate in strategy sessions, assist in the planning and execution of special events, and learn from an accredited public relations professional. Must be a college student pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, mass communication, or related field. Recent graduates will be considered. See detailed description here.

Educational Practice Internship (closed)

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic STEM Education Intern to join our dynamic Educational Practice team. The intern will have opportunities to contribute to the development and implementation of innovative STEM education programs, conduct research, participate in strategy sessions, and assist in the planning and execution of special events. Graduate students or teaching experience is preferred. Areas of support include culturally relevant pedagogy, equity in STEM education, curriculum development, and school/community outreach.

Research Internship (closed)

IDRA is currently seeking a talented data analyst intern. The data analyst intern will be responsible for aggregating and analyzing education and related data to identify patterns and trends in the data sets. The intern will work with the research team to update and build new IDRA dashboards and visualizations. A successful candidate will be technically proficient in data wrangling and manipulation in programs such as Excel, SPSS, R or other statistical software, data visualization (Tableau), and/or GIS (ArcGIS or QGIS). The intern will work cross-functionally across IDRA teams and deliver timely analytical products to support the work of IDRA and its various projects. Graduate students are preferred.

Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement Internship (closed)

IDRA’s policy, advocacy, and community engagement work focuses on issues that impact the education of all students, with special emphasis on students of color, students from families with low incomes, emergent bilingual students, and recent immigrant populations. IDRA’s Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement Intern will help to conduct research, engage with students and families, analyze policies at the federal level and in states across the U.S. South, and produce accessible advocacy materials for a variety of audiences. Some legislative and/or policy analysis experience is preferred. Candidates should have strong writing and communications skills.

Compensation Starting at $15/hour unless otherwise noted. Compensation commensurate with experience.

Application deadline: March 22, 2024.

IDRA is an equal opportunity employer. Please email claribel.tiru@idra.org if you have any further questions concerning IDRA’s internship opportunities.