Become an SDP Fellow

For two years, work for a school system or education organization, participate in high-impact professional development with Harvard-affiliated faculty, and use your data and leadership talent to improve the lives of students.

Apply to Become a Fellow

Are you a future data changemaker?

We are looking for researchers, analysts, and professionals with strong analytic capabilities, familiarity with research design, and evidence of leadership.

There are two pathways into the SDP Data Fellowship: education data leaders can apply to be placed as full-time employees within one of SDP’s partner organizations or they can be nominated by their current employer to enroll as a fellow. Over two years, SDP Fellows work within an education agency, institution, or organization and participate in high-impact professional development with Harvard-affiliated staff and faculty. Fellows will have access to a cohort of colleagues and resources in either the PK12 or Higher Education networks.

HOW TO APPLY

 

1. Partner Application: A candidate interested in becoming a Nominated Fellow should have their employer complete a Partnership Application, proposing a key strategic data project that the candidate will complete and providing evidence as to why the nominated employee would make a strong candidate. A strong candidate for a Nominated Fellow is someone who is:

  • Working with data and strategy as a core daily function of their role
  • Advanced with descriptive analyses, at minimum, and can communicate key insights from a dataset using Excel, R, STATA, or another software
  • Regularly interfacing with senior leadership and is positioned to move critical initiatives forward and share their learnings across the organization
  • Exhibiting growth potential within the organization and is excited to learn and continue their growth
  • Committed to remaining with your organization for the next two years, at minimum, given this opportunity

2. Invitation to Apply: Upon review of the Partnership Application, the SDP team will extend an invitation for the Nominated Fellow candidate to submit an online Nominee Application, where they will explain their readiness for the program and goals for completing the project. Candidates will be screened for fit based on their experience, current role and exposure to data and leadership, and project proposal in conjunction with their supervisor/organization.

3. Partner/Fellow Review Call: The SDP team will conduct a virtual screening call with the candidate and supervisor to discuss their analytic experience and learn more about their background, as well as the proposed project and partnership goals in depth.

4. Acceptance: If the organization and project are accepted, the organization and Harvard will execute an agreement and SDP will accept the nominated candidate and their organization to the Fellowship.

Start Your Fellowship Application

1. Application: SDP conducts a nationwide search for excellent quantitative researchers and data analysts with a passion for education and applied experience. Fellows will apply through an online application process. To be eligible, a candidate applying to become a Placed Fellow must have:

  • a strong background in applied quantitative analysis (beyond descriptive analysis), familiarity with working with large datasets within education, and ability to work with limited oversight  
  • a demonstrated passion for improving outcomes for all students, familiarity with US domestic education policy and current issues 
  • a track record of collaboration, humility, and ability to guide change
  • a proven ability to communicate complex information and analytic findings to various audiences in verbal, written, and visual formats
  • evidence of an emerging leadership skillset and a commitment to continuous learning
  • an advanced degree (Master’s level or higher) completed by summer 2024 
  • at least four years of relevant full-time work experience by summer 2024 (waived for those with a PhD) 
  • Valid U.S. work authorization; fellows become employees of our partner organizations and they do not provide Visa sponsorship to their fellows. Candidates with CPT/OPT/EAD status are encouraged to email us at sdprecruitment@gse.harvard.edu to confirm your eligibility.

SDP Placed Fellows become full-time employees of their placement organizations where they receive a salary between $75-90k and appropriate benefits. Placement organizations may have additional hiring requirements, including drug testing, criminal record and background checks, vaccination policies, residency requirements, etc. 
 
We do not take geographic availability into account during the selection process, but candidates are encouraged to be flexible and willing to relocate to the placement that is the best skill and interest match for them. Candidates with flexible relocation available will have the best chances of a successful placement match.

2. Analytic Task: Candidates whose applications demonstrate promise are invited to prepare a written memo in response to a challenging analytic problem for review by Harvard researchers.

3. Virtual Screening Interview: Candidates whose memos demonstrate promise participate in a virtual interview, which includes a discussion of their case memo, with a Harvard researcher and SDP team member.

4. Virtual Selection Day: Successful candidates are invited to present new case findings and respond to a live problem-solving challenge with Harvard researchers. References are contacted prior to Selection Day.

5. Agency Interview: Admitted fellows are matched to SDP partners for interviews based on skillset and interest. Once hired by an SDP partner, applicants become a full-time employee of their placement organization and join their SDP Fellowship cohort for the two-year program. SDP partner organizations and their locations change year by year. Many fellows remain at their placement organizations after completing the fellowship.

Start Your Fellowship Application