Strategic Data Project Fellow **2024 APPAM Career Fair Participant

Join a powerful, growing community of 625+ forward-thinking data advocates and leaders across more than 40 states and 290+ education organizations. The Strategic Data Project (SDP) is an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. The SDP Fellowship program helps school system leaders use data and evidence in strategic decision-making to improve public education. By placing fellows in school systems and education organizations across the United States, SDP provides a unique career pathway for passionate quantitative researchers and data strategists who want to make a difference.  

The SDP Fellowship is a unique opportunity, combining full-time employment as a mid-to-senior level education data analyst/researcher at an SDP-approved partner organization (a school district, state education agency, postsecondary system, non-profit, etc.) and two-years of intensive in-person and virtual professional development, training, and mentorship to build your toolkit as an education data leader. As a fellow, you and your host agency will develop clear priorities and plans for using data and build organizational willingness to use data for decision-making. Over the course of two years, fellows participate in a series of tailored workshops, both virtual and in person, to develop their measurement, leadership, communication and education policy skills. Training is delivered by Harvard-affiliated researchers and practitioners and fellows are supported by faculty advisors, fellowship alumni mentors, and their colleagues across the SDP network. 

Learn more about past fellows’ work by visiting the SDP blog. In the past, fellows have tackled strategic data projects in one of the following focus areas: 

• program evaluation 
• data visualization 
• early warning indicator systems 
• data management governance 
• survey design and analysis 
• data dashboards 
• student pathways and postsecondary success 
• educator quality, pipeline, and training

and more!   

Fellows are paid an annual salary of $75,000-95,000 USD plus appropriate benefits by their placement organization. The average salary offer is around $88,000. The Fellowship lasts two years (Summer/Fall 2025 through Summer 2027) with the possibility for longer-term employment. Exact salaries, benefits, hybrid work arrangements, etc. differ and are determined by the host organization.