The Strategic Data Project Welcomes 23 Fellows into Cohort 18 of the SDP Fellowship, Includes States Leading States Partners

October 26, 2026—The Strategic Data Project (SDP), an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University, welcomed its eighteenth cohort of SDP Fellows, who will spend the next two years using evidence to evaluate and improve educational practices and policies.  

These 23 fellows, selected from across the nation, represent a broad spectrum of educational institutions and organizations working at the local, state, and national levels to support students from early childhood through postsecondary education. This cohort includes new partnerships with organizations such as the Indiana Department of Education, Fishtank Learning, and the Illinois State Board of Education, alongside returning partners like TNTP, Fairfax County Public Schools, and the Texas Education Agency. Across these agencies, leadership and fellows are united by a shared mission: leveraging data to drive transformative improvements that directly impact student success and help shape the future of education. 

At the New York State Education Department, an SDP Nominated Fellow will build on a previous fellow's educator workforce dashboard to further improve its reliability, consistency, and scalability across NYSED programs. In the Allentown School District in Pennsylvania, a newly Placed Fellow will bring a data-driven lens to strengthening the infrastructure and governance needed to track the district's strategic plan implementation and enable continuous improvement. And at TNTP, three fellows will work across departments as the organization builds evidence, validates innovation, and uncovers the drivers of mobility for young people. 

The new fellows and their supervisors will convene on the Harvard University campus this month to plan the strategic data projects they will undertake for their organizations over the next two years. Throughout the two-year fellowship, fellows will participate in in-person and virtual training, receive support from the SDP network of faculty and alumni, and access new data tools and resources to improve outcomes for students.   

“What excites me about this cohort is the range of challenges our fellows are taking on, from strengthening educator workforces to understanding what helps students succeed after high school,” said Miriam Greenberg, Senior Director of the Strategic Data Project. “These are complicated problems, and good data doesn't necessarily point to an obvious solution. The real work is figuring out what the evidence tells us, what it doesn't, and how to use that understanding to make better decisions. Our fellows bring the analytical skills, curiosity, and relationships needed to do that work alongside education leaders.”  

Cohort 18 will also include six States Leading States fellows. States Leading States (SLS) is an initiative at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University with a goal to identify, evaluate, and accelerate proven, evidence-based strategies. By learning from and collaborating with partner states, SLS empowers policymakers, practitioners, and communities to create lasting change and help every student succeed. Funded by generous support from the Walton Foundation and Overdeck Family Foundation, this work will pave the way for effective implementation of enduring state policy change. Fellows will represent Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas. 

Applications are now open for the Fall 2027–Summer 2029 cohort for prospective partner organizations and prospective Placed Fellows. Learn more at sdp.cepr.harvard.edu/apply.

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Contact: Rachel Tropp, CEPR Communications Specialist (rachel_tropp@gse.harvard.edu)     

About the Strategic Data Project     

Harvard's Strategic Data Project (SDP) works with education agencies to find and train data leaders to uncover trends, measure solutions, and effectively communicate evidence to stakeholders. SDP’s network of system leaders, fellows, and faculty come together to share how to best use data to make a difference in the lives of students. SDP Fellows are driving data-informed change in over 215 school systems and organizations. Learn more at sdp.harvard.edu.     

About the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University     

The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, seeks to transform education through quality research and evidence. CEPR and its partners believe all students will learn and thrive when education leaders make decisions using facts and findings, rather than untested assumptions. Learn more at cepr.harvard.edu.