Devika Jain

Devika is an education policy practitioner whose work has focused on how schools, districts, and city agencies can work together to improve outcomes for underserved communities. Over the course of her career, she has moved between classrooms, nonprofits, and city government, always focused on translating research and data into strategies that hold up in practice.

At Teach for India, Devika co-led city-level strategy across 60+ public schools and 12,000 students, partnering with leadership to align priorities and scale literacy interventions like the Turn Around Project, which delivered significant gains for students in high-need classrooms. This work gave her a close view of how instability outside the classroom shapes what is possible inside it and sharpened her interest in the systems that surround and support vulnerable populations.

During her master’s work in education policy and analysis at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Devika worked as a graduate student consultant to the Boston Mayor’s Office and Boston Public Schools, and as a community researcher with the Somerville School District. She holds a bachelor’s degree in law.

Initial Fellowship Focus: The fellow will help advance the establishment of a new regional shelter for unhoused individuals in the Des Moines metro area. The shelter plans will incorporate stakeholder input from across city and county lines while clarifying roles and strengthening partnerships among local governments and service providers.