INTERNSHIP DETAILS

Summer Intern: Data Analysis and Education Policy

CompanyAEI
LocationWashington
Work ModeOn Site
PostedDecember 9, 2025
Internship Information
Core Responsibilities
The intern will support research by analyzing education datasets, estimating causal effects, and creating visualizations and reports. They will also engage in web scraping and apply machine learning techniques to unstructured data.
Internship Type
other
Company Size
953
Visa Sponsorship
No
Language
English
Working Hours
40 hours
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About The Company
Who we are: The American Enterprise Institute is a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world. The work of our scholars and staff advances ideas rooted in our belief in democracy, free enterprise, American strength and global leadership, solidarity with those at the periphery of our society, and a pluralistic, entrepreneurial culture. How we do it: We are committed to making the intellectual, moral, and practical case for expanding freedom, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening the free enterprise system in America and around the world. Our work explores ideas that further these goals, and AEI scholars take part in this pursuit with academic freedom. AEI operates independently of any political party and has no institutional positions. Our scholars’ conclusions are fueled by rigorous, data-driven research and broad-ranging evidence. Our work: Our scholars not only engage in research that focuses on today’s most critical challenges but also look ahead to ideas and issues that have yet to be widely recognized. AEI scholars pursue innovative, independent work across a wide array of subjects. From economics, education, health care, and poverty to foreign and defense studies, public opinion, politics, society, and culture, our experts drive the competition of ideas.
About the Role

Overview

The American Enterprise Institute’s education policy team seeks a data intern who will support cutting-edge research at the intersection of data, education policy, and technology. The intern will research a variety of topics, including by

  • Analyzing and drawing meaningful interpretations from state and national education datasets;
  • Using statistical modeling to estimate causal effects;
  • Using web scraping to construct novel education datasets;
  • Applying text analysis, machine learning, and other techniques to analyze unstructured data; and
  • Creating visualizations and written reports to communicate results.

Candidates are expected to

  • Be highly interested in learning more about education policy,
  • Have keen attention to detail and highly effective communication skills,
  • Be highly proficient in Python or R,
  • Have a strong understanding of statistics,
  • Have a foundational understanding of machine learning,
  • Be comfortable working independently on projects, and
  • Be able and eager to learn new skills on the job.

Applicants who go above and beyond

  • Have taken coursework to understand, or have work experience in, education policy;
  • Demonstrate fluency in Python and R, and potentially other programming languages;
  • Have a strong understanding of regression and causal analysis; and
  • Have experience applying machine learning or natural language processing to unstructured, messy datasets.

The ideal candidate for this position will have a passion for understanding K–12 American education through multiple types of data, have a general STEM background with a foundational understanding of data science, and be driven by open-minded intellectual curiosity. Candidates who can participate in the program in person for 30–40 hours a week are encouraged to apply.

 

About AEI Internships

 

AEI internships offer a unique opportunity for undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates to gain experience in research, writing, business, and communications at one of the nation’s leading think tanks. Competitive candidates will generally have a GPA of 3.5 or higher from a top-ranking college or university. AEI’s internship program runs for 12 weeks, and all related programming will take place in person in Washington, DC. Please see the internship program home page for updates.

 

The summer program dates are either Tuesday, May 26, to Friday, August 21, or Tuesday, June 2, to Friday, August 28.

Key Skills
Data AnalysisEducation PolicyStatistical ModelingWeb ScrapingText AnalysisMachine LearningPythonRCausal AnalysisVisualizationCommunication SkillsAttention to DetailIndependent WorkLearning New SkillsK-12 EducationSTEM BackgroundIntellectual Curiosity
Categories
EducationData & AnalyticsScience & ResearchGovernment & Public SectorTechnology