Education Policy Internships in Washington, D.C.: Shaping the Future of Higher Education
Washington, D.C., the heart of American policymaking, offers a unique landscape for students and recent graduates interested in influencing education policy. Internships in this area provide invaluable experience, allowing individuals to contribute to research, analysis, and advocacy efforts that shape the future of higher education. These internships offer a chance to work alongside policy experts, engage in bipartisan collaboration, and contribute to addressing critical issues such as college access, affordability, and student outcomes.
The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP): Championing Equity and Opportunity
The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) stands as a prominent organization dedicated to improving college access and success. Driven by a passion for promoting opportunity and closing equity gaps for today’s students, IHEP offers internships that provide hands-on experience in policy analysis and development.
The Victor Kuo Internship Program
IHEP’s internship program bears the name of Victor Kuo, former vice chair of the board of directors, to honor his support for students and impact in the field of higher education. Victor Kuo championed college access, success, and equity and left a lasting impact in the world. Dr. Kuo’s luminous spirit, kindness, and compassion touched those around him as he used his talents to address injustice and to elevate people and important social issues. Through his work, with IHEP and beyond, Dr. Kuo transformed the field of education and evaluation to promote quality, life-changing outcomes for students. He was a true champion for racial and economic justice, particularly for Asian-American and Pacific Islander students.
IHEP is seeking an Assistant Director of Policy to conduct and manage policy analysis and development to advance IHEP’s policy priorities, which include data and transparency, strong outcomes for all students, evidence-based completion, need-based aid, and equitable admissions. This position will report to the Vice President (VP) of Policy, closely coordinate with IHEP’s research, government affairs, and communications teams, and engage with partners across the field of higher education policy.
IHEP participates in E-Verify and confirms all employees are authorized to work in the United States through a Form I-9.
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The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC): Finding Common Ground in Education Policy
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) offers paid internships during the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms, providing students with a chance to work in Washington, D.C. alongside its policy experts and across a range of different issue areas. BPC emphasizes bipartisanship, inclusivity, and a collaborative approach to finding solutions to complex policy challenges. The program is tailored to meet the goals of each intern in their professional and personal development. Interns that work with BPC’s various teams will have the opportunity to see bipartisanship in action.
BPC strives to create a holistic internship experience, providing a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment. Interns will be working with a specific BPC project or functional area. Interns must be rising juniors or above, or graduate students, or recent graduates. Interns will provide administrative support, assist with events and meetings, conduct research, and assist with the development and writing of reports, white papers, and proposals.
Internship Details
- Eligibility: Interns must be rising juniors or above, or graduate students, or recent graduates. Applicants must currently be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program or be a recent graduate.
- Timing and Compensation: During the fall and spring semesters, internships are in person, part-time and paid, and will receive a stipend of $3,000. Fall and spring internship hours are flexible, but interns average 18-20 hours/per week, allowing students to gain valuable experience while maintaining their regular class schedule. BPC has a robust in person summer program. Interns work full time and will receive a $6,000 stipend for ten weeks of work.
- Location: Note: Our Fall/Spring/Summer internships are in person in the DC office. BPC is in the office three times a week from Tuesday - Thursday and has the option to work from home on Monday and Friday.
Internship Opportunities Across BPC Projects
Each semester, each of the listed project and functional areas have internship(s) available. There are times when teams may have the capacity for more than one, but that is considered on a case-by-case basis. BPC offers diverse internship opportunities across its various projects and functional areas, including:
Communications Department: The communications department intern will work directly with the press, digital, and events staff in promoting BPC’s work to the public. Monitor and internally disseminate reports of the organization’s media coverage. BPC seeks an intern to assist the communications team with the day-to-day activities of a busy press shop. Undergraduate (rising juniors and above) and graduate students, as well as recent graduates are eligible to apply. Successful applicants will be bright, ambitious self-starters with an interest in public policy, politics, and communications.
Development Department: The success of the Bipartisan Policy Center depends on the ability of the organization to secure funding for its individual initiatives and the organization as a whole. The development intern will gain experience and knowledge of the myriad components needed to sustain a successful non-profit organization. The development intern will assist in the day-to-day activities of fundraising, working closely with BPC development team, as well as members of BPC’s project areas.
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Economic Policy Project (EPP): BPC’s Economic Policy Project (EPP) develops bipartisan policy recommendations designed to enhance the economic opportunity, prosperity, and security of the American people.
- Fiscal/Financial Security Team: The Fiscal/Financial Security team provides timely analysis of fiscal and economic policy and works with external stakeholders and members of Congress to pass meaningful and durable fiscal solutions. EPP continues to be a trusted leader in federal fiscal policy, particularly in analyzing the budget and debt limit; our debt limit analyses have long been widely cited both in the media and directly by policymakers. EPP’s first analysis of the federal debt limit was led by now Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell during his time as a Fellow at BPC.
- Labor Market Policy Team: The Labor Market Policy team analyzes work trends and provides insights to through the form of blogs, explainers, and reports to understand labor market trends. A major avenue of work for the team is understanding the ways that Americans interact with and claim unemployment insurance (UI), and how the UI system across the nation can improve to better meet the needs of a changing workforce.
- Higher Education Financing and Student Outcomes: In 2018, BPC launched the Task Force on Higher Education Financing and Student Outcomes to rethink federal and state approaches to higher education in ways that promote affordability and accountability throughout the system.
- Retirement Security and Personal Savings: In 2016, EPP released the final report of its Commission on Retirement Security and Personal Savings, a two-year effort that produced a comprehensive package of bipartisan recommendations aimed at improving retirement security. Continuing EPP’s work on retirement policy, the Funding Our Future coalition was launched in 2018 by the Bipartisan Policy Center and financial advisor Ric Edelman. The goal of the campaign is to raise the profile of challenges facing the American retirement system and to strengthen people’s ability to retire securely in America.
- Responsibilities: The intern will interact with data and legislation covering the policy areas worked on by the four teams within EPP. They will support long-term policy projects and papers, conducting background research and writing. They will also draft blog posts and assist staff in preparing responses to Hill and media requests. Interns are expected to attend meetings to engage with the members on the team and interact with the various projects that EPP is involved in. Other facets of the internship include monitoring major congressional activity, analyzing budget documents, and attending webinars. The intern will also assist in administrative tasks for the team including event planning, tracking press mentions, and distributing meeting notes. Interns will be working across the entirety of EPP’s policy portfolio but will be assigned a specific policy team to contribute roughly 80% of their time towards. This assignment will be entirely up to the intern’s policy interests.
Energy Project: The BPC Energy Team is focused on generating and advocating pragmatic clean energy policies through engagement with a broad set of stakeholders and experts from diverse political perspectives. The intern will work directly with BPC’s Energy Project team on analysis and research, event planning, monitoring news and congressional activity, blogging, communications activities, and administrative support.
Democracy Program: BPC’s Democracy Program strengthens the foundations that sustain free, fair, and representative democracy in our diverse nation. Our team of world-class researchers and thought leaders develop policy recommendations grounded in research and realism, promote the free exchange of ideas among civic-minded leaders, and learn from our past to build a better future.
- Structural Democracy Project: The Structural Democracy Project develops and champions bipartisan, systemic reforms that rebuild our government’s ability to put country over party and build consensus.
- American Congressional Exchange (ACE): The American Congressional Exchange (ACE) enable members of Congress from opposite parties to visit each other’s districts and build the trust essential for bipartisan collaboration.
- Responsibilities: The intern will work with project staff on writing and research, event planning, tracking news, and congressional activity, blogging, and communications activities. Responsibilities include research and writing, monitoring news and congressional activity, helping out BPC Action’s Communications Manager with BPC Action’s social media accounts, blogging, and other communications activities and administrative duties as needed.
Health Program: BPC’s Health Program strives to develop policy recommendations that improve the nation’s health outcomes and reduce preventable health care costs, geared towards the public and private sectors. Prospective interns may work on a variety of policy areas across the Health team’s portfolio and will be assigned based on the intern’s policy interests and the team’s current project needs. Interns will work with project staff on policy research, writing info briefs and blogs, event planning, congressional tracking, communications tasks, and administrative responsibilities, as needed.
J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy: BPC’s J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy was launched to support bipartisan policies that help realize the goal of a decent, safe, and affordable home for every American family. The intern will work with Center staff on writing and research, event planning, tracking news and congressional activity, blogging, and communications activities. Specific responsibilities will be determined based on the successful candidate’s interests and the needs of the projects.
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Early Childhood Initiative: BPC’s Early Childhood Initiative is working to build a high-quality system of early care and education that supports all of America’s families. Early care and education programs, including child care, play a key role in ensuring that every child has the opportunity to build a quality foundation that will prepare them to learn, grow, and succeed. Child care also supports families and strengthens communities by allowing parents to participate in the labor force. However, millions of American families struggle to find quality, affordable child care in a safe, well-designed facility. The Early Childhood Initiative’s work focuses on engaging a diverse group of stakeholders-from parents and families to business and faith leaders-in creating an early childhood system that works for all children and families. The intern will work with project staff on writing and research, event planning, tracking news and congressional activity, and communications activities. Specific responsibilities will be determined based on the successful candidate’s interests and the needs of the projects.
Immigration and Workforce Policy: BPC advances policies that strengthen legal immigration and address the challenges at the border. While maintaining support for comprehensive immigration reform, BPC’s work has emphasized the economic, international competitiveness, and national security arguments for legal immigration reform and, in particular, the importance of legislative change to improve the system to meet societal and economic needs across the skill spectrum. Additionally, expanding legal avenues into our workforce is a key approach to better managing increased arrivals at our southern border. In addition to immigration, our workforce policy team works on several other issues impacting workers and families. Central among those are paid family leave and unemployment insurance. Our Paid Family Leave initiative works closely with members of Congress on multiple policy solutions to expand access to paid family leave. The intern will work with staff on research and writing, preparing material for private and public discourse, and monitoring current events and congressional activity. The internship will also include engagement in other functions of the project such as event planning, fundraising, and communications. Interns will be asked to handle multiple assignments and deadlines.
Operations Department: BPC’s Operations department is a functional team within BPC that consists of HR, IT and Facilities. Our HR team assists with benefits, full time recruitment, staff engagement, the internship program, IT assists with AV set up, IT infrastructure, and database management and facilities includes the maintenance and improvement of our office space. Our Operations team works as a key component in major decisions within BPC and operates as internal customer service for BPC employees. We are looking for an Operations Intern to support our team by performing various administrative tasks to support the department’s daily activities and take on various projects as we look to improve our processes. Your responsibilities will include a host of tasks in operations such as documenting HR processes, creating and maintaining onboarding and offboarding checklists, scheduling interviews, researching and drafting policies and processes, helping with IT set up and maintenance, set up of conference rooms and office space, drafting internal employee communications, researching our ability to increase our diversity candidate pipeline, staff engagement, learning and development, benefits, total rewards and working with facilities on a variety of projects.
Application Process
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until a qualified candidate has been identified. Please send an application for every internship you are interested in. Please do not send multiple submissions to the same internship. Incomplete applications and applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Due to the number of applications received, we are unable to contact those who have not been selected for an internship. No phone calls, please. citizens are eligible to apply but must have a valid work permit or visa verifying eligibility to work in the United States.
Early applications will be prioritized, but all applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.
BPC has no minimum GPA requirement.
We ask that you do not reach out regarding your internship application.
The Robert F. Bennett Award
The Robert F. Bennett Award was established in 2016 in memory of a consummate legislator who served Utah and the nation with tremendous distinction for three terms in the United States Senate. BPC will present a $1,500 award to each recipient. The application deadlines for the fall, spring, and summer semesters will be reflected accordingly on the Careers Page each semester.
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