He received his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearns has seven years of classroom experience, working in elementary education as a general-education teacher, literacy coach, and reading specialist. He has also provided professional development and done curriculum design for the National Center on Intensive Intervention, the University of California, Los Angeles, Vanderbilt University, the University of Oregon, the University of Texas, the national teacher program Teach For America, and independent charter school networks. Devin has worked with large and small school districts in urban and rural areas in all regions of the United States and with multiple school boards in Canada.