District of Columbia Public Schools

In this project, the researchers will explore career development opportunities (CDOs) for middle and high school students in Washington, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS), with the goal of informing decisions that support schools' ability to prepare students equitably and effectively for entry into the workforce. Attaining a stable, family-sustaining, fulfilling career requires individuals have technical skills, professional competencies, education or certifications, social and emotional aptitudes,...

DCPS has worked to increase student reading proficiency in the early elementary grades but has found it difficult to help the lowest performing students in grade 1 and 2 reach proficiency by grade 3. The project carried out two studies seeking to identify the malleable factors linked to disparities in K-3 student reading success. Study 1 integrated multiple DCPS datasets for 77 elementary schools of which 58 serve primarily low-income students. Study 2 involved direct observation and intervi...

In this project, researchers from the University of Maryland at College Park (UMD) will partner with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) to examine their district-wide implementation of blended learning in K-8 English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms. Blended learning that combines online and face-to-face instruction is a fast-rising strategy in public schools. However, blended learning programs can be implemented in many different ways, and with many different technology platforms...

The partnership of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), University of Virginia (UVA), and Stanford University focused on the development and analysis of student, teacher, and school administrative data from DCPS to understand the effects of IMPACT: The DCPS Effectiveness Assessment System for School-Based Personnel on student achievement and guide its ongoing design refinements. In addition, researchers worked closely with policymakers to understand better the strategic and instit...

Upon assuming office in January, Mayor Adrian Fenty identified education as the top priority of his administration. He joins the District's State Education Agency, the administrators of its multiple LEAs, its university and foundation partners, all of whom have since stressed accountability, transparency, and data-driven decision-making as key tenets of their approach to improving educational outcomes for the District's children.