What We’re Learning: How Strategic Investments Expand What’s Possible for Students

DC Ed Fund Team

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2 min read

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June 11, 2026

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Eighth graders at a whiteboard, debating about a rectangle.

That’s the scene I walked into back this March while paying a visit to MacFarland Middle School. Sarah Bax, a DC Math Hub Bright Spots Math Fellow, had students working collaboratively in small groups at a whiteboard, a practice highlighted in Building Thinking Classrooms by Dr. Peter Liljedahl. The question on the table: if you hold a rectangle’s perimeter steady while adjusting the lengths of the sides, what happens to its area? They built tables and graphed their results, beginning to see the relationship take shape for themselves. Around the room, students compared strategies, defended their reasoning, and revised their thinking in real time.

None of that is accidental. It’s the kind of teaching we built the Capital Math Collective to spread. Backed by a $20 million grant we recently secured, the Capital Math Collective pairs teacher coaching with high-dosage tutoring and genuine family engagement. The goal is plain, yet ambitious: make DCPS the first urban school district in the country where every student beats the national average in math by 2030.

At the DC Education Fund, we play a critical role in the city’s ability to invest in these types of solutions. Our organization was founded in 2007 to help DCPS address its most pressing challenges through organized philanthropy. As an independent organization, our team raises significant private dollars that allow the school district to try new things, figure out what works, and deliver it to more students. In effect, we’re DCPS’ very own venture fund.

The DC Education Fund has raised more than $225 million in private investment to reimagine how students learn, support educators in their work, and expand what an urban public school district can achieve. We mobilize philanthropy and turn bold ideas into fundable strategies, connecting DC Public Schools with the partners and resources needed to build and strengthen successful programs. By helping align resources with district priorities, we enable DCPS to move faster, learn from what works, and bring proven solutions to more students and educators across the city.

From ensuring classrooms are equipped with rich, standards-aligned instructional materials to reimagining the high school experience and boosting enrichment offerings for middle schoolers. From supporting college completion to building a pipeline of talented principals to establishing a reading clinic that offers intense, one-on-one decoding sessions for DCPS’ most struggling readers, the DC Education Fund helps make all of that work possible.

Today, DCPS is the nation’s fast-improving urban school district, ranking first in the nation for post-pandemic academic recovery among all 50 states.

While opportunity gaps persist and proficiency in reading and math highlight the need for continued progress, DCPS is beating the odds on a number of important metrics. Graduation rates are at an all-time high, enrollment is climbing and teacher and principal retention is strong. Many of these gains have been supported by investments made possible through the DC Education Fund, and we stand committed to equipping DCPS with the support necessary to ensure more students are prepared to succeed in school, in the workforce, and in life.

This is the first post in a new series, “What We’re Learning,” where we’ll share the successes and challenges we’ve experienced during the nearly 20 years of fundraising and launching new initiatives, including digging into the wins, stumbles, and data gleaned from our most impactful programs. We’ll also shine a light on the educators, school leaders, and schools doing exceptional work, and explore what others can learn from their success.

At a moment when we’re focused on scaling what works, we’ve cultivated a deep knowledge bank that we hope can inform replicable best practices across the country. We hope you’ll follow along!

Authored by Jim Kline, Executive Director & President

Quarterly Newsletter | DC Ed Fund

From leading the nation in academic recovery to celebrating student achievement, it's been an exciting year for DC public education. Our latest newsletter highlights the partnerships, progress, and people helping expand opportunities for DC students, including the Class of 2026, the first-ever Capital Math Classic, career-connected learning at Phelps ACE, and more.