Initiatives

Advancing education in the nation’s capital.

Explore our innovative investments that transform the learning experience in DC Public Schools.

Showing 11 Initiatives

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Current Initiative

Beyond the Bell

Beyond the Bell enriches the middle school experience for DC Public School students by expanding access to youth sports, clubs, and immersive activities. Aligned with DCPS’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, this initiative helps students grow, connect, and thrive by doubling afterschool enrichment opportunities and boosting students’ sense of belonging.

Current Initiative

High School Redesign

In February 2022, DCPS and XQ launched “DC+XQ”, a multi-year partnership to reimagine the high school experience in the nation’s capital. This community-led initiative brings together teachers, families, students, and community members to imagine what’s possible for DCPS’ high school students.

25M
Dollars in redesign investments
6
High Schools currently undergoing whole-school community co-design, rethinking all aspects of the school model
6,000+
Community stakeholders engaged in the redesign efforts since 2022
Current Initiative

Equity Centered Principal Pipeline

DCPS works in partnership with Universities and Community Organizations leaders to create, design, and implement an equity-centered leadership pipeline where educators and the students they serve feel loved, challenged, and make an impact on Washington D.C. and the world at-large.

5.8M
Dollars raised
26
DCPS doctoral and masters students starting at Howard University and George Washington University this fall
2
local teacher and school leader degree programs co-designed with an explicit focus on equity
Current Initiative

DCPS Becoming

DC Public Schools (DCPS) is committed to ensuring that every student feels supported, challenged, and prepared for success. As part of this vision, DCPS is embracing a whole-child approach to teaching and learning—one that prioritizes academic engagement, social-emotional growth, and a strong sense of belonging for both students and educators.

20+
Schools participating or have completed whole-child model implementation program
116
DCPS schools with a whole child lead
700+
Staff who have attended and graduated from Antiracist Educator University (ARE-U) in the last two years.
Current Initiative

DCPS Persists

DCPS Persists is the first college completion initiative ever led by a traditional public school district in the country. For the first time, DCPS is providing college-bound students with a support network to help them succeed and complete college.

$9.2M
Raised to support DCPS Persists
2,000+
DCPS alums receiving coaching and supports including workshops, career readiness opportunities, and community building in pursuit of their post-secondary degree.
$322K
Microgrants awarded to assist over 1,000 first-year students overcome unexpected financial barriers to persistence and completion.
Current Initiative

DC Reading Clinic

The DC Reading Clinic launched in 2018 to meet two critical needs at once: offering intense, one-on-one decoding sessions for DCPS’ most struggling readers, and providing clinical apprenticeships for DCPS educators to become literacy experts. The Clinic now operates in three locations across the city.

1.5X
Rate of expected reading growth for DCRC students
100%
Rate of Clinic-trained teacher who would recommend the experience to their peers
10,000+
Students directly impacted by the coaching and instructional support offered by the DC Reading Clinic in the last 5+ years.
Past Initiative

High School Redesign (Anacostia and Ballou High School)

In 2019, DCPS launched a High School redesign initiative, the district’s first community-driven transformation strategy beginning with Anacostia HS and Ballou HS. Grounded on human centered practices, redesign teams lead schools through a year long incubation journey that transform schools with and for them versus aiming solutions “at” them.

$3M
Dollars in redesign investments
1900
Stakeholders involved in the redesign process, including students, parents, staff, and community partners
51% + 26%
Increase in 9th grade enrollment at Ballou and Anacostia following the redesign efforts
Past Initiative

Bard High School Early College DC (Bard DC)

Bard DC is a four-year public high school that offers students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma, up to 60 transferable college credits, and an associate in arts degree from Bard College. As the first stand alone early college high school East of the River, Bard DC is moving the finish line for students motivated by getting an early start to college.

125%
Enrollment increase since SY 2019
100%
Bard DC on-time cohort graduation rate in 2021 and 2022.
100%
Bard students who have earned associates degree by high school graduation in class of 2022, saving an average of $92k/student in college credit costs.
Past Initiative

Learning Together to Advance our Practice (LEAP)

LEAP built on the early success of IMPACTplus taking the quality of instruction from good to great. At the core, LEAP is about helping teachers become true subject-matter experts so that every student across the city experiences rich, engaging, and challenging instruction every day.

500+
LEAP leaders enrolled annually
54,000+
Seminars completed since launch
110,000+
Coaching sessions completed since launch
Past Initiative

Cornerstones

Cornerstones introduced high-quality, powerful lessons and student experiences across every grade, every ward, and every content area including ELA, math, science, social studies, art, health, PE, and world languages.

150+
Cornerstone experiences designed and implemented
25,000
Number of 2nd graders to-date that have learned how to ride a bike
900,000+
Number of students nationwide who have experienced Cornerstones
Past Initiative

IMPACT and IMPACTplus

IMPACT was the very first investment: a rigorous teacher accountability system that sparked a student-performance minded culture across DCPS. Over the years, its evolved into IMPACTplus, which added results-driven compensation and career paths which set new records for teacher and school leader retention across the district.

93%
Retention of highly effective teachers
94%
Retention of the best teachers in high-poverty schools
98%
Retention of highly effective principals

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