Since 2017, the D.C. Policy Center’s Education Policy Initiative has brought objective analyses to education conversations in the District of Columbia. The Education Policy Initiative’s research reflects the D.C. Policy Center’s broad urban policy perspective, making our work unique in the education research space.
We recognize that public schools factor into where families want to live; how public schools mix students from different backgrounds can increase opportunities (or amplify inequities); schools can shape neighborhoods, and vice versa, even in a unified school district with a great degree of choice; and that schools can alter how employers perceive the local workforce. Thinking of the public school system through this urban policy lens is important because it focuses the policymakers on what local laws and policies can do to bring about change.
Throughout our work, we highlight inequities in education, and how these tie to other areas such as housing and workforce policies. We seek to bring new data and information to help improve outcomes for D.C.’s students, especially those students furthest from opportunity.
State of D.C. Schools is an annual systemwide overview of public education in the District of Columbia. In school year 2023-24, D.C. showed strong system health with increased public school enrollment and improvement in educator retention. This report looks at the role of school in the lives of D.C. stakeholders, with a focus on learning outcomes, attendance challenges, and more.
Our D.C. Voices series elevates front-line perspectives, including government officials, practitioners, and community members.
My testimony today focuses on the Office of the State Superintendent’s FY 2026 budget proposal with attention to investments that drive post-pandemic recovery improvements to attendance and potential risks to …
Office of Education Through Employment Pathways The Mayor’s proposed budget shows continued investment in improving economic and education outcomes for the District’s residents, including $550,000 to support the Office of …
Public school enrollment in D.C. has grown for three consecutive years, including a 1 percent increase in school year 2024-25. Enrollment gains were strongest in middle and high school grades, …
Updated data released by the U.S. Department of Education show where D.C.’s high school class of 2022 began postsecondary for a two- or four-year degree, including graduates of District of …
As a guest writer for the DC Students Succeed blog, Senior Education Research Analyst Hannah Mason shared insights on the State of D.C. Schools 2023-24 report. She highlighted some of …
Postsecondary planning in D.C. plays a crucial role in helping students develop a clear path for their careers and education after high school. There is no widely agreed-on definition for …
Charts of the week are published every week in the D.C. Policy Center’s email newsletter. In addition to content created across the organization, the EPI team creates education-specific charts to illustrate relevant data.
Leave a voicemail for the Education Policy Initiative at (202) 223-2233, email us at contact@dcpolicycenter.org, or click any individual staff member for their email address.
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Now in research years 9 and 10, the Education Policy Initiative’s current two-year research agenda focuses on identifying trends in the new normal for D.C.’s public schools.
Hear from EPI experts and dig into our research at virtual and in-person events.
EPI experts are often interviewed and our research is frequently highlighted by the press.
These staff members are at the core of the Education Policy Initiative.
Our research is guided by a group of education researchers with deep knowledge of D.C.’s public schools and public school choice.
Matt Chingos
Urban Institute
Nora Gordon
Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy
Taylor White
New America
Jon Valant
Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institute
The D.C. Policy Center created the Education Policy Initiative in October of 2017 to focus on the intersection of education and demographics in D.C. Our Education Policy Initiative is supported by generous grants from Education Forward DC, the Bainum Family Foundation, and The Richard E. & Nancy P. Marriott Foundation.
