The D.C. Policy Center’s Education Policy Initiative is releasing its Transition to College or Career for the District’s High School Students report in June 2020. This report explores outcomes for D.C.’s students at the close of high school and as they become young adults transitioning into postsecondary or entering jobs.
You’re invited to join the D.C. Policy Center for an overview of the key findings from report lead author Chelsea Coffin. Then, a panel will discuss the report’s findings and implications for how this transition might be different during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by an audience Q&A. Panelists include:
- Erin Bibo, Deputy Chief, College and Career Education at DCPS
- Ahnna Smith, Executive Director of DC Workforce Investment Council
- Pat McGuire, President of Trinity Washington University
- Jennie Niles, President and CEO at CityWorks DC
- Jayla Holdip, University of Rochester student and Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS alumna
RSVP is free and strongly encouraged to help us structure the event for the right number of people. Thank you!
This event is now at capacity, but you can tune in via Facebook Live on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheDCPolicyCtr/videos/2708061276181640/
Event materials:
- Event program: https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Transition-to-College-or-Career-event-program.pdf
- One-page report highlights: https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Transition-to-College-or-Career-report-summary-sheet.pdf
- Full report: https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Transition-to-college-or-career_final.pdf
More About Transition to College or Career
Starting in pre-kindergarten, D.C.’s educators and schools are tasked with preparing their students for college and careers, but navigating the transition to life after high school can be challenging. An estimated 14 percent of the grade 9 cohort in D.C. will graduate from high school and complete postsecondary within six years of high school graduation. D.C.-born residents with a high school diploma earn an average income around $24,000 by the time they are 25 to 34 years old, which is less than half the average income for their counterparts with a postsecondary degree who earn an average of $56,000.
The transition for the class of 2020 will be even more challenging, as many D.C. high school students just completed a school year that was three weeks shorter than usual and included about nine weeks of distance learning. In recent weeks, economic hardship has increased significantly: Between March 13th and April 28th, 81,942 new unemployment claims were filed.