Hannah Mason - D.C. Policy Center

Hannah Mason is the Senior Education Research Analyst at the D.C. Policy Center.

Prior to joining the Policy Center in 2023, Hannah served as Emergent Bilingual Coordinator and Instructional Coach at Nashville, Tennessee. She was most proud of her abilities to build community amongst her students, drive language acquisition success, and advocate tirelessly for equity in and outside of the classroom for her students. In addition, she began her teaching career in Houston, Texas where her love of literacy and language blossomed.

Hannah is originally from Dublin, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor’s in religion and teaching English to speakers of other languages from The University of Georgia. Hannah graduated from Vanderbilt University with an Master’s in Public Policy concentrating in K-12 Education Policy.

Written By Hannah Mason

Articles | Education

Guest blog: State of D.C. Schools, 2023-24: Strong system health and modest progress

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 the report’s main findings, including that D.C. schools showed strong educator retention and modest progress in student learning outcomes.

March 21, 2025 | Hannah Mason

Articles | D.C. Voices | Education | Student experience

D.C. Voices: Postsecondary Planning

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 postsecondary planning, but it generally includes a wide set of practices and strategies aimed at preparing students for successful college and/or career…

March 19, 2025 | Hannah Mason

Testimony | Education | Education Policy | Student experience

D.C. has strong system health and modest improvements towards academic recovery

D.C.’s increasing teacher retention reflects strong signs of system health. In school year 2023-24, 74 percent of teachers returned to their same school and role — a three-percentage point increase from the previous year. This positive trend continues, with 76 percent of teachers returning to their same school and role for the…

March 7, 2025 | Hannah Mason

Articles | D.C. Voices | Education

D.C. Voices: Dual language programs in D.C. schools

D.C. has a high degree of public-school choice, with the majority of students and families in D.C. choosing to attend a school other than their in-boundary school. A 2021 survey of parents in the D.C. area revealed that school quality was the top reason for making a decision about where their students…

December 11, 2024 | Hannah Mason

Testimony | Education | Schools

D.C.’s chronic absenteeism rates are decreasing, but still are higher than pre-pandemic. Insights from stakeholders shed light on why, what’s working, and what’s not

As of March 2024, data show that across all D.C.’s public schools, chronic absenteeism improved by 4.3 percentage points over the same time during the previous year, and a majority of schools improved by at least one percentage point. Chronic truancy, which focuses on unexcused absences only, has improved by 5.2 percentage…

November 13, 2024 | Hannah Mason

Testimony | Education | Schools

Improving teacher retention rates by specialization and subject is key to improving student outcomes

Urban districts tend to have lower teacher retention than other areas. In school year 2021-22, for example, teacher turnover was the highest (12 to 14 percent) in urban districts, high-poverty districts, and districts predominately serving students of color. One study across nine large urban school districts showed that, between October 2022 and…

October 29, 2024 | Hannah Mason

Testimony | Education | Student experience

Truancy should be addressed through evidence based, non-punitive measures

Compared to neighboring counties and closest cities, D.C. has one of the highest chronic absenteeism rates, which includes excused absences and unexcused absences that count toward truancy. In Maryland, where attendance requirements are similar to D.C. at half of the day to be counted present, Baltimore’s chronic absenteeism rate of 54 percent…

June 26, 2024 | Hannah Mason

Articles | D.C. Voices | Education | Education Policy | Schools

D.C. Voices: Improving early literacy outcomes

The District invests in early literacy at the systems level, especially in recent years. Since Fiscal Year 2016, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) has provided funding over time to a small number of non-profit, community-based organizations that provide early literacy services for students in the District or districts…

May 16, 2024 | Hannah Mason

Articles | D.C. Voices | Education

D.C. Voices: Planning for the end of ESSER funding

From fiscal year 2019 to 2024, the budget for District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools in D.C. rose from $1.7 billion to at least $2.6 billion, marking a 56 percent increase while enrollment grew by 9 percent. This expansion was fueled not only by increases to the Uniform Per…

February 22, 2024 | Hannah Mason

Testimony | Education | Schools | Student experience

Chronic absenteeism is still higher than pre-pandemic, especially in high school grades

On December 12th, 2023, Senior Education Research Analyst at the Education Policy Initiative, Hannah Mason, testified before the D.C. Council Committee of the Whole, at its public hearing on chronic absenteeism and chronic truancy in the District.

December 11, 2023 | Hannah Mason

Chart of the week | Education | Student experience | Transportation

Chart of the week: Ridership for students is on the rebound but still not at pre-pandemic levels

While multiple factors may have contributed to this slower recovery, data suggest that fewer students are interested in the Kids Ride Free program. As of January 2023, 44 percent of kindergarten through grade 12 students had requested and received a MetroCard. This share was 68 percent of students at its peak during school year 2019-2020.

November 17, 2023 | Hannah Mason

Articles | Criminal Justice | D.C. Voices | Education | Student experience

D.C. Voices: Juvenile Justice

We asked individuals from multiple institutions that serve incarcerated youth to find out more about how D.C. can better serve its incarcerated youth.

November 1, 2023 | Hannah Mason

Chart of the week | Education

Chart of the week: D.C. teachers earn 55 cents for every dollar principals earn—but more overall than in most nearby jurisdictions

DC teacher and principal salaries are both higher than the national average and surrounding areas with the exception of New York City. The National Teacher and Principal Surveys uses representative data to demonstrate just how much these occupations earn annually.

August 3, 2023 | Hannah Mason