Tanaz Meghjani - D.C. Policy Center

Tanaz Meghjani served on the D.C. Policy Center staff as an Education Analyst from September 2019 to July 2021.

In this role, Tana conducted data analysis and supported the Policy Center’s Education Policy Initiative. Prior to joining the D.C. Policy Center, Tanaz worked as a Consultant at Quadrant Strategies, a research and strategy firm based in Washington, D.C. She has also worked as an analyst at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and as a researcher at Paste Magazine.

Tanaz is originally from Atlanta, GA and holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University.

Written By Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | Education | Student experience

D.C. public schools’ plans for instruction in school year 2020-21

In October 2020, all 67 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in the District submitted their Continuous Education and School Recovery Plans (CEPs), providing information on what changes they were aiming to implement during school year 2020-21 to best serve their students. The plans were mandated by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)…

July 27, 2021 | Tanaz Meghjani

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

D.C. Voices: Professional development for teachers in summer 2021

In focus groups conducted by the D.C. Policy Center in August 2020, some teachers reported that when D.C.’s public and public charter schools transitioned to distance learning in March, they didn’t have the tools they needed to design and deliver virtual lesson plans. They didn’t know how to best engage students in…

June 24, 2021 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | Education

Outcomes for high school students during the pandemic

High school students in D.C. have been especially impacted by the pandemic. In an EmpowerK12 survey of 2,500 public charter school students, high schoolers’ responses indicated that they were the least confident in their ability to succeed during distance learning compared to students in other grade bands.[i] Although some have thrived in…

May 12, 2021 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | D.C. Voices | Education | Student experience

D.C. Voices: Summer 2021 programming to address learning loss and student well-being

For students at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), and many public charter schools, the 2020-21 school year will end on or around June 24, 2021. After the academic year ends, many students will participate in summer programs to address reduced learning and socialization over the last year. In 2017, at least…

May 5, 2021 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | D.C. Voices | Education

D.C. Voices: Lessons learned after a year of virtual instruction

On March 24, 2020 – exactly one year ago – D.C. public schools and many public charter schools began their first day of distance learning. The D.C. Policy Center’s State of D.C. Schools report documents how students, parents, and teachers (representing the most directly impacted groups) experienced this transition to virtual instruction.[i]…

March 25, 2021 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | Education | Student experience

Challenges outside of school for D.C.’s students and families during the pandemic

Health The health impacts of the pandemic have been concentrated among Black and Latino residents, likely related to unequal access to healthcare and essential work status across race and ethnicity lines, among other factors. As of February 15, 2021, residents of Wards 7 and 8 accounted for 28 percent of the District’s…

March 9, 2021 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | D.C. Voices | Education

D.C. Voices: School priorities for the District’s new research-practice partnership

What does a successful research-practice partnership look like? In 2018, the D.C. Council enacted legislation to create a research-practice partnership (RPP) in support of actionable, independent research for the District’s education sector. An education research-practice partnership is a collaborative engagement between researchers and education agencies that aims to identify paths for continued…

February 4, 2021 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | D.C. Voices | Education | Public Health

D.C. Voices: Data suggest a decline in routine vaccinations during COVID-19

In D.C., students are required to receive certain vaccines to attend school,[1] a practice that increases community protections against potentially life-threatening diseases. However, data show that routine vaccination rates among kindergarteners in D.C. are declining, and had been even before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 school years, the…

January 14, 2021 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | D.C. Voices | Education | Student experience

D.C. Voices: Transitioning to postsecondary school or the workforce during the pandemic

The public health and economic crises caused by COVID-19 have created additional challenges for students who are navigating the transition from high school to postsecondary school or to the workforce. High school seniors in spring 2020 found it difficult to visit schools, complete the necessary tests, apply for financial aid, and discuss…

December 3, 2020 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | D.C. Voices | Education | Schools

D.C. Voices: How can we safely and successfully transition to in-person learning?

As the District takes steps to identify what changes need to be made to safely and successfully transition back to in-person learning, the D.C. Policy Center reached out to school leaders, parents, teachers, and students to ask: In short term, what changes would make students, teachers, and staff feel safe attending school in person? What academic and socio-emotional supports would ensure student success? What about in the medium and long-term?

November 5, 2020 | Tanaz Meghjani

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

D.C. Voices: Distance learning supports for students with disabilities and English learners

The shift to distance learning last spring created access and language barriers for some of D.C.’s most vulnerable students, including students with disabilities and English learners. In this installment of our D.C. Voices series, we asked, how are schools serving students with disabilities and English learners during distance learning this fall? What lessons were learned last spring?

September 23, 2020 | Tanaz Meghjani

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

D.C. Voices: Rebooting distance learning

On July 30, 2020, Mayor Bowser announced that D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) would begin the 2020-21 school year entirely virtually. Most public charter schools have made similar decisions, including the city’s two largest charter networks: KIPP DC PCS and Friendship PCS. This virtual start will follow a shortened 2019-2020 school year that…

August 27, 2020 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | D.C. Voices | Education | Enrollment

D.C. Voices: What factors are parents weighing as they make enrollment decisions for their children?

On July 30, 2020, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that public schools in the District would start the academic year virtually and remain that way until November 6, 2020. This announcement does not apply to the city’s public charter schools, which educate nearly half of the city’s public school students. While a…

August 11, 2020 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | D.C. Voices | Education | Schools

D.C. Voices: How will facilities and operations adapt when schools reopen?

On May 22, 2020, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that D.C. Public Schools would begin its next school year on August 31. Public charter schools are determining their start dates independently, but it’s likely that some will align their calendars with DCPS. It remains uncertain whether students will attend school in-person, learn virtually,…

June 11, 2020 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | COVID-19 | D.C. Voices | Education | Student experience

D.C. Voices: The challenges of distance learning

In response to COVID-19 social distancing protocols, educators in D.C. have had to confront the daunting task of virtually teaching almost a hundred thousand students. It’s crucial to continue supporting schools in navigating this transition, but it’s also important to recognize that distance learning cannot provide the same experience as traditional schooling….

April 21, 2020 | Tanaz Meghjani

Articles | Education | Educational equity

Student achievement is on the rise, but critical gaps persist

The D.C. Policy Center’s State of D.C. Schools, 2018-19 report highlighted where D.C.’s traditional public and public charter schools have made progress as well as where targeted improvements are still necessary. Learning outcomes can be examined in the same way – student achievement on D.C.’s state assessment is on the rise, but large…

March 5, 2020 | Tanaz Meghjani