(Washington, DC) Working to transform the District of Columbia's high schools and help more students graduate from high school and achieve their dreams of a college education, a new coalition of education and community leaders, including Mayor Anthony Williams and Superintendent Clifford Janey, issued an agenda for action today to double the number of DC public school students who successfully complete college. The coalition began its efforts by releasing a report, Double the Numbers for College Success: A Call to Action for the District of Columbia. The study underscores the urgent problem of low graduation and college success rates for DC public school students, and provides an action plan to increase community support to help keep more students on track for success in and beyond high school. Select the link below to view the report:
The five-month study of the high school and college attainment of DC students was based on research conducted by The Bridgespan Group, a Boston nonprofit organization that provides management consulting and research services to help bring about social change. It was commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the Double the Numbers coalition, which includes the DC State Education Office (SEO), the DCPS, the DC Education Compact (DCEC) and the DC College Access Program (DC-CAP).
Mayor Anthony A. Williams said, "DC students have not yet fully realized their education potential. I am encouraged by the fact that the District has assembled school, program, District, business, and community leaders who have begun to address the challenge."
The research revealed some startling findings about DC public and charter school 9th grade students:
- 29 percent enrolled in college within 18 months of graduation
- Only nine percent are projected to attain a postsecondary degree within five years of enrollment