Jessica Giles’ Testimony at Committee of the Whole
Jessica Giles
Executive Director, DC
Education Reform Now Advocacy
DC Council’s Committee of the Whole Performance Oversight Hearing on:
● Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education
● District of Columbia Public Schools
● Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Good morning, Chairman Mendelson, Members, and Staff of the Committee of the Whole. My name is Jessica Giles. I am a ward seven resident and the Executive Director of the D.C. Chapter of Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA), an organization fighting for a just and equitable public education system for all students. At ERNA, we always put the needs of students first and we’re steadfastly focused on improving student attendance, literacy, math, and secondary pathways to college and career. Because l have limited time, my testimony today will focus on the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), and how we can continue to make progress in education in DC, and transform the lives of our students.
(1) Treat Student Attendance with the Urgency it Deserves
Chronic absenteeism and truancy is the number one issue facing our public education system.1 43% of students were chronically absent in the 2022-2023 school year, and 37% of students were truant (more than 1 and 3 students).2 Why does this matter? If students are not attending school daily or consistently, then they will fall behind in school and could drop out of school altogether. The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council released a report in 2020 that showed educational indicators have the largest magnitude of association with juvenile justice involvement, higher than homelessness and neglect/abuse.3 Youth with an average number of unexcused absences are 3.16 times more likely to become justice system involved than if they had no unexcused absences.4 Unfortunately, there are no magic solutions for addressing our attendance crisis. All of our agencies must play an active role in supporting student attendance. When faced with smaller budgets, schools must keep evidenced-based practices that work in driving student attendance, including nudge communications. I’ll end by asking: who is ultimately responsible for attendance? From my experience, when no one leads, nothing gets done.
(2) Become a Math Hub for Innovation and Research
Math helps students develop critical thinking skills and opens up career pathways. A student’s ability to pass Algebra I by the eighth grade is an indicator of future postsecondary success.5 However, in the 2022-2023 school year, nearly 8 out of 10 students who took the PARCC assessment in Math did not meet expectations.6 While OSSE’s Division of Teaching and Learning Professional Development offers resources on standards and implementation, assessments, instructional materials, distance learning, and professional development, there is no comprehensive, statewide PreK-8 mathematics strategy. A statewide strategy includes five elements: daily math instruction with high-quality content and instructional materials; support for teachers; assessments and parent notification; interventions; and resources for families and caregivers. The DC Council should pass legislation to establish a Mathematics Innovation and Research Task Force (“Task Force”), as there has been in literacy. As the ESSER cliff approaches and high-impact tutoring funds are spent, there must be a statewide strategy and interventions in place to continue providing support for students who struggle with math. Our civic leader Andre Aina will be testifying later today about the need for this statewide math strategy.
(3) Transform how Literacy is Taught in DC
Every student has a right to read. Reading is a fundamental skill that all students need to succeed in school, life, and career. Children must read on grade level by third grade regardless of where in the city they live and what school they attend. That is not currently the case and too many students and adults struggle to read in the District of Columbia. Last school year, 66.3 percent of students who took the English Language Arts section of the PARCC assessment did not meet expectations.7
For the last three years, ERNA DC has been advocating for the expansion of science of reading. We have been pleased by the Mayor and OSSE’s tremendous leadership in this area. OSSE has invested $20 million over five years and released a comprehensive literacy plan.8 Additionally, OSSE convened an Early Literacy Education Task Force last year, which culminated in the production of a high-quality report with four over-arching recommendations for expanding science of reading training to all elementary educators.9 Thanks to the leadership of Councilmember Pinto and Chairman Mendelson for funding this task force. Now, these recommendations must be implemented. Recently, we shared a sign-on letter on behalf of literacy advocates urging full investment in the science of reading. We urge the Mayor and DC Council to fully fund the recommendations in the report.
(4) Build Strong, Accessible College and Career Pathways for Students
About half of DC students enroll in college within six months of graduating, but only 8 out of 100 9th-grade cohort students will complete postsecondary education within six years of graduating high school.10 There are many consequences for students not earning a degree or credential that have an impact on their ability to earn a livable wage and the little data we have now indicates that 18 to 34 years of age make half of what transplants do: $31,658 v $58,547.11 To put bluntly, we are doing a great disservice to our students by not adequately preparing them for what comes next. Last November, ERNA’s affiliate organization, Education Reform Now DC, published a report titled, “D.C.’s Quiet Crisis in College Access & Completion,” which included several recommendations DC leaders can take to address these challenges.12
Rapidly Expand Dual Enrollment and Early College
Dual enrollment is known to lead to greater two-year and four-year college enrollment, degree attainment, and earnings six years after high school, with stronger effects for students who are traditionally underrepresented.13 Despite this fact, only 1,300 students (7%) of D.C. public high school students participated in these opportunities.14 Over the last year or so, the DME convened a dual enrollment working group with education stakeholders to figure out how to equitably scale up dual enrollment opportunities, and the office released a report titled, “Strengthening Student Access and Success in Dual Enrollment in Washington, DC: Report and Recommendations.”15 While OSSE has worked diligently to increase the number of students participating in dual enrollment opportunities over the last few years – this is not enough. We urge OSSE to double the number of dual enrollment seats in fiscal year 2025, enhance the program’s marketing, and collect data on student outcomes. This must include a strategy for expanding in-person cohort-based dual enrollment at local education agencies for students furthest from opportunities.
Maintain and Build out the Education to Employment Data System
DME officially launched the Education Through Employment Data System recently, which we are very excited about. We appreciate that there is an intention to ground the data in community feedback and cross-partner collaboration. We urge the Mayor and DC Council to maintain an investment in the Education to Employment data system in fiscal year 2025 and beyond, and to include a return-on-investment analysis on current career programming to see what works and what does not.
Implement a Strategy for Incentivizing Employers in High-Wage, High-Demand Career Fields
Lastly, the Deputy Mayor for Education and DC Council must identify incentives for employers to hire DC students, such as establishing a fund for employers in high-demand, high-wage industries to receive support for hiring DC students and removing barriers for them.
In closing, we want to thank Mayor Bowser for a proposed 12.4% increase to the foundation level of the uniform per student funding formula, or $14,668 per student, which includes educator pay. We applaud this investment and hope the DC Council approves it, as well as the charter facilities allotment. Still, we know that local education agencies (LEAs) in both sectors will have to make gut-wrenching decisions about their staffing and funding in FY 2025 due to lower revenue and the approaching ESSER cliff. We look forward to seeing the results of the DC Council-mandated adequacy study and ask the Committee of the Whole to ask for an update on its progress.
Thank you for letting me testify today. I am available for any questions you may have.
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1 Education Reform Now DC. 12 December 2023. ERN DC Testimony on Chronic Absenteeism & Truancy. Source: https://edreformnow.org/2023/12/13/ern-dc-testimony-on-chronic-absenteeism-truancy/
2 District of Columbia Attendance Report 2022-23 School Year. 30 November 2023. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/2022-23%20Attendance%20Report_FINAL_0.pdf
3 Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. November 2020. A Study of the Root Causes of Juvenile Justice System Involvement. Source: https://cjcc.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/cjcc/CJCC%20Root%20Cause%20Analysis%20Report_Compressed.pdf
4 Ibid
5 Predictors of Postsecondary Success. American Institutes for Resarch. Source: https://ccrscenter.org/sites/default/files/CCRS%20Center_Predictors%20of%20Postsecondary%20Success_final_0.pdf Accessed January 22, 2024.
6 OSSE. School year 2021-22 PARCC assessment results. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/2021-22%20District%20of%20Columbia%20Statewide%20Assessment%20Results%20Presentation.pdf
7 Ibid. School year 2021-22 PARCC assessment results.
8 Office of the State Superintendent of Education. District of Columbia Literacy Plan. December 2021. https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/CLP2021_Booklet2021_DecUpdate.pdf
9 Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Recommendations for Structured Literacy Instruction in the District of Columbia. September 2023. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Early%20Literacy%20Task%20Force%20Report.pdf
10 DC Policy Center. Coffin, Chelsea and Julie Rubin. State of D.C. Schools, 2021-22. D.C. Policy Center, 15 March 2023, www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/schools-21-22/.
11 DC Policy Center. Coffin, Chelsea and Julie Rubin. Measuring Early Career Outcomes in D.C. Policy Center, 17 Nov. 2021, www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/measuring-outcomes/.
12 Education Reform Now DC. “D.C.’s Quiet Crisis in College Access & Completion.” 1 November 2023. Source: https://edreformnow.org/2023/11/01/new-report-highlights-d-c-s-quiet-crisis-in-college-access-completion/
13 College in High School Alliance. “Evidence of Success.” Source: collegeinhighschool.org/what-we-do/evidence-of-success/
14 Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education. “Strengthening Student Access and Success in Dual Enrollment in Washington, DC: Report and Recommendations.” 11 December 2023. Source: https://dme.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dme/publication/attachments/Strengthening%20DC%20Student%20Access%20and%20Success%20in%20Dual%20Enrollment_0.pdf
15 iBid.
