News Room

Professional Development, Leadership Opportunities & Events

New: School Year 2025-26 School Year Immunization Policy and Updated Immunization Resources 
New: 2025-26 School Year Enrollment Audit and Child Count Handbook and Training Materials
New: Free or Low-Cost Education Technology Partnership with Accelerate
2025-26 School Year LEA Course Data Collection Process Now Open (Reminder)
Start of School Guidance for Students who Require Nursing Services (Reminder)
First Year Cadre for School Behavioral Health Providers (Reminder)
Request for Information for Impartial Hearing ��ѻ��ýrs and Community Review Panel (Update)
2025 Special Education Performance Report (SEPR) - Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023 (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal FAQs for LEAs Available (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Reminder)

New: Next Gen Personal Finance Virtual Conference, Aug. 23
Foundational Literacy for Multilingual Adolescent Learners, Sept. 8 (Reminder)
Dyslexia Awareness Trainings: Sept. 4, 12, and 23 (Reminder)
WMATA Transit Police Annual Back-to-School-Bash, Aug. 23 (Reminder)

FY26 IDEA and ESEA Allocations Update (Reminder)
FY26 Whole Child and Educator Wellness (WCEW) Grant Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)(Reminder)

View the LEA Look Forward for Aug. 8, 2025.

LEA Look Forward for Aug. 8, 2025

arrien.davison — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:17:17 +0000

Friday, August 8, 2025

Professional Development, Leadership Opportunities & Events

New: 2025-26 School Year LEA Course Data Collection Process Now Open
New: Start of School Guidance for Students who Require Nursing Services
New: Advancing the Recruitment and Retention of Our Workforce (ARROW) 2025-26 Cohort
Request for Information for Impartial Hearing ��ѻ��ýrs and Community Review Panel (Update)
2025 Special Education Performance Report (SEPR) - Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023 (Reminder)
Guide for Developing a School Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (Reminder)
OSSE to Launch Start of School Newsletter for Special Education, Aug. 19 (Reminder)
Resources for Helping Students and Staff Navigate Metro’s New Bus Network (Reminder)
OSSE Start of School Webpages are Now Live (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal FAQs for LEAs Available (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Update)

New: Foundational Literacy for Multilingual Adolescent Learners, Sept. 8
New: Dyslexia Awareness Trainings: Sept. 4, 12, and 23
WMATA Transit Police Annual Back-to-School-Bash, Aug. 23 (Reminder)

New: FY26 IDEA and ESEA Allocations Update
New: FY26 Whole Child and Educator Wellness (WCEW) Grant Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)
OSSE Grantee Reimbursement Request Submission Policy (Reminder)

View the LEA Look Forward for Aug. 1, 2025.

OSSE Inaugurates the Second Cohort of the OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching Program

arrien.davison — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 15:02:41 +0000

Monday, August 4, 2025

Today, the ��ѻ��ý of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) hosted its second annual OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching “Signing Day” to formally welcome 28 apprentices into the 2025 cohort of the program. The OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching program is the District of Columbia’s first citywide registered apprenticeship for aspiring K-12 teachers and a strategy to build an educator pipeline in high-demand subject areas.

“Teachers are the most important in-school factor for students’ academic achievement. OSSE remains committed to strengthening local educator pipelines so that every student has consistent access to high-quality instruction,” said State Superintendent Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell. “We are very impressed that such an impressive group of the District’s paraprofessionals and high-impact tutors continue to show sustained interest in this apprenticeship in its second year, and we look forward to supporting our newest cohort in their journey toward leading DC classrooms.”

developed the DC Apprenticeship in Teaching program in 2024 -- in partnership with the Department of Employment Services (DOES) and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) -- to remove barriers to entering the teaching profession by providing cost-free pathways for District paraprofessionals and high-impact tutors to become certified teachers in three citywide high-demand subject areas: early childhood, elementary, and special education.

The DOES DC Apprenticeship Council approved the OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching program as a registered apprenticeship in April 2024. OSSE received significant interest in the program for its second year in a row, with more than 175 applications submitted over six weeks, demonstrating strong demand for available program opening in FY26. As part of its second application cycle, OSSE welcomed applications from current paraprofessionals and high-impact tutors (HIT), who could apply through a new apprentice pathway, the HIT Pathway.

With the inauguration of the second cohort, this program is now active in all eight wards, across 52 schools and 18 local education agencies (LEAs), demonstrating remarkable scale and significant investment in innovative preparation pathways that capitalize on the local educator talent pipeline.

“The University of the District of Columbia is proud to continue our partnership with OSSE in preparing the next generation of educators through the Apprenticeship in Teaching program,” said Dr. Ayanna Kelley, UDC Assistant Professor of Education and Program Director. “Having worked closely with the first cohort, we’ve witnessed firsthand the power of combining clinical preparation with accessible pathways into the profession. We look forward to welcoming the second cohort and remain committed to supporting aspiring educators as they grow into transformative leaders for DC classrooms.”

the new schoolyear begins, selected apprentices will continue working in their current LEAs as paraprofessionals, while completing coursework toward a bachelor’s degree at UDC in the evening. Throughout their time as apprentices in the program, OSSE, UDC and their school leaders will monitor the apprentices’ progress in demonstrating proficiency on OSSE-developed on-the-job competencies which highlight the key skills and concepts necessary to be an effective new teacher.

"Teachers are the heart and soul of our schools,” said Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn. “We are thrilled to provide ongoing opportunities for our DC residents to choose teaching as a career. Building a strong pipeline of talented, diverse educators is a top priority, and the OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching program is a powerful tool to achieve that.”

During Signing Day, apprentices heard remarks from Dr. Mitchell and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Elizabeth Ross. To set a strong foundation for the years to come, they were led through a reflective exercise by the 2025 DC Teacher of the Year Jazzmyne Townsend. The event also featured a panel of current public and public charter school apprentices who offered words of wisdom and guidance to the new cohort. Finally, the cohort signed their OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching agreements and publicly committed to serving District students upon completing the program.

OSSE continues to significantly advance quality teacher preparation and local educator pipeline pathways in the District. In addition to the sustained success of the OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching program, OSSE recently launched its inaugural DC Educator Workforce Summit: Strengthening the Local Teacher Pipeline. Nearly 100 LEA and educator preparation provider leaders gathered at UDC in June to analyze citywide workforce trends, discuss characteristics of high-quality teacher preparation and consider how partnerships can address current and future LEA hiring needs.

OSSE also released its first Educator Preparation Provider Landscape Brief in June, which provides details and highlight on trends in local teacher preparation. The brief also spotlights DC’s increasingly high teacher retention rates, which reflect the investments the District has made in our educators and their professional growth. In the 2024-25 school year, 84 percent of teachers were retained as teachers in DC, and 76 percent of teachers were retained as teachers in the same school at which they taught in the 2023-24 school year. The 2024-25 school year same-school retention rate is 2 percentage points higher than it was during the 2023-24 school year (76 vs. 74 percent), and the overall retention rate in DC schools is 4 percentage points higher than during the 2022-23 school year (83 vs. 87 percent).

learn more about OSSE investments in training programs for educators, such as the OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching program, and other initiatives to strengthen the District’s educator workforce, visit the OSSE Educator Pipelines, Preparation and Supports webpage.

LEA Look Forward for Aug. 1, 2025

arrien.davison — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 14:10:55 +0000

Friday, August 1, 2025

Professional Development, Leadership Opportunities & Events

New: 2025 Special Education Performance Report (SEPR) - Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023
New: 2025 Impartial Hearing ��ѻ��ýr - ��ѻ��ý by Aug. 31
New: WMATA Transit Police Annual Back-to-School-Bash, Aug. 23
Guide for Developing a School Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (Reminder)
OSSE to Launch Start of School Newsletter for Special Education, Aug. 19 (Reminder)
Resources for Helping Students and Staff Navigate Metro’s New Bus Network (Reminder)
OSSE Start of School Webpages are Now Live (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal FAQs for LEAs Available (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Update)

LEA Enrollment Audit and Child Count Handbook and Webinar (Reminder)
Application Now Open for 2025-26 Superintendent’s Advisory Councils (Reminder)
Discipline Data Collection Training Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 (Reminder)
Science of Behavior Workshop, Wednesday, Aug. 13 (Reminder)
Culturally Responsive Behavior Intervention Plan, Wednesday, Sept. 3 (Reminder)

OSSE Grantee Reimbursement Request Submission Policy (Reminder)

View the LEA Look Forward for July 25, 2025.

LEA Look Forward for July 25, 2025

arrien.davison — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 17:31:32 +0000

Friday, July 25, 2025

Professional Development, Leadership Opportunities & Events

New: Guide for Developing a School Cardiac Emergency Response Plan
New: OSSE to Launch Start of School Newsletter for Special Education
New: Resources for Helping Students, Staff Navigate Metro’s New Bus Network
OSSE Start of School Webpages are Now Live (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal FAQs for LEAs Available (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Update)

New: LEA Enrollment Audit and Child Count Handbook and Webinar
New: Application Now Open for 2025-26 Superintendent’s Advisory Councils
Discipline Data Collection Training Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 (Reminder)
Science of Behavior Workshop, Wednesday, Aug. 13 (Reminder)
Culturally Responsive Behavior Intervention Plan, Wednesday, Sept. 3 (Reminder)

New: OSSE Grantee Reimbursement Request Submission Policy
Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Whole Child and Educator Wellness (WCEW) Grant (Reminder)

View the LEA Look Forward for July 18, 2025.

LEA Look Forward for July 18, 2025

arrien.davison — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:45:51 +0000

Friday, July 18, 2025

Professional Development, Leadership Opportunities & Events

New: OSSE Start of School Webpages are Now Live
New: OSSE Parent Portal FAQs for LEAs Available
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Update)
STOP THE BLEED® Kits and Training for Public Charter Schools (Reminder)
School Gardens in the District are Thriving (Reminder)

New: Discipline Data Collection Training Aug. 13 and Aug. 20
Science of Behavior Workshop, Wednesday, Aug. 13 (Reminder)
Culturally Responsive Behavior Intervention Plan, Wednesday, Sept. 3 (Reminder)
Tiered Behavior Solutions Workshop, Aug. 21-22 (Reminder)
Summer 2025 School Climate Trainings (Reminder)
WIDA Scaffolding Learning Through Language Workshop, Aug. 5-7 (Reminder)

New: Update on Title and AEFLA Grant Funding
Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Whole Child and Educator Wellness (WCEW) Grant (Reminder)

View the LEA Look Forward for July 11, 2025.

LEA Look Forward for July 11, 2025

arrien.davison — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 19:08:27 +0000

Friday, July 11, 2025

Professional Development, Leadership Opportunities & Events

STOP THE BLEED® Kits and Training for Public Charter Schools (Reminder)
School Gardens in the District are Thriving (Reminder)
DC SAYS Data is Available (Reminder)
Back-to-School Supply Grants from LifeChanger of the Year (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Reminder)

New: Science of Behavior Workshop, Wednesday, Aug. 13
New: Culturally Responsive Behavior Intervention Plan, Wednesday, Sept. 3
Mindfulness for Educators Summer Institute, Friday, July 18 (Reminder)
Tiered Behavior Solutions Workshop, Aug. 21-22 (Reminder)
Summer 2025 School Climate Trainings (Reminder)
WIDA Scaffolding Learning Through Language Workshop, Aug. 5-7 (Reminder)
ASVAB Career Exploration Program (Reminder)

New: FY26 ESEA Title Grants Update
New: Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Whole Child and Educator Wellness (WCEW) Grant

View the LEA Look Forward for July 3, 2025.

OSSE Celebrates Top Schools in the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative

arrien.davison — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:20:36 +0000

Friday, July 11, 2025

Today, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell recognized the top DC schools that made significant gains in the number of students who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a key step in the college application process for thousands of DC student each year, as part of the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative.

“At OSSE, we are driven by the belief that every student who wants a college degree should have the opportunity to pursue one—and completing the FAFSA is a crucial first step,” said State Superintendent Dr. Mitchell. “Congratulations to the DC schools that have made remarkable gains on the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative – you are literally opening doors to higher education for students through this initiative. We are proud to stand with you in making college more accessible for all.”  

To help boost the number of high school seniors applying to colleges and universities each year, the ��ѻ��ý of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) launched the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative. The initiative encourages public and public charter schools, as well as and community-based organizations that serve DC high school students, to set a goal to increase the proportion of their high school seniors who complete the FAFSA by 3 percent from the prior year.

To celebrate DC’s college-bound students and recognize schools for their efforts in boosting FAFSA completion among students, OSSE awards a trophy to schools in three categories: MVP Award for highest FAFSA completion rate; Most Improved Award for improving their FAFSA completion rate the most compared to last year; and Biggest Boost for schools with the largest week-to-week improvement in FAFSAs completed.

OSSE is excited to announce the FAFSA Completion Award winners for the 2024-25 school year – including H.D. Woodson, which won in two categories:

MVP Award

Large High School* – Benjamin Banneker High School
Small High School* – BASIS DC Public Charter School

Most Improved

Large High School – H.D. Woodson High School
Small High School – Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School

Biggest Boost

Large High School – H.D. Woodson High School
Small High School – Capital City Public Charter School - High School

*Please Note: Large Schools have at least 100 students enrolled in grade 12; Small Schools have fewer than 100 students enrolled in grade 12.

For more information on the DC FAFSA Completion Initiative and resources for students pursuing a two- or four-year degree, visit OSSE’s FAFSA Completion Awards.

LEA Look Forward for July 3, 2025

arrien.davison — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 13:51:18 +0000

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Professional Development, Leadership Opportunities & Events

New: STOP THE BLEED® Kits and Training for Public Charter Schools
New: School Gardens in the District are Thriving
DC SAYS Data is Available (Reminder)
Back-to-School Supply Grants from LifeChanger of the Year (Reminder)
Revised 2025 Model Policies: School Safety Omnibus Amendment Act (Reminder)
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Reminder)

New: Mindfulness for Educators Summer Institute, Friday, July 18
New: Tiered Behavior Solutions Workshop, Aug. 21-22
New: Summer 2025 School Climate Trainings
New: WIDA Scaffolding Learning Through Language Workshop, Aug. 5-7
New: ASVAB Career Exploration Program
Catalyzing and Sustaining Systemwide Inclusive Practices - Extension Program (Reminder)
K-5 Summer Literacy Leader Training Opportunity (Reminder)