BACK TO SCHOOL 2023

Friends!

We’re excited for another new school year across DC. We hope that it is filled with joy and growth for all young people, families, and educators in our communities.

As we saw in the recently released PARCC results, our students and schools are still feeling the deep effects of the pandemic and resulting school closures.

Here are the key takeaways:

• Students in DC showed improvements over last year across the board.
• However, achievement remains below levels before the pandemic.
• Black, Brown, and low-income students continue to face additional barriers to achievement and academic success.
• The gap between the percentage of Black students attaining “proficient” or grade-level scores and the percentage of White students grew.
• Low-income students scored much lower than non-low-income students.

These test scores demonstrate how a large portion of wards 7 & 8 students are learning math and reading skills. Frankly, our children deserve more. Educators, families, and students have been working their hardest, but we still have a ways to go in order to reach the destination we promise for our children.

That means that our advocacy and support, across sectors and fields, is as vital as ever for wards 7 & 8 schools. This school year is a pivotal one for the trajectory of our students East of the River–and Districtwide. In light of the increased violence across DC, it will take more voices throughout East of the River to help our kids get back on track.

For these reasons, ElectED as an organization is looking forward to empowering more leaders East of the River, starting with our Fall Community Catalyst Leadership Program. Applications close Sunday, September 3rd. We invite you to apply and add to what you know about empowering your community. In the coming weeks we will be sharing ways to join together with our communities in this work to give children the education they deserve.

We look forward to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you as we work to secure the resources, support, and smart policies that will ensure our students and public schools can thrive.

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