Educate DC
Every Child. Every Classroom. Every Day.
Washington, DC, has everything it needs to lead the nation in public education — the resources, the talent, the families who show up every day believing this city can do better. A Goodweather administration makes that belief real. Every student accounted for. Every child reading by third grade. Every teacher supported. Every neighborhood connected to opportunity.
DC spends more than $24,000 per student, among the highest in the country. And yet 62% of our students cannot read at grade level. 40% miss at least a month of school every year. 1 in 6 teachers leave the system every single year. The money is there. The results are not.
That is a leadership failure, and it ends with this administration.
Download PDF: [Educate DC One-Pager]
The Education Crisis
The numbers tell the story:
62% — of DC students cannot read at grade level
40% — of DC students are missing at least a month of school every year
1 in 6 — DC teachers leave the system every single year
18,000+ — uninvestigated truancy reports in a single year
57.6% — of DC high school students are chronically absent
91% — of DC students with disabilities are not meeting grade-level expectations in reading.
More than half — of DC students surveyed reported feeling unsafe traveling to and from school (Office of the Student Advocate, Student Safety Report, SY 2023–24)
92% — of DC students never received high-impact tutoring last year — even though the program is proven to close achievement gaps.
These are not abstract numbers. They represent a child with dyslexia who has never been screened, a student who stays home because the walk to school does not feel safe, a family that cannot afford the tutor their child needs, a kid with a disability whose progress no one is tracking, a teacher who left mid-year because they burnt out due to lack of support.
Every Student Accounted For
When students are in the building, everything else becomes possible. When they are not, nothing else matters. DC's chronic absenteeism rate — 40% districtwide, nearly 58% in high schools — represents a system that has lost track of its own students. A Goodweather administration treats attendance as the foundation and builds systems that make showing up easier, safer, and expected.
Real-time attendance tracking so struggling students are identified in weeks, not months. Right now, DC compiles attendance data on long timelines that make early intervention nearly impossible. We will implement early warning systems in every school so counselors, families, and mentors can respond before a kid disappears from the rolls.
Expand Safe Passages so students have safe, supervised walking routes to school. The current Safe Passages program puts trained adults along high-traffic routes in the morning and afternoon, offering conflict resolution and a visible safety presence. It works. We will expand it to every school with chronic absenteeism above 20%.
Scale ONSE Leadership Academy to more schools — mentors, not monitors. The Leadership Academy pairs students struggling with attendance, behavior, and academics with trained mentors who provide case management and long-term support.
Give principals the flexibility to spend support funding where their students need it most. Right now, there is no transparency over how at-risk funding is used, and principals have limited authority to direct dollars to the interventions their specific communities need. We will change that. Principals know their schools and their students better than any central office formula.
Fare-Free DC transit so getting to school is never a barrier. Transportation is one of the most commonly cited reasons for student absence — especially in Wards 7 and 8, where students travel the longest distances to reach schools across the city. Fare-Free DC removes that obstacle entirely.
Every Child Reads
Through third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, students read to learn. A child who cannot read proficiently by third grade is four times more likely to drop out of high school. In DC, 62% of students are not reading at grade level. That is not just a statistic, it is a crisis that determines whether a generation of DC kids has access to opportunity or not.
Mississippi proved this transformation is possible. In 2013, Mississippi was ranked dead last in the country in reading. They implemented mandatory early screening, evidence-based reading instruction, Individual Reading Plans for struggling students, and a 3rd grade reading checkpoint with intensive support. By 2019, Mississippi posted the largest reading gains of any state in the country — a 10-point jump on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. DC has more resources, more talent, and more reason to lead. We will.
Teach reading the way the research says works — phonics, practice, and comprehension in every school. The Science of Reading is not a theory. It is the evidence base built over decades of cognitive science research showing how children actually learn to decode and understand text. Every DC school will implement Science of Reading-aligned curriculum, and every early literacy teacher will be trained in evidence-based instruction.
Screen every K–3 student for reading struggles multiple times per year so no one falls behind unnoticed. Universal screening catches deficits before a child has spent years struggling silently. We will require at least two screenings per year for every student in kindergarten through third grade.
Screen every student for dyslexia by 1st grade and provide free 1-on-1 tutoring through 12th grade. Dyslexia affects roughly 1 in 5 students. Most are never identified. We will implement universal dyslexia screening before second grade and guarantee free, specialized tutoring from diagnosis through graduation.
3rd grade reading checkpoint to make sure every struggling reader gets an Individual Reading Plan, summer support, and free tutoring before they fall further behind. Every student who does not meet the reading benchmark receives an Individual Reading Plan within 10 days, parent notification, a summer reading program, and access to one-on-one tutoring. Multiple retest opportunities. Good-cause exemptions for English language learners, students with IEPs, and students already receiving long-term intervention. The goal is not to hold kids back. The goal is to stop sending kids forward without the skills they need to succeed.
Keep Our Teachers
You cannot build a world-class school system while losing 1 in 6 teachers every year. Teacher turnover in DC is not a mystery but is the predictable result of an evaluation system teachers have no voice in, a support structure that leaves new educators to sink or swim, and a pipeline that does not invest in developing DC's own.
Reform DC's teacher evaluation system with real teacher input — and restore the right to bargain over how teachers are evaluated. IMPACT was designed without meaningful teacher involvement. Educators deserve a voice in how they are assessed. We will bring teachers to the table in reforming the evaluation framework, and we will restore the right to collectively bargain over evaluation criteria — a right that was stripped away and has never been restored.
Multi-year mentorship for every new DC teacher. The highest-attrition period for teachers is the first three years. One-day orientations and occasional check-ins are not mentorship. We will pair every new DC teacher with an experienced mentor for their first three years, with structured support, classroom observation, and protected planning time.
Green card sponsorship protecting international educators from losing their classrooms. DC recruits talented educators from around the world, then leaves them vulnerable to visa uncertainty that forces them out of the profession. We will establish a green card sponsorship program to protect these teachers and the students who depend on them.
"Grow Your Own" pipeline producing DC-raised, DC-trained teachers — including a pathway for classroom aides to become licensed teachers. The strongest teacher pipeline starts at home. We will partner with UDC, Howard, American, and Georgetown to create a pipeline from DC classrooms back to DC classrooms — recruiting high school students into education pathways, funding tuition support for DC residents pursuing teaching credentials, and creating a structured pathway for classroom aides and paraprofessionals to earn their teaching licenses while they work.
Full-time nurse and mental health clinician in every school — independent of MPD, with more counselors per student. Students dealing with trauma, anxiety, food insecurity, or health crises need professional support available every day. We will fund a full-time nurse and a full-time mental health clinician in every DCPS and public charter school — with mental health services fully independent of law enforcement.
From Pre-K to Career
Education does not start at kindergarten, and it does not end at twelfth grade. DC's youngest residents need quality early learning. DC's students need pathways that connect school to career, not just school to more school. A Goodweather administration builds the complete pipeline.
Protect and expand early childhood education — defend the Pay Equity Fund for childcare workers, expand Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 seats. DC made a historic commitment to early childhood by establishing the Pay Equity Fund, which ensures childcare workers are compensated fairly. We will protect that fund from budget cuts and expand Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 capacity so every family that wants a seat has one.
Expanded afterschool and summer programs with enrichment, tutoring, and safe spaces. Research consistently shows that the "summer slide" — academic regression during summer months — disproportionately affects lower-income students. We will expand summer learning programs with enrichment, tutoring, and structured activities in every ward. Afterschool programming will be available in every school, not just the ones with active PTAs.
Expand dual language and bilingual programs so more DC students graduate fluent in two languages. DC's diversity is an educational asset. We will expand dual language immersion and bilingual programming across the district, starting in the wards with the highest demand and the fewest existing options.
Capital Corps Youth Track: structured service, job training, and a career development plan for every student by 10th grade. The Capital Corps is DC's civic service initiative — and the Youth Track connects high school students to structured service, mentorship, job training, and career exploration. Every DC student will have a career development plan before the end of 10th grade.
Career and technical education expansion with an Advanced Technical Center in every ward. Not every student's path runs through a four-year university. DC will build or designate an Advanced Technical Center in every ward — offering certifications, apprenticeship connections, and industry-partnered training in healthcare, technology, construction, and skilled trades. Every pathway leads somewhere.
Why This Matters
This is not about spending more money. DC already spends more per student than nearly any city in the country. This is about whether the money produces results.
When a child misses a month of school and nobody intervenes for six months, that is a system failure. When a student reaches fourth grade unable to read and has never been screened for dyslexia, that is a policy choice. When a talented teacher leaves DC because the evaluation system never asked for her input and the mentorship program never materialized, that is a leadership failure.
Educate DC is built on a simple premise: the solutions are known, the resources exist, and the only thing missing is the will to execute. Mississippi proved that a commitment to evidence-based literacy instruction, universal screening, and early intervention can transform outcomes in under a decade.
"Every child in this city deserves a school that works, a teacher who stays, and a future that is not determined by their zip code. That is what a Goodweather administration builds." — Gary Goodweather
What We Will Accomplish
3rd grade reading proficiency above 50% — up from 38% today
Chronic absenteeism below 25% districtwide — down from 40%
Full-time nurse and mental health clinician in every school
An Advanced Technical Center in every ward
Public dashboards tracking attendance, literacy, and teacher retention by school
Common Questions
"DC already spends $24,000 per student. How is more spending the answer?"
It is not. This plan does not require a significant increase in per-student spending. The problem is not the amount — it is the execution. Educate DC redirects existing resources toward evidence-based interventions with proven track records: universal reading screening, early warning systems for attendance, structured teacher mentorship, and career pathway infrastructure. The money is there. The strategy has not been.
"The 3rd grade reading checkpoint — is that holding kids back?"
No. The 3rd grade checkpoint is an intervention trigger, not a punishment. Every student who does not meet the benchmark receives an Individual Reading Plan, parent notification within 10 days, summer reading support, and access to free one-on-one tutoring. There are multiple retest windows and good-cause exemptions for English language learners, students with IEPs, and those already receiving long-term intervention. Mississippi uses this model. It produced the largest NAEP reading gains in the country.
"How do you reform IMPACT without weakening accountability?"
Teacher accountability and teacher voice are not opposites. The current IMPACT system was designed without meaningful teacher input, and teachers have no right to bargain over how they are evaluated. Reform means bringing teachers to the table — not eliminating high standards. The goal is an evaluation system that teachers trust because they helped build it, with metrics that reflect the full scope of what good teaching looks like.
"Can you really get chronic absenteeism below 25%?"
DC's chronic absenteeism rate is 40% districtwide and nearly 58% in high schools. The evidence base for reducing absenteeism is strong: early warning systems, mentorship programs, safe walking routes, family engagement, and removing transportation barriers all have demonstrated impact. Fare-Free DC alone addresses one of the most commonly cited barriers to attendance. A 15-point reduction over four years is ambitious. It is also achievable if every tool is deployed — which is what this plan does.
"Where does the 62% reading figure come from?"
DC's own standardized assessment data. In the most recent PARCC/DC-CAS results, only 38% of DC students tested as proficient in English Language Arts. That means 62% are below grade level. The figure is consistent across multiple years of reporting.
"What about charter schools?"
Educate DC applies to all DC public schools — DCPS and public charter schools. Universal reading screening, dyslexia identification, mental health staffing, and career pathway access benefit every student regardless of what building they learn in. The Career Technical Centers will serve students from both sectors. The public dashboards will report outcomes for both.
"This plan mentions Fare-Free DC and Capital Corps. Are those real?"
Yes. Fare-Free DC is a fully budgeted transit policy with a detailed implementation plan, 13 identified revenue sources, and a phased rollout. Capital Corps is a citywide civic service initiative with an eight-branch structure and a Youth Track specifically designed for high school students. Both are standalone Goodweather administration policies that reinforce the education agenda. More info on both is available at goodweatherfordc.com/policy-plans
"DC's children do not need another blue-ribbon commission. They need schools that work, teachers who stay, and leaders who measure themselves by results. We should Expect more for our children."
— Gary Goodweather
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