The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) is the
regulatory authority
A regulatory agency (regulatory body, regulator) or independent agency (independent regulatory agency) is a government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous dominion over some area of human activity in a licensing and regulatin ...
and sole authorizer of all public
charter schools
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
in the
District of Columbia
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It provides oversight to 69 independently-run
nonprofits
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
(also referred to as local education agencies or LEAs) and 135 public charter schools which educate more than 45,000 students living in every ward of the city (48% of all DC public school students). The Board is tasked with approving, monitoring, and evaluating schools, creating policies and conditions to empower educators to do their best work, and actively engaging families, schools, and communities to inform decision-making.
History
DC PCSB was created in 1996 by the
District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995
The District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 was passed by the United States Congress. Since Washington, D.C. is a semi-autonomous non-state, Congress has jurisdiction over the city and passed the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropr ...
as a second, independent authorizer of public charter schools in the District of Columbia. In 2006, the
District of Columbia State Board of Education
The District of Columbia State Board of Education (SBOE) is an independent executive branch agency of the Government of the District of Columbia, in the United States. The SBOE provides advocacy and policy guidance for the District of Columbia Pub ...
voted to relinquish its authorizing responsibilities for charter schools and in 2007, the
Council of the District of Columbia
The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state ...
passed legislation granting the
Mayor of the District of Columbia
The mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia, in the United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce district laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed ...
direct authority over the traditional public school system. With that vote, the Board became the sole authority, led by a seven-member volunteer board, for public charter schools within the District of Columbia.
Mission
DC public charter schools are environments where all students, especially those in historically marginalized groups, thrive. As DC’s sole charter authorizer, the DC Public Charter School Board:
* Approves, monitors, and evaluates schools, with an emphasis on equity and academic excellence
* Creates policies and conditions to empower educators to do their best work in service of students
* Actively engages families, schools, and communities to inform decision-making
Leadership
The DC Public Charter School Board is led by Dr. Michelle J. Walker-Davis, who joined as Executive Director in August 2020.
Governance
The DC PCSB Board is a seven-member volunteer Board responsible for approving new schools, conducting oversight of schools while in operation, and revoking a school's charter if it fails to meet its performance goals.
DC Public Charter School Board Members
* Lea Crusey (Chair) - Ward 6
* Jim Sandman (Vice Chair) - Ward 6
* Ricarda Ganjam - Ward 6
* Shukurat Adamoh-Faniyan - Ward 8
* Nick Rodriguez - Ward 6
* Shantelle Wright - Ward 8
Accountability
Under the School Reform Act, the Board is granted authority to hold DC public charter schools accountable for fulfilling their obligations under the Act. With a high proportion of PK-12 and adults in public charter schools, the Board created its first accountability tool, called the Performance Management Framework in 2011. It was developed to evaluate the performance of public charter schools on common measures across all schools. Schools were rated Tier 1, 2, 3, with Tier 1 being the best. The framework also measured student achievement and student growth, indicators of readiness for high school and college, and mission-specific measures at each school. Due the COVID-19 pandemic, DC PCSB, is developing a new accountability framework that will focus on the learning outcomes for all DC students, especially those in historically marginalized groups, which is scheduled to pilot in the 2022-2023 school year.
2021-2024 Strategic Roadmap
![DC PCSB Strategic Roadmap](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/DC_PCSB_Strategic_Roadmap.png)
DC PCSB developed a Strategic Roadmap which guides the organization’s actions through school years 2021-2024, and emphasizes a commitment to focusing on equity and the District students charter schools serve. The Strategic Roadmap guides the organization’s work in three areas:
Excellent Schools - ensuring internal decision-making responds to citywide needs and results in improved outcomes for all DC students, especially those in historically marginalized groups.
Enduring Partnerships - strengthening relationships and partnerships with families, school communities, and residents.
Effective Organization - improving internal structure, processes, and culture to allow DC PCSB to create the conditions for student success in DC.
Enrollment
DC public charter schools educate nearly half of DC’s public school students, in grades PK through 12 and adults.
The number of students enrolled in public schools in Washington, DC during the 2021-22 school year increased slightly compared to 2020-21 enrollment, with 93,843 students enrolled in District public and public charter schools according to preliminary data released by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).
As of the 2021-22 school year, DC public charter schools enrolled a total of 45,251 students. The bulk of students were enrolled in grades PK 3-5, totaling 23,670 students. A total of 8,408 middle school students enrolled in grades 6-8, while 6,983 students enrolled in grades 9-12. DC public charter schools continue to educate the largest population of adult learners with 4,735 students enrolled in adult education programs in school year 2021-22.
The ethnic breakdown of students enrolled in school year 2021-22 was 71%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
, 16.8%
Hispanic (of any race), 7.6%
non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
, and 4.6% of other races.
Schools
Early Childhood Schools
Elementary and Middle schools
Middle schools
High schools
Alternative, Adult, and Vocational Education Schools
References
External links
{{Portal, United States, Schools
District of Columbia Public Charter School Board
Public education in Washington, D.C.
Government of the District of Columbia
1996 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Charter schools