Dear DC colleagues,

It's time to say so long. After a little over three years, today is my last day as founding Executive Director of the DC Education Research Collaborative. I picked this week, but hadn’t fully contemplated what it would mean to leave at the same time the nation was selecting new leadership. This transition was planned, is timed to acknowledge a natural evolution of the work of Collaborative, and will be smooth and very successful.  

I am delighted to share that Dara Shaw, our dedicated Research Director, will officially assume the role of Director on Monday, November 11th. Dara has been an incredible co-pilot and partner to me since day one, and her research management expertise and commitment to doing the work WITH the community, will undoubtedly guide the Collaborative to even greater achievements. This continuity of leadership is important to our continued growth and success.

It has been an honor to serve in this role, laying the foundation for a research-practice partnership anchored in the voices and experiences of DC's education community. As I reflect on our journey together, I am deeply grateful for the collective commitment that brought this vision to life. When I joined Urban in 2021, it was with a shared goal: to bring a community-centered, actionable research framework to DC's educational landscape. Together, we transformed an idea into an operational entity with a solid governance structure, trust among our advisors and community members, and co-created a five-year research agenda centered on equity and access across seven priority areas.

The Collaborative’s impact is already visible in events like the math summit and youth participatory action research, and I am excited to see its influence grow as new projects begin to bear fruit. We launched a lineup of research projects that responded to questions and needs raised from our needs-sensing conversations, from a city-wide study on school discipline, to an in-depth assessment of career and technical education program offerings funded by a $3 million grant from the Institute for Education Sciences at the US Department of Education. We have turned the corner from standing up a research organization, to being one. 

I am incredibly grateful to our early partners and funders, whose support allowed us to bring the Collaborative’s mission to life. I extend heartfelt thanks to Matt Chingos and Sarah Rosen Wartell at the Urban Institute for their steadfast support, and to Education Forward, the Flamboyan Foundation, Katherine Bradley, Jolene Sloter, and the Clark Foundation for their invaluable investments during our formative years. To the DC Education Fund and our community-based partners PAVE and EmpowerED, who provided counsel and insights all along the way, thank you.  I am also especially appreciative of Paul Kihn and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, and Chairman Mendelson and the DC Council, who crafted the legislation to bring this initiative to life with the impetus on independent, high-quality research. Going forward, their continued support will be crucial to sustain the work we've built.

I have been a DC resident and DC public schools’ parent and now grandparent, for over 30 years. My commitment to and work on behalf of DC students and families doesn’t end because this chapter has closed. I’ll continue to be the Collaborative’s biggest cheerleader as well as an occasional advisor and Dara will always know how to reach me. Thank you all for your partnership, commitment to good data, and for the incredible journey we have had to get this thing off the ground. My cup is full. 

Kindly,

Josephine