On Friday, December 12th 2025, the DC Education Research Collaborative brought together nearly 100 stakeholders for the Exploring the Landscape of Career Development Opportunities in Washington, DC, Public Schools (DCPS) convening. Attendees representing DC schools, education agencies, policymakers, nonprofits, community members, and researchers heard key findings from the first year of the Career Development Opportunities in DC Public Schools study. The convening featured presentations from researchers, a guided data walk, and an expert panel discussion that will explore various career development opportunities and how they fit together to meet students’ needs and interests.
Over the past year and a half, researchers from the Urban Institute, DC Policy Center, and Georgetown University worked with DCPS to a landscape analysis of career development opportunities (CDOs) available to DCPS students. This analysis details program components, participants and outcomes, funding sources, management structures, and the ways students access each program, and is part of a larger four-year project.
At the convening, Glenn Starnes II, DCPS’ Senior Deputy Chief for Social, Emotional and Academic Development Strategy, opened by describing why this work is important to DCPS and supports its goal of all students graduating with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in post-secondary education, the workforce, and life.
Chelsea Coffin, Deputy Director of the DC Policy Center, and Rebecca A. Johnson, Assistant Professor at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy, presented on findings from the landscape analysis. The research examined components, activities, enrollment processes, locations, and goals, and cost and management across CDOs. Data were collected through a combination of public materials review; a questionnaire fielded to DCPS central services staff, other government agencies providing CDOs, and core nonprofit program provider partners; interviews with key staff; and data requested from DCPS.
Attendees then heard from a panel of practitioner experts: Candice Mott (CTE Performance Accountability Coordinator, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education), Rebecca Johnson (Professor, Georgetown University), Regina McClure (CTE Director, Jackson-Reed High School), Jennie Niles (President and CEO, CityWorks DC), Glenn Starnes II (Senior Deputy Chief for SEAD Strategy, DCPS), Jennifer L. Steele (Professor, American University), and Marian Wilkins (Principal, John Hayden Johnson Middle School). The panel reflected on how the different pieces of career development fit together for DC students and how DC’s employers, policymakers, and community partners can create a more seamless continuum from middle school exposure to high school preparation, and to early career.
The concluding speaker was Clara Botstein, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education which is leading Compact 2043—a citywide commitment that all children born today will graduate from high school prepared for success in higher education and good jobs. She emphasized the importance of this research in reaching DC’s goals for postsecondary pathways.
Following the convening, attendees explored an interactive “data walk” that highlighted key findings from the research, including insights into program activities, CDO locations and availability, pre-requisites, and how wages in occupations are aligned with program of study.
This work will continue through 2028 with a detailed study of a single program to understand implementation, costs, and outcomes.
The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, through Grant R305N240059 to the Urban Institute. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Urban Institute or the US Department of Education.
