The DC Metro Area’s size belies its significance: just over a half million people live inside the Beltway, but those who live and work there profoundly influence our policies and laws. With thousands of Internet technology and biotechnology companies adding to the many existing government jobs here, the DC Metro area is robust and growing fast.
Education Pioneers’ work in this region is primarily focused on DC with some partners in the nearby Maryland communities of Baltimore and Prince George’s County.
The DC Metro Area has plenty of education challenges and opportunities for change. Despite dense populations of college graduates and high per-pupil funding for K-12 schools, student achievement lags. To reverse the trend, District of Columbia Public Schools is focused on strong instruction and talent development to improve outcomes and create “a reinvigorated education system.”
Similarly, Baltimore and Prince George’s County schools have also faced rising poverty rates and diverse student needs. To address this, Baltimore is “Expanding Great Options” with input from the community. Prince George’s County is also working to turn things around.
Indeed, the DC Metro Area is an education hotspot. More than 40 percent of DC’s public school students are enrolled in local charter schools, and there are dozens of national nonprofit organizations with a presence here. In recent years, online learning companies, and education technology providers have sprouted up here as well.
Education Pioneers has been working in the DC Metro Area since 2007 to supply local organizations with the talented people they need to achieve their goals.
- 43 partner organizations, including government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels; local charter school network Friendship Public Charter Schools; advocacy group Digital Promise; and think tank America Achieves.
- EP Fellows in the DC Metro Area work on strategic projects that make a difference, such as developing professional development plans for District of Columbia Public Schools' teachers, facilitating growth plans and new employee programs for KIPP DC, and supporting the development of the U.S. Department of Education's annual performance plan.
- The DC Metro Area has an extensive alumni network that contributes locally on an ongoing basis, including 2007 Fellow Clara Hess, now Chief of Staff, Advisory Support at Teach for America, and 2007 Fellow Brian Pick, now Chief of Teaching and Learning at District of Columbia Public Schools.
Advisory Board
Kara Baer, Manager, Acumen Solutions
Mike Bornmann, Vice President, Corporate Development, Sprint
Dean Chen, Product Manager, Naviance
Lauren Maddox, Principal, The Podesta Group
Anita Puri, Senior Manager, Accenture
Andy Rotherham, Co-Founder and Partner, Bellwether Education Partners
Jay Tansing, Managing Director, Public Sector Practice, Acumen Solutions
