Compact 2043: Our Citywide Commitment to Building Pathways to Prosperity for Students
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education
Clara Haskell Botstein, Chief of Staff
It’s a winter day in DC: a cohort of students from DCPS and charter schools across the city stand together in a lab at the Advanced Technical Center (ATC), taking vitals of Laerdal simulation manikins as part of a Certified Nursing Assistant course. This college course is taught by a Trinity Washington University faculty member who brings college rigor and real-world medical experience to the classroom.
A few miles away, students from Phelps ACE High School put the finishing touches on a house, and in Langdon Park, students make ice scrapers, key chains, and laptop stands on 3-D printers at the newly minted Center City Maker Space while peers record a podcast in a state-of-the-art media lab.
Students at Kingsman Academy are returning from a visit to Ghana, where they explored critical concepts in social studies at landmarks like Elmina Castle, while their friends at Coolidge High School, Bard High School Early College, and Anacostia High School engage in college courses – as they work toward tuition-free associate’s degrees at Trinity Washington, Bard College, and UDC, respectively.
These opportunities and so many more across DC’s distinctive public education landscape were mere visions a decade ago. Some were just getting off the ground as COVID-19 shuttered schools. While the pandemic set us back in deep and enduring ways, DC moved forward on pathways initiatives that helped to spur DC’s educational rebound.
These efforts emerged from a broad coalition of nonprofit, higher education, employer, philanthropic, and government partners uniting around a common goal – to prepare DC students for the good jobs our District has to offer.
This is the purpose and promise of Compact 2043 – the year children born today will graduate from high school: to make pathways available for every young person in DC so that they
Graduate high school prepared to enter college and careers and
Earn postsecondary degrees and credentials that give them access to the good jobs of today and tomorrow, and so that
DC’s education and workforce system drives economic mobility and prosperity for residents and the local economy.
Additionally, the new Office of Education Through Employment Pathways is gathering, analyzing, and publishing data about the professions students pursue and their career outcomes, allowing us to measure our progress in putting students on a path to economic mobility and prosperity.
Research shows that participation in Career and Technical Education programs is proven to increase high school graduation rates and earn college degrees, and results in higher wages (MDRC 2024). Students enrolled in dual enrollment programs also demonstrate higher college enrollment and completion. Since the 2019-20 school year, student participation in Career and Technical Education in the District has increased by 90%, reaching over 7,000 students. More than 800 students have paid internships, paying $17 an hour. This is in addition to the nearly 13,000 who participate in the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. Over 375 students take dual (high school and college) credit courses in the high-demand fields of health care and cybersecurity at our Advanced Technical Centers – a model program launched in SY 2022-23. Over 500 students are working toward tuition-free associate’s degrees through DCPS’ new early college high school programs. Since SY2019-20, an additional 900 students have enrolled in DC’s adult charter schools, offering GEDs, diplomas, and industry certifications, bringing sector enrollment to nearly 6,000.
Zooming out to look at the broader workforce development system, businesses in key industries such as health care, technology, and construction, are coming together in sector partnerships to speak with one voice about their talent needs. Industry leaders, including Whitman-Walker, Children’s National, Accenture, and VTech Solutions, are offering new apprenticeships and on the job training opportunities. Additionally, DC government and employer and nonprofit partners have spearheaded a regional talent marketplace – talentcapital.ai - to more seamlessly connect job seekers and jobs.
We are proud of our progress, but we are not satisfied. The work of Compact 2043 is necessary and urgent. We need to make school compelling for students so that they want to be there, address persistent racial and economic wealth gaps, prepare students for prosperous and fulfilling lives, and allow young people to contribute their talents to their workplaces, communities, and civic life. The Compact is about education, it is about the economy, and it is about a thriving society.
Fast forward to 2043 in DC. Every middle school student has exposure to available high-demand careers. Robust navigation support, using the best available technology, helps students and caregivers understand the high school options available to them. Once in high school, students take courses at schools and at ATC-like hubs across the city focused on career and college and specialized course pathways like arts and languages. Some of these hubs are at schools, while others are embedded with employers, universities, and nonprofit partners. Here, students meet peers from other schools, hear new perspectives, and engage across lines of difference. Learning is inspiring, fun, and challenging, and prepares young people for life.
In that future world, DC students graduate with postsecondary plans and pathways to higher education, service, and their desired careers. For students working directly after graduation, apprenticeship programs allow students to keep learning and developing, so their first job is a stepping stone, not a destination. Students working toward associate and bachelor's degrees can benefit from scholarships that include comprehensive wrap-around services, improving their likelihood of graduating on time. UDC is a popular option, well-known for its specialized programs tailored to Washington DC's job market, an effective student success center, and partnerships with local and regional institutions. These agreements allow students to transfer credits, stack credentials, and earn degrees from the best-fit programs.
Across the continuum starting in middle school and extending through high school and workforce development , employers are at the table shaping training and on the job experiences. They are organized in “sector catalysts.” With this structure, employers are committed to staying and expanding in the District because of our local talent.
As we continue this work together, we feel confident that by 2043, we can realize this vision for the education and workforce landscape for all students born today. This is the promise of Compact 2043.
We invite you to join us with this effort. Compact 2043 is a growing coalition, including the DC Postsecondary Success Collaborative, coming together to help the District sustain and build on its progress, navigate transition, and chart a course toward a brighter future for the students in school now and the children born today.
To learn more and inquire about participation, please contact me at clara.botstein@dc.gov.