Urban districts tend to have lower teacher retention than other areas. In school year 2021-22, for example, teacher turnover was the highest (12 to 14 percent) in urban districts, high-poverty districts, and districts predominately serving students of color.  One study across nine large urban school districts showed that, between October 2022 and…

Data from the American Community Survey (ACS) indicate low early career outcomes for D.C.’s public school alumni, underscoring the need to strengthen connections to CTE and work-based learning programs. For example, while D.C. lacks comprehensive data on high school alumni earnings, ACS data reveal that young adults aged 18 to 34 who…

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson and members of the Committee of the Whole. My name is Yesim Sayin, and I am the Executive Director of the D.C. Policy Center—an independent non-partisan think tank advancing policies for a strong, competitive, and compelling District of Columbia. In my testimony, I will focus on the need…