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Feb. 29, 2024
The District of Columbia has been laser focused on reimagining the high school experience for our students – providing new pathways to college and career and increasing access to a wider variety of learning opportunities. As we come to the end of Career and Technical Education Month, we are proud to reflect on our efforts thus far. OSSE has invested more than $30 million in experience-based learning opportunities for our high school students, including offering paid internships in high-demand careers, expanding access to dual enrollment and opening a new Advanced Technical Center.
Programs like the Advanced Internship Program (AIP) and Career Ready Internship (CRI) provide hundreds of DC high school students with paid school-year and summer internship opportunities that count for school credit, are aligned to their career and technical education (CTE) coursework and are in high-demand career fields including engineering, information technology and health science.
We know that when students have access to career supports and connections to employers, exposure to careers and professional counseling, they go on to excel in the future of their choosing.
With incredible support from Mayor Bowser, OSSE is rolling out opportunities that we know will be game changers for our students. Read on to learn more our investments in building futures.
In service,
Dr. Christina Grant
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Offering Real-World Internship Experiences
Designed for high school juniors and seniors, OSSE's Advanced Internship Program and Career Readiness Internship Program ($) serve as a guiding path for young minds to navigate life after high school and shape meaningful careers. These opportunities are more than just internships; they act as gateways to a future filled with diverse possibilities.
OSSE partners with local education agencies (LEAs) and schools to conduct outreach to eligible high school students (those who are enrolled in their third or fourth level CTE course). Local employers from a range of industry sectors serve as host organizations, providing coaching to students to help them develop professional skills for the workplace. Students are fully onboarded with their host employers to ensure interns are welcomed, mentored and supervised. OSSE also facilitates transportation services for select interns who require it based on time, distance and safety concerns getting to or from internship sites.
With over 1,200 students already getting real world experience, OSSE’s commitment to empowering the next generation is crystal clear. The Advanced Internship Program stands out as the District’s pioneer in school year internships, aligning seamlessly with students’ career and technical education paths. It’s not just a stint; it’s an immersion into their chosen fields, offering both financial rewards and course credit. The impact is tangible.
Additional Investments in Reimagine Systems
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In the 2023-24 school year, the Advanced Technical Center ($) is serving nearly 200 students from across the city, representing 15 high schools. During the 2022-23 school year, students attending the ATC earned a total of 740 college credits – worth approximately $570,000 in tuition – at no cost to students or their families.
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In the 2022-23 school year, 691 dual enrollment seats ($) were filled by students participating in OSSE-funded dual enrollment coursework, the highest number the program has seen, and nearly tripling the number of seats filled in the 2020-21 school year.
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OSSE secured a $21 million federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant in 2023 to expand programs that encourage DC middle school students to persist through secondary school and graduate high school with a plan to be successful in college and careers.
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In the 2022-23 academic year, 1,489 DC residents enrolled in college course with assistance through the DC Futures ($) program and in September, we welcomed more than 400 DC Futures Scholars to the first-ever DC Futures Conference to kick off the second year of the program.
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OSSE in collaboration with DC4STEM will host the DC Secondary STEM Fair and Elementary STEM Exhibition in-person on Saturday, March 16. The DC STEM Fair is the longest-running student competition in the District of Columbia. The fair will bring together students from all eight wards to showcase their ideas, talents and innovation. |
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OSSE and CityTutor DC are co-hosting the first DC District so far and discuss efforts to support its sustainability. |
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The The State Plan for Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides the vision and framework for secondary and postsecondary CTE programming, funding, and accountability for schools throughout the District of Columbia. |
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OSSE's Advancing the Recruitment and Retention of Our Workforce (ARROW) is announcing the launch of the First Year Cadre for school-based behavioral health providers. The First Year Cadre is an opportunity for providers - school social workers, school psychologists and counselors (school counselors and licensed counselors - who are new to working in a school-based setting to build foundational skills necessary to be successful in the school environment. This cohort will serve as the inaugural cadre and run from April to June 2024. Applications are now open and close March 8. |
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OSSE staff were fortunate to welcome Mr. Steven Johnson’s AP African American History class from BASIS DC earlier this month for a special Black History Month presentation. During this discussion, current and former students shared the impact of being some of the first students in the nation to take this course and how it is shaping their knowledge about US history. The students in grades 9-12 shared powerful insights about their experiences with our staff. |
 Pictured: BASIS DC students from Mr. Steven Johnson’s AP African American History class and OSSE staff
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OSSE is launching a new parent stipend program to provide monthly payments to eligible families who choose to opt out of OSSE-DOT provided vehicle or bus service and self-transport their student to and from school. Eligible families who are approved to participate in the program will receive $400 per month to self-transport students. |
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The District has implemented a robust recovery to restoration plan, which includes investing nearly $1 billion of federal stimulus funds to support the recovery and restoration of the public education and child care sectors. Projects funded in full or in part by federal recovery dollars feature this symbol ($).
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