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New: AI Practice and Policies Survey Results Available
OSSE’s vision is that DC learners of all ages and backgrounds are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue and thrive on the life path of their choice. In line with that, OSSE supports LEAs by developing policies and guidance in various areas.
To inform our work on artificial intelligence, OSSE administered a survey of LEA leaders about the state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) use at their schools. Here are the survey results. Thank you to those who participated.
New: Call for Information on School-based Music Groups
OSSE is building a directory of school-based student musical performance groups across the District — including bands, choirs, orchestras, ensembles, and other performance groups. This directory will help us highlight student talent and identify groups we can invite to perform at future OSSE events and celebrations.
Please complete a brief form to share details about the music groups at your school. Your participation ensures that OSSE can create an inclusive, representative list of student performers from across DC and publicly highlight student musical talent citywide.
Please take a moment to fill out the form and provide information about your school’s music group by June 12.
Thank you for helping us uplift the arts and showcase the creativity of DC students.
New: DC Regional Deliberation with Close Up
On Friday, June 5, Close Up—a nonprofit, nonpartisan, civic education organization with more than 50 years of experience in civil discourse—is engaging DC area high school students in a regional, day-long event of deliberation on the issues of the day. You and your students are warmly invited to take part.
This NextGen Roundtable deliberation will take place at Georgetown University Capitol Campus from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. The event will convene 250 high school students from the area to discuss national and local economic policy issues, weigh diverse perspectives from their peers and a panel of policy experts, and earn Close Up’s Deliberative Dialogue Badge in the process. Students’ voices and priorities will be reflected in an impact report published nationwide.
Accompanying educators will take part in a Close Up-led professional development workshop around deliberative dialogue and political values. You can even earn CEUs for applying what you learn in your classroom!
New: Advanced Internship Program (AIP) 2026-27 Employer Registration
Are you interested in hosting a student intern in the 2026-27 school year and helping to build DC’s future workforce?
OSSE’s Advanced Internship Program (AIP) places highly qualified DC high school seniors into paid, for-credit internships aligned with their Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs of study. All interns have completed at least two CTE courses in their industry area before placement, ensuring relevant skills and classroom preparation. Program dates: Nov. 16, 2026 – May 7, 2027.
Internship Structure
- Compensation: Interns earn $17/hour at no cost to host employers.
- Schedule: 8-12 hours per week during the school year
Why Host an AIP Intern?
- Provide meaningful, real-world experience to future members of the DC workforce.
- Offer effective leadership opportunities for student interns.
- Boost production and efficiency with motivated CTE scholars.
Industry Areas
Government; Hospitality & Tourism; Health Science; Business Management & Finance; Education & Training; Information Technology; Architecture & Construction; Engineering; Arts, A/V Technology & Communications.
How to Participate
Register here by Saturday, Aug. 15. The registration form will request the applicant’s contact information and the expected supervisor’s contact information (if different). All prospective supervisors must attend an information session on Wednesday, Aug. 12 or Friday, Aug. 21.
Questions? Email OSSE’s Office of Industry Engagement at osse.cte.ie@dc.gov.
New: LEA Financial Reporting Application Collection - June 8 through July 31
OSSE will begin the annual FY25 National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) and the FY25 Annual Survey of School System Finances (F-33) on Monday, June 8. All LEAs are required to submit 2024-25 school year financial data to OSSE by Friday, July 31.
NPEFS is the U.S. Department of Education’s annual collection of the nation’s public elementary and secondary school financial data. Data is used to calculate the State Per Pupil Expenditure (SPPE), which is used for Title I and other allocations. The F-33 is a public education financial survey distributed by the U.S. Census. Many of the NPEFS and F-33 data elements overlap, so OSSE has combined them into one survey to reduce LEA paperwork and confusion.
In addition to reminders here, communication regarding the FY25 NPEFS and F-33 collection will come via email from OSSE’s School Finance Officer, Gabriel Montague. OSSE will be using the same LEA list of POCs used for the FY25 LEA Financial Reporting collection, incorporating any necessary adjustments flagged by your LEA since then. Please reach out directly to Gabriel.Montague@dc.gov if you or someone from your LEA with one of the roles below needs to be added to the email list prior to when the collection begins on June 8.
- Head of School;
- Chief Financial Officer; and
- LEA Finance/Grants Manager
When the reporting period begins, each LEA will receive the following from OSSE via email:
- Your LEA’s FY24 NPEFS / F-33 data submission to OSSE from last year in an Excel Spreadsheet
- OSSE’s FY25 NPEFS / F-33 collection template in an Excel Spreadsheet
To minimize confusion and maximize effectiveness of processing this data, we strongly encourage LEAs to avoid waiting until the end of the reporting period to submit your data. For questions related to the LEA Financial Reporting Application, please contact Gabriel Montague, OSSE Administrative Officer, at Gabriel.Montague@dc.gov or (202)-394-8977.
2026-27 High School Internship Program, Applications Now Open (Reminder)
The DC Department of Employment Services has launched the 7th annual High School Internship Program (HSIP)—a paid opportunity for District youth to gain hands on work experience and develop skills for future career success.
HSIP is open to DC residents ages 14–21 who are enrolled in high school and eligible to work in the United States. Participants will earn money while building professional skills, exploring career paths, and gaining meaningful exposure to today’s workforce.
Applications close Saturday, Aug. 1 at 11:59 p.m.
Learn more and encourage students to apply at summerjobs.dc.gov. For questions, contact the Office of Youth Programs at (202) 698‑3492 or youthjobs@dc.gov.
Discipline Data Submission Updates (Reminder)
LEAs are encouraged to submit discipline data throughout the year through the Integrated Data Submission (IDS) tool to check for errors before the end-of-year certification process.
- OSSE Support Tool (OST) ticket deadline: Thursday, June 25
- Certification: Thursday, July 2
New this year, LEAs must include all discipline data from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, with each upload. Data from prior submissions are deleted when new data are uploaded to the IDS tool.
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Check the Discipline Data Validation sheet in the SY25-26 Data Validation application in Qlik to verify uploaded data.
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Check the Discipline Data Errors sheet in the SY25-26 Unified Data Errors application in Qlik to view additional unified data errors (UDEs), including UDEs associated with missing discipline records. Most missing-errors resolve on their own once data has been submitted.
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Keep all original formatting on the IDS template intact, to avoid an upload error.
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Users may manually enter data or copy and paste into the template. When pasting data, choose “Values” from the paste menu to preserve the destination formatting.
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Check that student names and dates are in the correct order using the correct format.
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If the template is rejected with no error message or all records generate an enrollment error, try the following:
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Download a fresh template from IDS and re-submit after adding all data.
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Qlik may be completing its daily refresh which can cause enrollment matching errors. Wait one-to-two hours and re-submit.
For questions or support with the IDS tool, please submit a ticket in the OST Quickbase application by using “Discipline” as the issue type with a status sub-category of “Integrated Data Submission Tool (IDS).”
LEAs can access a copy of the updated discipline collection guidance via OSSE’s website. The current template is available in the IDS tool.
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New: Learn24 Network's 2026 Out-of-School Time (OST) Conference and Showcase: "Illuminate, Evaluate Elevate."
Learn24 Network invites OST providers, youth development professionals, and community partners to register for the upcoming Learn24 Network 2026 Out-of-School Time Conference and Showcase: “Illuminate, Evaluate, Elevate.” Held June 22-23, this year’s conference will bring together OST professionals, educators, and community partners for engaging workshops, networking opportunities, and meaningful conversations centered around youth development and program quality.
- Dynamic Keynote Speakers
- Youth Assessor Corps Panel Discussion
- Networking and Collaboration Opportunities
- Interactive Workshops Led by OST Professionals
- Grant Administration and Compliance
- Program Sustainability and Effectiveness
- Program Quality Assurance and Evaluating OST Programs
- Funding Sustainability
- Capacity Building
- Positive Youth Development
- Data-Driven Decision-Making
- Family and Community Engagement
Social Studies Professional Learning Summer Offerings (Reminder)
Registration is now open for professional development opportunities coming up this summer for social studies educators.
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June 23 and 24: Planning for Document-Based Instruction Using OSSE Social Studies Resources
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June 30: Assessing Social Studies Learning
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July 29-31: Action Civics Institute, supporting instruction with Project Digital Civic Inquiry Units
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Aug. 4: Elevating Student Perspective to Support Effective Discourse and Writing in Social Studies
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Aug. 6: Teaching Geography and Geographic Reasoning with OSSE Resources
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Community of Practice (CoP) (Reminder)
OSSE will continue the SEL CoP, which supports teachers and instructional leaders with a collaborative environment to exchange best practices, strengthen Adult SEL strategies, address challenges through discussions of Problems of Practice, and enhance the integration of SEL in the classroom.
Join the CoP meeting on Tuesday, June 9 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in person at OSSE, 1050 First Street NE.
Please register here.
Overarching Objectives
- Learn about ongoing professional learning opportunities and resources to support campus needs
- Explore ways to leverage SEL artifacts and resources
- Analyze DCSAYS (DC Survey About Your School) data to build educator capacity to take informed action
- Explore strategies for incorporating DC SEL competencies within the classroom context
- Identify challenges and practical obstacles that educators encounter while integrating SEL standards and practices, and explore effective solutions.
To learn more about this opportunity, contact Marcus Hughes with the OSSE Division of Teaching and Learning at Marcus.Hughes@dc.gov.
Multilingual Learner Educators, Call for Presenters (Reminder)
OSSE’s Division of Teaching and Learning is seeking educators and instructional leaders who are interested in contributing to the DC learning community by collaborating on professional learning during the 2026-27 school year. Our goal is to draw upon the depth of expertise that already exists within DC education and highlight the high-quality talent present in our local schools. Interested individuals will be added to a pool of potential presenters and may be contacted as opportunities that align with their expertise arise.
If you have demonstrated effective practices, innovative approaches, or specialized knowledge on serving multilingual learners that could benefit colleagues across the city, we invite you to submit your interest. Complete the interest form by Sunday, May 31 here.
Contact Francesca.Smith@dc.gov for questions.
Structured Literacy in Action, July 13 and 15 (Reminder)
OSSE is excited to host the first in-person structured literacy training. This two‑day session for educators teaching and supporting grades K–5, complements OSSE’s asynchronous science of reading training providing participants opportunities to synthesize, discuss, and apply the learning. Successful completion of OSSE’s Science of Reading course is highly preferred but not required. The in-person training will take place at OSSE, 1050 First St. NE, on July 13 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional dates will be added based on educator interest.
Session Objectives
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Internalize key research and theoretical models aligned with the science of reading
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Synthesize evidence-based practices for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and writing
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Apply new learning through curriculum alignment, use of OSSE’s instructional walkthrough tool and hands on practice
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Collaborate with OSSE’s literacy team and fellow educators to strengthen structured literacy implementation for the 2026-27 school year
Interested participants register here.
*This in‑person training alone does not meet the kindergarten structured literacy training requirement.
For questions, please contact Vaani Gupta at Vaani.Gupta@dc.gov.
 FY27 ESEA Title I-IV Preliminary Allocations Now Available (Reminder)
Preliminary LEA grant allocations for fiscal year 2027 (FY27) Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Titles I-A, II-A, III-A, and IV-A formula grant programs for the 2026-27 school year are now available on OSSE’s website.
Please see the announcement below for more information about how LEAs can apply for ESEA Title awards.
For questions or additional information about the ESEA consolidated application (ConApp), please email Con.App@dc.gov or reach out to your LEA’s ESEA Point of Contact.
Competitive Grant Program to Support Direct Student Services in FY27 (Reminder)
ESEA Section 1003A authorizes state education agencies (SEAs) to use up to 3 percent of the state’s Title I-A grant to create a grant program for LEAs to support direct student services.
The US Department of Education notified OSSE that its award will increase by more than 20 percent from FY26 to FY27. This significant increase makes it possible to take advantage of the direct student services opportunity while also increasing the funds made available to LEAs through the Title I-A formula.
OSSE consulted with LEAs this spring, and the majority expressed interest in a grant opportunity for direct student services. Based on this feedback and the large increase to the state’s Title I-A award, OSSE has decided to take the 3 percent reservation to launch this grant program in FY27.
The competitive grant will support LEAs to provide direct student services for:
- Enrollment in academic courses not otherwise offered at a student’s school;
- Credit recovery and academic acceleration that leads to a high school diploma;
- Costs for exams (e.g., Advanced Placement [AP] exams), dual enrollment, or other post-secondary coursework that is accepted for credit at institutions of higher education (IHEs);
- Personalized learning, such as high-quality academic tutoring; and/or
- Transportation to allow a student at a school identified for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) to transfer to another public or public charter school.
Information about competitive priorities, program design, and the application process will be forthcoming.
For questions or additional information about this new grant program, please reach out to Jessica Sobin at Jessica.Sobin@dc.gov.
Save the Dates: FY27 ESEA ConApp Technical Assistance Webinars (Reminder)
The fiscal year 2027 (FY27) Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Phase I application is now available in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS), and the Phase II consolidated application (ConApp) will be released in late July. Upon approval of the Phase II application, local education agencies (LEAs) can begin to submit reimbursement requests for FY27 grant expenditures.
The ESEA team will host a series of technical assistance (TA) webinars for LEAs this summer in preparation for the submission of the ConApp.
Please save the following dates:
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FY27 ConApp Changes and FAQs Webinar: Wednesday, July 22 at 10 a.m.
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Workshop for New Grant Managers: Monday, Aug. 3 at 1 p.m.
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ConApp Program Alignment & Budget Webinar: Thursday, Aug. 6 at 2 p.m.
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Title I-A Parent and Family Engagement Office Hours: Monday, Aug. 10 at 1 p.m.
Registration information for FY27 ConApp summer TA opportunities is forthcoming and will be shared in a future edition of this newsletter. Details about grant programs within the ConApp are available on OSSE’s website. Additional planning resources will be posted on OSSE’s website in the coming months.
For questions or additional information about the ESEA ConApp, please email Con.App@dc.gov or reach out to your LEA’s ESEA Point of Contact.
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June 2026
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