Photo from Abigail Smith.

We asked Abigail Smith, the Deputy Mayor for Education, to tell us about her job. Here’s her guest post.

I often hear the following question: With a Chancellor, a Public Charter School Board, and a State Superintendent of Education, what does the Deputy Mayor for Education do? There are lots of cooks in DC’s education kitchen, and it can be hard to sort out who does what.

Basically, I advise the mayor on education policy and coordinate activities among a variety of agencies that have a role in educating students in the District. But let’s start with what those other key players do.

The Chancellor, Kaya Henderson, serves as the chief executive of DCPS and is responsible for operating a public school system that serves 46,000 of our city’s students. Since 2007, the Chancellor has reported to the Mayor rather than to a school board.

Scott Pearson serves as the Executive Director of the Public Charter School Board (PCSB), whose members are appointed by the Mayor. The PCSB authorizes new charter schools, reviews and monitors existing public charter schools, and holds them accountable for delivering results. Our public charter schools serve 34,000 students in the District.

And while the District of Columbia is, of course (and unjustly!), not technically a state, the federal Department of Education views us as a state for the purposes of federal funding, compliance, and accountability. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), led by Emily Durso, oversees these typical state functions for both District and public charter schools.

Clear enough. So where does that leave the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME)? I serve several functions that intersect but do not overlap with the ones described above.

  • Chief policy advisor to the Mayor on issues of education from early childhood through post-secondary and adult education. It is my job to help the Mayor ensure a policy environment that supports the goals of equity, access, and quality across the public education landscape: DCPS and charter, early childhood, K-12, and adult education. For example, we are currently examining how to revise the funding formula for schools and the way payments are made to DCPS and public charter schools, to better support student needs.
  • Oversight and support for all education-related agencies in the district (DCPS, OSSE, and PCSB, along with the University of the District of Columbia and its Community College, and DC Public Libraries). These agencies have varying governance structures and levels of independence. It is my role to identify and support opportunities for collaboration across this landscape, to ensure the Mayor is aware of the progress and priorities of each agency, and to hold agencies accountable for their strategic use of government resources.
  • Interagency coordination. While much of the work of education happens within schools and their dedicated agencies, there are many issues that benefit from — or even require— reaching across the government into non-education agencies. From crossing guards, to mental health workers, to support for truancy prevention and intervention, our partner agencies across the government play a critical role in the success of our schools. My office ensures that these outside supports are in place and coordinated effectively across government clusters. I co-chair the city’s Truancy Taskforce, and I work closely with the Deputy Mayors of Health and Human Services, Public Safety, and Planning and Economic Development on a range of issues to ensure that we are maximizing District resources in support of our education priorities. This includes leading the re-use process for vacant DCPS buildings that are candidates to house charter schools and working closely with the Department of General Services.
  • Convening and coordinating hub for projects that involve multiple players in the education space, particularly across the DCPS and charter sectors. With each education entity focused on its particular interests, it is helpful to have a convening party that can manage projects across these entities to leverage our full range of public education assets and resources. For example, my office is currently overseeing a “Graduation Pathways” study, which will help DCPS, public charter schools, and community-based organizations better plan for programs to address the particular needs of our youth population that is struggling to graduate. Similarly, I chair the executive team of representatives from DCPS and charter schools overseeing the design and development of a common application and lottery system across both sectors, which will simplify the way families access schools. As one more example, the Office of the DME will take the lead on the process of updating school boundaries and feeder patterns. It is critical that our public school sectors — DCPS and charter — work together for the best interests of all students and families, not in isolation or zero-sum competition. It is my responsibility to create the space and incentives to make this happen.

As the Mayor laid out in a recent speech on education, this Administration is focused on scaling up existing pockets of excellence to serve more students; strengthening existing schools and programs; and simplifying the way families access all aspects of our education system. As DME, I help the Mayor ensure that we have a citywide approach for public education that coordinates strategies across our full range of educational entities and aligns government resources towards the common goal of high-quality educational programs and great outcomes for every student, in every neighborhood in the District.