DC Charter School Alliance

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DC Charter School Alliance Advocating for DC charter schools to create a strong public school sector in Washington, DC

Earlier today, Associate Director of Policy & Political Affairs, Andy Renard, testified at The Council of the District o...
10/21/2026

Earlier today, Associate Director of Policy & Political Affairs, Andy Renard, testified at The Council of the District of Columbia's hearing on career and technical education and the Advanced Technical Centers.

Andy highlighted the Alliance's four asks: removing policy barriers to shared programs and encouraging partnerships among schools, labor organizations, and employers; funding the ATCs through a stable and predictable mechanism; increasing transparency in seat allocation, along with transportation support and schedule flexibility; and protecting Adult and Family Literacy grants.

Read his testimony at dccharters.org/blog.

Hispanic Heritage Month wrapped up last week, and our public charter schools celebrated in big ways! From classroom trad...
10/20/2026

Hispanic Heritage Month wrapped up last week, and our public charter schools celebrated in big ways! From classroom traditions to citywide festivals, students and staff spent the month honoring the many cultures, histories, and stories that make up the Hispanic and Latino community here in DC and beyond. Here’s a look at how some of our schools celebrated. 🎉

At DC Bilingual Public Charter School, students celebrated all month long by reading stories centering Latine and Hispanic culture, learning traditional games, creating masks, and making tortillas. The school menu joined in too, serving chilaquiles, plantains, tacos, and Spanish tortilla. They also held a schoolwide celebration with a Teatro de la Luna performance for PK students, a livestreamed cultural showcase, and students and staff dressed to represent their heritage.

Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School families gathered over coffee and breakfast for “Mi Escuela, Mi Comunidad,” where Ms. Claudia Luna shared the story of how LAMB was founded and why the school’s Latin American roots remain at the heart of its community.

Students and staff at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School’s Harvard Street campus, led by Elizabeth Fernandez, worked together to create a special display honoring the culture, history, traditions, and contributions of the Hispanic community.

DC International School ended the the month with La Gran Fiesta, its annual celebration of the beauty and diversity of Latinx culture and the contributions of its Hispanic and Latinx community!

The Next Step Public Charter School held celebrations of Hispanic culture and heritage, with music, dance and activities that gave the whole school community a chance to come together.

10/15/2026

Some of the best moments from our 30-year conversation come from the practical details of starting a school. Hear Martha Cutts and Donald Hense share what it really took to lead and grow DC public charter schools in the early years: https://youtu.be/VBn8gCDiv7s?si=5f1CRyl83R0M5h0P

30 years of DC public charter schools, told by two people who were there. In our new Leaders in Conversation episode, Do...
10/13/2026

30 years of DC public charter schools, told by two people who were there.

In our new Leaders in Conversation episode, Donald Hense (founder of Friendship PCS) and Martha Cutts (former Head of School at Washington Latin PCS) take us back to the beginning and look ahead to what’s next.

Watch now: https://youtu.be/VBn8gCDiv7s

Last week, DC educators, school leaders, and partners gathered at the AI Education Leadership Summit to talk about what ...
10/13/2026

Last week, DC educators, school leaders, and partners gathered at the AI Education Leadership Summit to talk about what AI really looks like in classrooms: what's working, what's next, and how we make sure it serves every student.

Thank you to EmpowerK12 for leading this convening through the Capital AI Education Collective. The Collective is a citywide initiative that brings together public charter schools, government leaders, policymakers, and business partners around a shared, equity-centered and human-centered approach to AI in PK–12 education. The DC Charter School Alliance was proud to support the Summit alongside Education Forward DC and Friendship Public Charter School. When public charter and traditional public schools take on hard questions together, DC students win.

DC's public charter schools are helping set the pace. Speakers from Friendship PCS, Washington Leadership Academy PCS, Goodwill Excel Center PCS, Lee Montessori PCS, Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys PCS, Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School, and The Next Step PCS shared how their schools are using AI to support learning while keeping student safety and responsibility front and center. The Alliance's Noah Dougherty, Director of School Talent and Academic Strategy, moderated a panel on how DC educators and their partners are using AI to support teachers and students. Thank you to everyone who shared what they're learning.

The conversation about AI in schools is moving fast. We're glad DC's charter educators are helping lead it, finding the practices worth scaling so students and teachers can thrive.

Earlier today, Director of School Talent and Academic Strategy, Noah Dougherty, testified at the The Council of the Dist...
10/09/2026

Earlier today, Director of School Talent and Academic Strategy, Noah Dougherty, testified at the The Council of the District of Columbia hearing on technology in schools.

Noah highlighted the Alliance's four priorities for technology in schools: putting student safety, privacy, and wellness first; matching tech use to each school's mission; listening to teachers and families; and responsible innovation through efforts like the Capital AI Education Collective and the DC AI Innovation Fellowship.

Read his testimony at dccharters.org/blog.

Want to hear directly from candidates looking to shape education in DC?Join us for a 2026 DC State Board of Education Ca...
10/09/2026

Want to hear directly from candidates looking to shape education in DC?

Join us for a 2026 DC State Board of Education Candidate Forum on Wednesday, October 14, from 6–8 PM at DC Bilingual Public Charter School. Dinner will be available, and children are welcome!

Hear directly from these candidates:

📍 Ward 1: Ben Williams
📍 Ward 3: Eric Goulet, Aaron Wesolowski
📍 Ward 5: Dr. Lynn Jennings, Jon Alfuth
📍 Ward 6: Amber A. Williams, David Parker, Joshua Wiley

Can't make it in person? The event will also be live streamed. Register now: eventbrite.com/e/2026-dc-state-board-of-education-candidate-forum-tickets-2002291284131

Hispanic Heritage Month is here, and this month is a great opportunity to get out, learn something new, and honor Hispan...
10/07/2026

Hispanic Heritage Month is here, and this month is a great opportunity to get out, learn something new, and honor Hispanic history and culture together.

Luckily for us, we have no shortage of ways to celebrate. Check out this guide from Washingtonian with fun festivals, food, music, art, and community events happening across the DC area this month.

See the full guide: https://washingtonian.com/2026/09/03/ways-to-celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month-around-dc-2/

Meet the newest cohort of DC public charter school leaders! 🎉 Today, we're excited to welcome 40 incredible school leade...
10/06/2026

Meet the newest cohort of DC public charter school leaders! 🎉 Today, we're excited to welcome 40 incredible school leaders–representing 22 public charter LEAs, serving students across the city–into the New Instructional Leaders Cohort II.

Over the coming months, this group will build critical skills in people management, instructional coaching, project management, and emotional intelligence, learning from top local and national facilitators along the way.

This year’s members:

Rebecca Ain, Assistant Principal (5th/6th Grade & ELA), Social Justice PCS
A'maara Apparbal, High School Assistant Principal, E.L. Haynes PCS
Marlon Baker, Special Education Coach, Bridges PCS
Shira Bezie, Hebrew Director, Sela PCS
Taneika Blackwell, Reading Specialist, Meridian PCS
Hannah Bowles, Inclusion Manager - EL and Special Education, Creative Minds International PCS
Qualitra Brown, Assistant Principal, Capital City PCS
Jefferson BuggBey, Director of Instruction, Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys PCS
Jennifer Carter, Middle School Academy Director, Friendship PCS
Sherie Coates, Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach, Global Citizens PCS
Christina Cook, Assistant Principal of High School, César Chávez PCS for Public Policy
Mark Ellison, Math Instructional Specialist, DC Bilingual PCS
Candace Farrell, Director of Student Support Services, BASIS DC PCS
Tashiyra Freeman, Assistant Principal of Inclusion and Intervention, Capital City PCS
Elizabeth Haile, Assistant Principal, Carlos Rosario International PCS
Dr. Precious Hallman, Assistant Principal, Creative Minds International PCS
Erica Hamilton, Assistant Director of Student Support Services, E.L. Haynes PCS
Malcolm Harvin-Conner, Assistant Principal of Student Affairs and Culture, Washington Yu Ying PCS
Brittney Henderson, Assistant Principal of Instruction, Capital City PCS
Jeremiah Howe, Math Coach, Bridges PCS
Renee Ivey, Assistant Principal of Specialized Instruction, César Chávez PCS for Public Policy
Dominique Johnson, Instructional Specialist, Friendship PCS
Chloe Jonas, Director of Special Populations, Global Citizens PCS
Kristee Jones, Assistant Principal, Meridian PCS
Missy LeDoux, Middle School Special Education Coordinator, The Sojourner Truth Montessori PCS
Fred Loran, Assistant Principal, Capital City PCS
Johari Malik, Instructional Coach, Lee Montessori PCS
Eve McCarey, Supervisor and Coordinator, Briya PCS
Courtney McIntosh-Peters, Manager Culture, Equity, and Student Experience, Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS
Peter Otunba, Assistant Coordinator, Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS
Haley Pedersen, Math Instructional Specialist, Friendship PCS
Douglas Reyes, Instructional Coach/Part-Time Administrative Support, The Next Step PCS/El Próximo Paso PCS
Cheyenne Scarver, Teacher Leader, Two Rivers PCS
Monique Stinson, Assistant Principal, The Sojourner Truth Montessori PCS
Saun Thompson, Special Education Coordinator, BASIS DC PCS
Claire Tucker, HS Assistant Principal, E.L. Haynes PCS
Azaria Whitaker-Bryant, Literacy Specialist, DC Bilingual PCS
Jimia Williams, Interventionist, Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS
Kia Willis, Math Instructional Coach, Sela PCS
Ernest Yombo, Assistant Principal, Carlos Rosario International PCS

Washington Leadership Academy Public Charter School is one of the first schools in the country to fully embrace AI in th...
10/05/2026

Washington Leadership Academy Public Charter School is one of the first schools in the country to fully embrace AI in the classroom, and it's showing what safe, responsible AI use looks like. 🛡️

As D.C.'s first computer science public charter high school, WLA puts safety first. The school uses a clear rubric that tells students how much AI they can use on each assignment, chooses AI tools that protect student data, and teaches students to question AI and understand its limits instead of just using it. That same thinking shows up at the school's annual Hackathon, where students use AI to tackle real-world problems.

WLA's leadership on AI safety has also won the school new grant funding to help other schools strengthen their own AI safety practices, spreading responsible AI use to classrooms across D.C.

💡 We're proud to see one of our public charter schools leading the way on what's next in education!

📸 Washington Leadership Academy

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1436 U Street NW Suite 204
Washington D.C., DC
20009

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