When I joined the DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) five years ago, my vision was clear: every family should have access to quality school options and a transparent, equitable way to measure school performance. Achieving that vision required building an accountability system that reflects our schools’ progress and challenges and helps every student, family, and educator see a clear path toward excellence.
That vision is now reality. This year, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, DC PCSB is publicly reporting school performance data and launching our revised academic accountability system, ASPIRE.
ASPIRE which stands for Annual School Performance Index Report & Evaluation is more than an acronym. Built through years of collaboration with school leaders, educators, families, and community members, it centers growth, equity, and opportunity while giving the public a clear view of how schools are performing. It goes beyond a single test score, using multiple measures like student growth, achievement, attendance, re-enrollment, and school climate to provide a fuller picture of success.
The pandemic disrupted learning in ways we are still working to fully understand. Pausing public reporting during those years allowed us to listen, reflect, and rethink how to measure success as we built our revised academic accountability system. We heard from families who wanted clearer, easier-to-read information. We heard from educators who wanted an accountability system that recognized growth as well as proficiency. And we heard from community members who wanted assurance that every student would have access to quality opportunities.
Public accountability matters because it builds trust, informs decisions, and keeps us focused on the right priorities. ASPIRE will give families the information they need to make informed choices about their children’s education, help policymakers target resources where they are most needed, and provide school leaders with actionable insights to strengthen teaching and learning. Our Board members will use ASPIRE to make school oversight decisions. Just as importantly, it will make opportunity gaps visible. When data reveals disparities, it creates an obligation to act. Transparency can be uncomfortable, but those moments of truth are where progress begins.
The first ASPIRE results will be shared this school year. They will give us a baseline—a starting point from which schools, families, and the public can work together. Over the next two to three years, as the system builds momentum, we expect it to become a trusted, go-to source for understanding how our schools are serving students.
Every child in the District deserves a quality education, and every family deserves to know how their school is doing. With the launch of ASPIRE, DC’s public charter schools are taking that step forward—together.
Learn more and explore your school’s results: https://dcpcsb.org/aspire-system
DC Charter School Board -Who We Are
Our goal is to ensure every DC student receives a quality education that makes them feel valued and prepares them for lifelong learning, fulfilling careers, and economic security. We do that by creating the policies and conditions that empower teachers and school leaders to do their best work, and that’s educating students.
DC PCSB is an independent government agency of the District of Columbia, created in 1996, led by a volunteer seven-member board. As the sole public charter school authorizer in our nation’s capital, we provide oversight to 134 public charter schools which are managed by 68 independently run nonprofit organizations called local education agencies. These schools educated 46,358 students in school year 2023-24, nearly half of DC’s public-school students.
Our Vision
Every DC student receives a quality education that makes them feel valued and prepares them for lifelong learning, fulfilling careers, and economic security.
Our Mission
DC public charter schools are environments where all students, especially those in historically marginalized groups, thrive. As DC’s charter authorizer, we:
- Approve, monitor, and evaluate schools, with an emphasis on equity and academic excellence
- Create policies and conditions to empower educators to do their best work in service of students
- Actively engage families, schools, and communities to inform our decision-making