In mid-March 2020, when we understood less about how the pandemic would last, EK12 set out to estimate the possible impact of the pandemic and abrupt transition to distance learning on student achievement. This brief summarizes research on school interruptions and our estimation methodology.

We analyzed the new DC School Report Card and found 13 schools serving high proportions of priority students where academic growth exceeds growth among non-at-risk students without disabilities at DC’s lowest poverty schools. These schools were on pace to close the achievement gap in 5 years. We met with each school’s leaders and teachers, and our team identified three commitments all of the schools make in order to move the growth needle forward for all students.

We analyzed school-level student growth data from 2015-16 and 2016-17 to identify the top ten high-poverty, rapidly improving schools in the District of Columbia based on their scores against a “growth Index.” Our analysis finds that 10 of the District’s public schools serve a high percentage of at-risk students and achieve some of the most significant academic growth in the city. We call these schools “Bold Growth Schools” and uncovered common practices capable of being scaled across the District.