Education Forward DC’s CEO Bisi Oyedele delivered the following testimony to the Council of the District of Columbia’s Committee of the Whole at a March 4, 2026 FY26 Performance Oversight Hearing of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education
My name is Bisi Oyedele, and I’m a Ward 4 resident, the parent of two public school students in the District and the Chief Executive Officer of Education Forward DC. We combine strategic grantmaking and hands-on partnerships across both traditional public and charter schools to ensure a great public school for every DC student.
DC has done something remarkable. The intentional and growing investment of public dollars and leadership committed to our students have created conditions that have allowed great schools to thrive. OSSE has been central to that progress, and we are here as a genuine partner in the work ahead.
And we must be honest: much work remains ahead. Today, only about one in four students from low-income households attend a high-performing public school. Achievement gaps persist. Chronic absenteeism remains elevated. And federal meddling is creating real headwinds for schools and families.
This is a moment to push forward. To not just play defense, but to accelerate DC’s progress and extend it to every student who hasn’t benefited yet. We know what’s working. DC already has high-performing schools that are changing outcomes for students from low-income families. The challenge is getting more students into those schools and supporting all schools to perform at that level.
We have seen OSSE’s commitment to that work through our partnerships to create positive school climates and its work to implement the literacy task force recommendations. We also want to applaud the cross-sector approach to school improvement it has undertaken through Accelerate DC and its leadership in the postsecondary space to advance Compact 2043 for stronger postsecondary pathways for all DC students.
OSSE’s commitment to driving transformation at public schools in DC extends beyond this work and into complementary efforts that Ed Forward DC is pursuing through the Partnership for DC School Excellence, which offers non-evaluative school reviews and centralized resources to improve outcomes, with an emphasis on academics, talent retention, and governance. Dr. Mitchell’s decision to serve as an advisory board member and continue her engagement with the pilot supports for selected schools ensures our efforts are building on and learning from one another.
OSSE’s engagement with this work signals exactly the kind of cross-sector collaboration that turns progress into lasting change and we hope that carries through to their forthcoming strategic plan.
I raise these not just to celebrate, but because they point toward the opportunity ahead. DC has proven that citywide improvement is possible. Education Forward DC has set a North Star goal: by 2029, 40% of students designated as economically disadvantaged will attend high-performing schools. Getting there will require sustained partnership between OSSE, both school sectors, philanthropy, and this Council.
We are committed to that partnership, and we are grateful for an agency that is leaning in alongside us.
