Projects

The Impact of Replacing Principals on Student Achievement in DC Public Schools

2013-2014
Prepared For

The Walton Family Foundation

The Public Education Reform Amendment Act led to numerous reforms that changed nearly every aspect of DC public schools. In this project, we focus on one consequence of the reforms by examining the impact of principal replacements that began in 2007 on student achievement.

Faced with a struggling public school system, the District of Columbia (DC) took a significant step toward school reform with the Public Education Reform Amendment Act (PERAA), implemented before the 2007–2008 school year. PERAA led to numerous reforms that changed nearly every aspect of DC public schools, including school governance structures, human capital policies, leadership, and resource management. Along with the policy changes, PERAA led to investments from private philanthropies, which sought to expand charter schools, hire and train teachers differently, and provide additional compensation to teachers in the DC Public Schools in exchange for greater accountability for performance. The Walton Family Foundation alone invested more than $12 million in DC as part of its Improve Existing Schools initiative.

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Related Staff

Elias Walsh

Elias Walsh

Principal Researcher

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