Jennie Niles’ Testimony Submitted to the Committee of the Whole on the State Superintendent of Education Dr. Antoinette Mitchell Confirmation Resolution of 2025
Thank you Chairman Mendelson, Committee Members, and staff for the opportunity to submit testimony in support of Dr. Antoinette Mitchell’s selection to serve as the next State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia. My name is Jennie Niles, and I am the President and CEO of CityWorks DC, an organization committed to dramatically improving the early career outcomes of DC youth and young adults. I am also the founder of E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, the former Deputy Mayor for Education, and a Ward 1 resident.
Under Dr. Mitchell’s steadfast leadership as Acting Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent for Postsecondary and Career Education at OSSE, the city has invested in critical career asset building opportunities for our city’s youth and young adults. Career assets are the set of tools, skills, experiences, and competencies that help an individual successfully navigate the workforce. This 2021 study conducted by CityWorks DC in partnership with Bain & Co found that DC public and public charter school alumni who participated in career asset building opportunities during high school had significantly higher incomes, were optimistic about their future, and were more likely to report feeling financially stable, fulfilled in their career. The Advanced Internship Program, Career Ready Internship, Advanced Technical Center, and Career Academies are excellent examples of career asset building opportunities - all of these efforts were established under Dr. Mitchell’s leadership, and have subsequently grown and thrived.
Dr. Mitchell’s unwavering commitment to career asset building has also been a priority in OSSE’s efforts to redesign the city’s high school graduation requirements. Ensuring that more students have the flexibility in their schedules so they can participate in work-based learning and career asset building opportunities outside of the school building is vital to preparing our young people for their future and our economy. In addition to reviewing the graduation requirements, OSSE issued guidance in 2023 that laid out the process LEAs could take to identify CTE courses that meet multiple graduation requirements. OSSE identified 8 CTE courses that meet multiple requirements. Shortly thereafter, DCPS undertook an effort that resulted in them identifying an additional 13 CTE Courses for course equivalency. As of last Spring, DCPS alone estimates that 864 students enrolled in courses meeting multiple graduation requirements last school year. Further analysis and expansion of this guidance can increase student’s schedule flexibility even more. I am grateful for Dr. Mitchell’s leadership in promoting multiple, flexible pathways that allow students to pursue the coursework and career asset building opportunities that best prepare them to achieve their postsecondary plans.
Dr. Mitchell has also been a critical supporter of the city’s new Education Through Employment Pathways data system, an innovative model that will allow us to better understand the early career outcomes - specifically employment and earnings - of the graduates of the city’s education and training programs. Data from OSSE plays an essential role in the ETEP’s current and future work, and we have appreciated Dr. Mitchell’s commitment to collaboration and leveraging the data we have to improve outcomes for our city’s residents.
These are just three examples of her educational leadership for our young people. I am excited to work with her as State Superintendent to make even more progress towards building career assets and know that her thoughtfulness, determination, perspective, and ability to work collaboratively will be invaluable to our success. On behalf of CityWorks DC and myself, we wholeheartedly support Dr. Mitchell’s selection for State Superintendent. Thank you again for this opportunity to testify.