Dr. Erin Ward Bibo: Statement to the State Board of Education’s High School Graduation Requirements Task Force

Good evening State Board Members, Members of the High School Graduation Requirements Task Force, and staff. My name is Erin Bibo, and I am the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at CityWorks DC, a nonprofit focused on achieving two inextricably linked goals: 1) DC youth and young adults are prepared for, hired into, and succeeding in the good jobs we have in our city and region, and 2) Local industries are confidently relying on local talent to meet their workforce needs. I’m also a Ward 6 resident and parent of three DCPS students - a Banneker Achiever, an Eliot-Hine Eagle, and a Maury Cougar.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today about the city’s efforts to redesign DC’s High School Graduation Requirements. When OSSE began this effort several years ago, I was thrilled to see that one of their top priorities was to increase student flexibility. While much activity has transpired with the Graduation Requirements over the subsequent years, I fear that these changes will not result in any enhanced or equitably distributed flexibility for our city’s high school students. 

In a recent conversation with President Thompson, I realized that flexibility had not previously been defined explicitly, including what flexibility looks like and why it is so essential. Let me do that now.

The flexibility we need would enable all of our high schoolers - not just those at the highest achievement levels - to have sufficient time and availability in their schedules to participate in Career Asset Building Opportunities that allow students to acquire skills, experiences, and credentials —such as internships, apprenticeships, dual enrollment, postsecondary planning, and CTE courses—to enhance employability and long-term financial stability. A series of studies by DC Education Through Employment Pathways, CityWorks DC, and Bain & Company found that students who participate in Career Asset Building Opportunities are more likely to be employed, earn more, and feel professionally fulfilled in the future. 

However, research by the DC Policy Center shows that educators and youth development professionals report that the lack of flexibility in students’ schedules is the most significant reason students are unable to access Career Asset Building Opportunities. In addition, DC alumni themselves state that a lack of schedule flexibility was a major reason they weren’t able to participate in Career Asset Building Opportunities in high school, and, most importantly, that their greatest desire in high school was that they had greater access to more Career Asset Building Opportunities. Needless-to-say, we want all students to be able to participate in these opportunities. Yet, the rigid design of our graduation requirements and the number of specific requirements that every high school must provide prevents many students from participating because they simply don’t have sufficient time in their schedules to do so. 

In light of this, one step we’ve recommended is to conduct an analysis that tells us which students currently have access to Career Asset Building Opportunities, so we can see how many can participate and whether that access is equitably distributed. Then we suggest conducting a modelling exercise to determine the extent to which students under revised graduation requirements will have the flexibility in their schedules to access Career Asset Building Opportunities and how equitably the access would be distributed. I strongly encourage the State Board to pursue these steps to inform the Board’s final feedback on these requirements.

Thank you. I am happy to answer any questions.