The first George Washington University and D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) cohort of the Educational Leadership and Administration (ELA) program within GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD) has made measurable impacts in schools across the District.
The GW/DCPS equity-centered leadership cohort, which is a collaboration between GSEHD and DCPS, launched with the support of a multi-year grant from The Wallace Foundation.
The partnership is part of a broader effort to build a principal pipeline in the District by preparing aspiring leaders to address inequities and improve student learning in their schools.
“Prior to the start of the cohort, the ELA faculty redesigned our educational leadership preparation program to advance educational equity,” said Rebecca Thessin, an associate professor of educational administration at GSEHD. “The Wallace Foundation’s investment made it possible for us to rethink everything, from admissions to curriculum, with a focus on equity.”
The first cohort featured 16 DCPS educators. Two cohort members transitioned into assistant principal roles after their first year in the cohort and the rest are planning to pursue leadership positions in the near future.
During their last semester, each member of the cohort carried out a rigorous, semester-long action research project at their own school site. Through this work, they identified a gap in their school, implemented a research-based solution and gathered data to measure its impact. Each project focused on a different issue, some aimed at teacher development and instructional change, while others focused more directly on improving student achievement.
Thessin said she was impressed with the dedication the first cohort members showed as they worked on these projects and the demonstrated impact they had on students.
“They were all deeply committed,” Thessin said. “They not only led change in their schools but also demonstrated, through data, the positive difference their leadership made.”
Special subject teachers
Ricardo Montes, a World Language-Spanish teacher at Payne Elementary School in Ward 6, focused his research on the often overlooked potential of special-subject teachers, like those who teach art or physical education, to support students’ academic development in areas where they may need additional assistance.
“Special-subject teachers have a lot of potential to help students build solid background knowledge,” Montes said. “And students, they’re really engaged in these special-subject classes. So, I saw an opportunity to help students and bridge learning gaps.”
After analyzing school data, Montes found that many students were consistently scoring low in vocabulary, especially Tier 2 and Tier 3 academic vocabulary. “These types of words are critical for reading comprehension and subject-specific understanding,” Montes said.
Recognizing students’ high engagement in special-subject classes, Montes and his colleagues developed a strategy to incorporate vocabulary instruction into their lessons. They developed a framework they called SEED, a four-step process. First, they selected key vocabulary words for the week, explained the meaning and context of the words, engaged students through interactive practice and displayed the words visually throughout the classroom and school.
“We used it as a warmup at the start of each lesson,” Montes said. “It took no more than five minutes, but it made a big difference. For example, our PE teacher created a word wall with all the terms students were learning. Kids started recognizing academic vocabulary everywhere.”
By equipping special-subject teachers with tools to support literacy in creative, subject-specific ways, Montes said his project demonstrated how nontraditional approaches can effectively address learning gaps.
Opportunity academies
Tina Bradley is an assistant principal for the Opportunity Academy Virtual Learning (OAVL) Program, the only virtual learning option for high school students in D.C.
Bradley said Opportunity Academies (OAs) are often known as second-chance schools, designed for students who have experienced an interruption in their education or have not thrived in traditional school settings. As a result, many students face significant external barriers that can impact their academic progress.
“This leads to ongoing issues with attendance and engagement for our student population,” Bradley said. “The virtual program is no exception. When students aren't in school or engaging with the work in class, they can experience negative academic outcomes. It was a no-brainer for me to focus my action research project on ways to improve attendance and engagement in our program.”
Bradley’s data analysis revealed that students with disabilities in her program had an attendance rate that was 25% lower than their peers and they had 40% more unexcused absences. She worked with her colleagues to design OAVL XP, a gamified engagement initiative designed to increase motivation and participation, especially for students with disabilities.
The initiative combined evidence-based practices, culturally responsive strategies, and student input to create a rewards-based system. Students earned experience points for positive academic behaviors, such as attending virtual sessions, completing assignments, or participating in class. The system featured daily “TikTok Takes” discussions, challenges, and a digital store where students could trade points for real-world prizes.
“Data showed that OAVL XP increased motivation and engagement across the board, with students with disabilities demonstrating particularly strong gains in participation,” Bradley said. “The project highlighted the power of personalized supports in transforming virtual classrooms into spaces where students feel seen, excited, and invested [in].”
Collaborative lesson planning
Ebon McPherson, an instructional coach at Peabody Elementary School in Ward 6, which serves students in PK3, PK4, and kindergarten, focused her project on improving co-planning between general and special education teachers. While analyzing school data, she learned that students receiving special education services made up just 13% of the school population but accounted for 43% of those performing below expectations.
“We have students who are really young, so we wouldn't expect to see those disparities so early,” McPherson said.
She turned her attention to co-planning, which is the collaborative process where general and special education teachers work together to design lessons that support students with Individualized Education Programs (IEP). She discovered a disconnect where general education teachers reported they were actively co-planning, while special education teachers said the collaboration wasn’t adequate and they felt excluded in the process.
“Clearly, there was a misalignment,” McPherson said. “I wanted to create a shared understanding and from there, work on improving the quality of collaboration.”
McPherson led a series of structured conversations and professional learning sessions to build a common language around co-planning. She wanted to emphasize the importance of IEPs not just as legal documents, but as instructional roadmaps that can support student learning.
The results of the project showed meaningful changes, including improved collaboration on co-created plans, increased informal teacher check-ins, and raised feelings of partners among special educators in the classroom. One special education teacher told McPherson she felt seen in a way she hadn’t in years.
Improving math outcomes through vocabulary
Breanna Boykins, a third-grade teacher at Raymond Elementary in Ward 4, noticed students were struggling with math performance, particularly when it came to word problems, and many lacked confidence in their ability to do challenging work.
“My project focused on the intersection between productive struggle and vocabulary,” Boykins said. “I wanted to understand how students' sense of self-efficacy, their belief in their ability to tackle hard tasks, affected their engagement. I was curious whether presenting them with challenging work could help build that confidence. Could productive struggle, paired with targeted support, lead to academic gains?”
Before launching her intervention, Boykins collected feedback directly from students through surveys and observations. The results showed students reported low confidence and difficulty with complex tasks, especially word problems.
She researched how to build self-efficacy in students and worked with her colleagues to develop a high-impact math tutoring program. She also set standards across the school on engaging students in cognitively rich tasks and introducing vocabulary instruction as an entry point to problem solving.
As the school year progressed, Boykins collected data and feedback from teachers. The results showed students were more willing to attempt difficult problems, showed greater persistence, and demonstrated excitement around math tasks that previously felt out of reach.
“It’s rewarding because I never want to see kids not love math,” Boykins said. “I presented my high-impact tutoring program to them as a math club, and now the students are already asking, ‘Are you going to be our math club tutor next year? Are we going to have math club again?’ That excitement and confidence, compared to the reluctance they showed at the beginning when many would shy away from math, has been truly rewarding.”
These four projects represent just a few of the innovative initiatives implemented by the GW/DCPS equity-centered leadership cohort members. Together, their work underscores the impact of equity-focused leadership in driving meaningful and measurable change in educational settings.
For School Year 2025-2026, the Opportunity Academy Virtual Learning program will only be available to students enrolled at Garnet-Patterson Opportunity Academy.
