This Friday, November 12th at 12:00 pm, the DC Council will hold a public hearing on the nomination of Dr. Christina Grant to be State Superintendent of Education. If confirmed Dr. Grant would oversee the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), which is responsible for not only ensuring that Washington DC residents are provided quality education in both its pubic and public charter schools but also serves as a liaison to the Department of Education. Currently, Dr. Grant serves as the Acting State Superintendent of Education for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.
Dr. Grant's career in education began in Harlem, New York as a public school teacher through Teach for America. During her time in New York, she held a number of positions in the school system including time as the Superintendent of the Great Oaks Foundation and as Deputy Executive Director at the New York City Department of Education. Before being nominated by Washington DC Mayor to become Acting State Superintendent of Education in June of this year, Dr. Grant served as the Chief of Charter Schools and Innovation for The School District of Philadelphia. In this role not only did she oversee a $1 billion budget she worked with both the Superintendent of Schools and the President of the Board of Education and the Mayor's Chief Education Officer to manage Philadelphia's complex school system.
The OSSE, which Dr. Grant would oversee, is one of the most important institutions in the District of Columbia. The effectiveness of the individual at the helm of OSSE will be felt across all Wards and social classes. The OSSE states that its primary functions are:
Developing state-level standards aligned with school, college, and workforce readiness expectations.
Ensuring access to high-quality child care and universal pre-kindergarten for eligible District families.
Providing resources and support to assist the District’s most vulnerable student populations.
Administering the annual Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), the statewide student academic achievement exam.
Providing regional, door-to-door transportation to school for District children with special needs.
Awarding higher education financial assistance to eligible District students at public and private colleges and universities in DC and across the country.
Increasing health and physical education awareness as well as ensuring access to free meals year-round.
Providing common, comparable information for families and educators about all public schools in the District of Columbia through the DC School Report Card.
Dr. Grant has a doctorate in Education with a focus on Organizational Leadership from the
University of Pennsylvania; two master's degrees: one in Organizational Leadership from the
Teachers College of Columbia University and one in Teaching and Adolescent English from
Fordham University; and a bachelor's degree from Hofstra University. Her full resume, bio, and other important documents the committee will utilize during Friday’s hearing can be found here. Anyone who would like to testify at the hearing must register using this link by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10th. All testimony will be limited to three minutes.