Mission
As DC’s state education agency, OSSE works urgently and purposefully, in partnership with education and related systems, to sustain, accelerate, and deepen progress for DC students.
Vision
DC will close the achievement gap and ensure people of all ages and backgrounds are prepared to succeed in school and in life.
What Does OSSE Do?
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is the state education agency for the District of Columbia charged with raising the quality of education for all DC residents. OSSE serves as the District’s liaison to the US Department of Education and works closely with the District’s traditional and public charter schools to achieve its key functions:
- Overseeing all federal education programs and related grants administered in the District of Columbia.
- 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.