Smiling graduate in cap and gown holding diploma, hugging another graduate, at a graduation ceremony, with text overlay about expanding career and postsecondary pathways.

As partners in Compact 2043, this coalition strongly supports the District’s efforts to ensure that our high school graduates are ready for a future of their own design: for this to be true, schools must prepare students today for the careers of tomorrow. Because the pathway to family-sustaining careers starts in middle and high school, the budget should

Build on existing infrastructure to connect high school experiences and career building assets by expanding innovative offerings like the Advanced Technical Centers (ATCs), and best-in-class career and technical education (CTE) programming.
Embed work-based learning into more curricular offerings, including expanded access to high-quality, paid internships and apprenticeships, more dual enrollment and early college high school options, and opportunities for work experience.
Improve our programs, policies, and systems by investing in and learning from DC’s Education Through Employment Pathways (ETEP) data system, analyses, and insights.

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