I interned in the Central Office at DC Public Schools (DCPS) through the Urban Education Leaders Internship Program (UELIP).

 

In the fall of 2010, I worked in the Office of Data and Accountability. I researched the best practices of data-driven instruction in districts and charter schools around the country. I read the available literature on data-driven instruction, observed data meetings at DCPS schools, and conducted interviews with 10 experts around the country about how their district or school was using data-driven instruction. I used what I learned from these conversations to create a recommendation for a district-wide data-driven instruction model for DCPS and presented these findings to the Data-Driven Instruction Strategy Group.

 

In the spring of 2011, I worked in the Transformation Management Office (TMO).  I assisted with the 2011 Out of Boundary Lottery by maintaining the database, communicating with parents and school-based staff, and answering their questions. I also generated and distributed weekly enrollment and lottery updates to 120 schools and helped both principals and registrars troubleshoot enrollment issues that arose. While working on these projects in TMO, I gained many Excel skills including the ability to use pivot tables and vlookup.

 

During both semesters, I had the opportunity to meet with the chiefs of the different offices in DCPS to learn about their backgrounds and current work, and I participated in discussions and professional development sessions on a variety of topics.