Highlights

What would an equitable DC look like? Communities of color have faced decades of systemic racism and discriminatory policies and practices. These actions have barred people of color from certain jobs and neighborhoods and from opportunities to build wealth, leaving a legacy that persists today. If the nation’s capital were free of its stark racial inequities, it could be a more prosperous and competitive city—one where everyone could reach their full potential and build better lives for themselves and their families.

As more low-income households struggle to find affordable homes, preserving existing affordable housing is critical. While new construction is part of the puzzle, the complex and costly process of development means these efforts have not kept up with demand. Preserving existing affordable housing is an important supplement to new developments, and it prevents displacement, is generally cheaper than building new housing, and conforms to existing land-use patterns.

The vision for DC’s 11th Street Bridge Park, a new $45 million elevated park that will span the Anacostia River, is ambitious: create recreational and environmental value for the city, and connect distressed neighborhoods on the east side of the river to the more affluent neighborhoods on the west side. But to realize this vision, planners must honestly answer, who is this for?

Interest in prekindergarten has been growing steadily on both sides of the aisle, and the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act includes $250 million in grants for early education. State funding for prekindergarten has swelled from $5.3 billion to $7.0 billion in the past four years, with 32 states increasing their funding.

While it may seem that nothing in Washington ever changes, the District itself has been undergoing dramatic change. From the 1960s to the late 1990s, DC was losing population; today, at least 1,000 new residents arrive each month.

Student performance in the nation’s capital has increased so dramatically that it has attracted significant attention and prompted many to ask whether

Although more people are attending college now than in the past, many youth from disadvantaged backgrounds still do not enroll in or complete any postsecondary education. Eighty percent of recent high school graduates from high-income families enroll in college, compared with 49 percent of recent graduates from low-income families. The discrepancy grows when looking at college graduation rates.