Empowering DC schools to achieve excellence through collaborative support.

About Us

The Partnership for DC School Excellence exists for one reason: to support school leaders in
delivering exceptional outcomes for students. When schools succeed, our entire community thrives.

Our Mission

The Partnership for DC School Excellence empowers schools to improve student outcomes by driving transformation through strategic support and tailored resources.

How We Work

Unlike mandated initiatives, we work collaboratively to ensure every school has the tools and insight to thrive. Our non-evaluative support empowers leaders to maximize resources, focus on what matters most, and join a learning community where excellence is a shared journey.

Our Point of View

We envision a city where every student thrives, every leader is supported, and every school delivers lasting success.

A teacher assists a young student writing on a whiteboard in a classroom. The whiteboard has colorful magnetic letters and numbers, and the boy is writing a sentence. The teacher looks on with a supportive expression.

Our Team

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Vanessa Carlo-Miranda

  • Vanessa Carlo-Miranda brings more than 17 years of experience in school, district, and state-level education systems to the Partnership for DC School Excellence.

    Most recently, she served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Education, supporting decentralization efforts of the Puerto Rico Department of Education. Previously, she was Chief Operating Officer of StriveTogether, a national nonprofit working in nearly 70 communities to enable more than 14 million young people to succeed in school and life.

    Carlo-Miranda spent nearly a decade as Chief Operations Officer at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. She began her career at the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS) while attending law school, later combining her passion for education and legal training at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), where she led programs to improve public charter school facilities, federal grants management compliance, and legal support as Attorney Advisor.

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Dahlia Aguilar

  • Dahlia Aguilar is a veteran educator and school leader with over 30 years of experience advancing bilingual and equity-driven education in Washington, D.C. Born in El Paso, Texas, Aguilar began her career in early childhood and ESL education in D.C. Public Schools and later taught high school English in Texas at an alternative school for adjudicated youth. She holds degrees from Georgetown University, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, and Trinity University–Washington, and is fluent in Spanish. A Teach For America alumna and New Leaders for New Schools fellow, Aguilar has consistently championed inclusive, multilingual education for diverse student populations.

    In 2011, Aguilar co-founded Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School, D.C.’s first charter school focused on education for sustainability. As founding principal and later Chief Schools Officer, she led the school’s development of a dual-language immersion program and hands-on, sustainability-centered curriculum. Mundo Verde has grown to serve over 1,000 students across two campuses and has earned LEED Gold and Platinum certifications. Beyond Mundo Verde, Aguilar has held national leadership roles at UnidosUS and DP Consulting Firm, designing educator training and equity strategies. She currently chairs the Education Committee of DC International Charter School, continuing her commitment to innovative, inclusive, and globally minded education.

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Dr. Melissa Kim

  • Dr. Kim has dedicated three decades to promoting excellence and equity in education, strategically working to dismantle systemic barriers faced by children and their families while enhancing learning experiences for students and educators alike. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Director for U.S. Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she led talent strategy initiatives aimed at strengthening philanthropic practices for deeper impact and stronger partnerships.

    Previously, as Deputy Chancellor of DC Public Schools, she led 116 schools and spearheaded efforts across multiple offices, including Elementary and Secondary Schools, Teaching and Learning, Leadership Development, School Innovation and Supports, and Strategic Planning, resulting in increased achievement and enrollment. Her extensive background includes roles as an elementary school teacher, middle school turnaround principal, partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, founding board member of DC International School, and Chief Academic Officer at KIPP DC.

    Melissa chairs the Believe Schools Board, a member of the Montgomery County Public Schools’ Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, and co-chairs the Operating Budget Committee for the Montgomery County Council of PTAs.  Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Pennsylvania, Melissa holds degrees from Colby College, Trinity University, the University of Pennsylvania, and was a fellow of the Broad Center at the Yale School of Management.

Logo of EmpowerK12 featuring a lightbulb with a line graph inside and surrounding yellow rays, with the text 'EmpowerK12' below.

EmpowerK12

  • EmpowerK12 provides schools, educators, and education stakeholders with the tools, training, and trusted spaces to turn data into action.

    They work with policymakers, system leaders, school leaders, educators, students, and families to boldly improve student learning outcomes with systems for qualitative and quantitative data in education, robust strategic analysis, and a collaborative improvement mindset.


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PDCSE emerged from a simple but powerful recognition from city leaders (including OSSE & PCSB), school leaders and school support organizations: exceptional school leadership is the cornerstone of student success. With that clarity of purpose, they came together to create an organization intentionally designed to serve schools.

We Believe:

  • Lasting change must be led from within, and that strategic partnerships support great leadership

  • Data and patterns provide valuable insights to inform
    action

  • Strategic data analysis often comes from intentional reflection in collaboration with others

  • Strategic actions impact and improve data

  • That maximizing and coordinating all available resources—people, data, funding, time and partnerships—is necessary to drive meaningful and lasting success

Advisory Board

Dr. Antoinette Mitchell
DC State Superintendent of Education

Dr. Michelle Walker-Davis
Executive Director of the DC Public Charter School Board

Ariel Johnson
Executive Director of the DC Charter School Alliance

Rashida Young
Partner leading the Schools, Talent, & Racial Equity Team at Ed Forward DC

Patricia Brantley
CEO of Friendship Public Charter School

Amy Helms
Head of School at DC Scholars Public Charter School

Raymond Weeden
Executive Director of Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School

Two girls sitting at a wooden table, engaged in coloring or drawing with markers and papers, in a classroom with colorful wall decorations including an octopus and alphabet letters.

Ready to join a community of school leaders committed to excellence?