This Month at the DC Alliance

May 2026

Thank you to the leaders who attended and engaged at our LEA Leader Summit on April 2nd. Copies of the deck and materials can be found in the portal here.

Check out our NEW Advocacy Hub for the latest updates on hearings, advocacy training, and testimony resources. 

In May, we are hosting several trainings and events for school leaders and their teams:

  • The DC Alliance is partnering with FundEd Strategies to host an interactive Charter School Board & Leadership Fundraising Training, titled Boards that Raise: Roles, Responsibilities & Results. The session, which will take place on May 6 from 11:30am-1pm, will provide clarity on what great board fundraising looks like, and make it doable. We will align trustees on governance vs. management, assign ambassador/advocate/asker roles, and build a simple board fundraising action plan. All board members, LEA Leaders and Grant/Development receive. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rachel.

  • The first and second meeting of the new Data Leaders group were held on March 4th and April 8th, respectively, to connect on problems of practice, share tools and resources, and elevate concerns related to data management, compliance, and analysis.  Moving forward, meetings are scheduled on the first Wednesday of each month. To be added to the invite list, contact Dylan.

  • As schools transition to SBAC, the DC Alliance is hosting SBAC Internalization Workshops in May, by grade band, for school leaders to build knowledge about the SBAC, have direct practice with SBAC items, engage in facilitated reflection, discuss shifts in curriculum and instructional practice, and explore how to turnkey this work with educators. Register here. Contact Noah for more information.

  • On May 12, we are launching the first part of a three-part series helping leaders develop and implement a strong performance management system. The first session focuses on Designing Performance Management Systems for High Performance. More information and registration here. 

  • Washington Nationals are hosting DC Charter School Night on Tuesday, May 19, at 5:30pm as the Nats take on the NY Mets. We’ve sold out 2,000 tickets with representation from half the charter sector, but a waitlist is available. For more information, please contact Nicole Travers.

  • The DC Alliance is hosting a half-day Principals Academy on May 28th from 12-4pm to equip DC charter school leaders and decision-makers with essential local knowledge on topics like ASPIRE, funding, employment law, and crisis management—register here.

  • Thank you to LEAs for engaging in our annual needs assessment survey and focus groups. We will release our report and planned programming for SY26-27 later this spring



Get Involved

There are many ways to get involved, whether you are looking for opportunities to advocate for your students and community or collaborate with other LEA leaders and the DC Alliance team. Here are some great ways to get started:


Check out our meeting spaces list for opportunities to connect, share, and grow with leaders from LEAs across the sector.


Meeting spaces

Head to the advocacy page for opportunities to get involved and resources to help. Or get started with these:




Navigation

Watch the video tutorial for a quick tour of the website

Buttons on the left will help you quickly jump from section to section within the page you're viewing.

All resources are provided through clickable links that will take you directly to the listed resource. Each resource is categorized by type of resource. Here is a quick breakdown of all resource types with a brief description:

Agenda
Overview of an upcoming event or training/meeting series.

Deck
Presentation from a training or meeting on the specified topic.

Explainer
Document or a graphic with a comprehensive explanation of the specified topic.

FAQ
List of common questions and answers related to specified topic.

Folder
Collection of resources/materials from a specific event, training, or on an overarching topic.

Group
Meeting or collaborative space hosted or facilitated by the DC Alliance.

Guide
Document or graphic that provides a comprehensive overview of a topic or process that may include steps, strategies, and/or tools.

List
Curated collection of strategies, resources, or contacts gathered in one place related to the specified topic.

Newsletter
Newsletters originally emailed to our subscribers with time-sensitive updates, opportunities and asks.

Tool
Provides a template, typically Excel or Sheets, that LEAs can use to plug in their specific information to see a variety of possible outcomes.

Video
Recording of DC Alliance event or recorded content related to specified topic.

Use the navigation menu in the top right to:

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Help & Navigation

Help

I need help with the Member Portal:

Reach out to Dylan (dholford@dccharters.org) if you have any questions or are having any issues with the Member Portal.

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If you can’t find a resource you’re looking for or have a separate question, you can see to whom to turn and reach out directly.