Great schools start with great people. No matter where you go, when you see students inspired to reach for their dreams, you invariably encounter a visionary leader, expert teachers, and dedicated support staff. So that’s what we set out to achieve—in all of our schools—almost a decade ago.

We were fortunate to be able to begin this work in 2007 by standing on the shoulders of the thousands of talented educators who have been working tirelessly on behalf of DC students for decades.

But we also realized we needed to do more to get, grow, and keep great teachers and principals.

So we took a hard look at all of our policies and practices related to talent—from recruitment all the way to retirement—and began to sketch a roadmap for the future. Our goal: An outstanding teacher for every classroom, and an outstanding principal for every school.

We’ve made tremendous progress. As a result of our organization-wide focus on talent, our students are making unprecedented gains. In fact, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” our students are growing faster than those in any other state. We still have a long way to go, but we’re making historic leaps, all because of our extraordinary teachers and principals.

This report tells our talent story over the past eight years. We share what we’ve accomplished so far, what we’ve learned along the way, and what work lies ahead.