The District of Columbia’s Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education (“the Office”) is an independent, neutral office that works to ensure equal access to education for the approximately 88,000 students attending its public and public charter schools.

In pursuit of this mission, the Office helps individual students and their families resolve questions, concerns, or complaints in any area that affects student learning. The Office also collaborates with families and other District stakeholders to address systemic issues such as bullying and harassment, educational opportunity gaps, and school discipline.

During the Fall 2016 semester, HNMCP worked with the office to assess the effectiveness of the current ombudsman program and explore strategies that would help the Office deepen its impact. This spring, HNMCP students will build on their initial findings and help the Office further develop tools and processes for bridging the communication gap between schools, families, and other key stakeholders.

Activities & Deliverables

• Follow up interviews with stakeholders as necessary
• Research on best practices for Ombudsmen, with a particular focus on what might work within the education sector;
• Research into processes used by other K-12 Education Ombudsman offices; and
• Development of recommendations regarding improvements to the current processes used by the Office.