Academics

Many of our mentors did not grow up in DC and education in DC has changed a great deal over the years. Protégés can share their experiences at school with their mentors. The following resources can be helpful for mentors to gain better understanding of the DC schools system. 

General Info on DC Schools - this gives you information about different DC public and charter schools. They have a list of schools, school calendars, school directories, and more. 

DC Public Charter School Board - DC PCSB is an independent government agency of the District of Columbia, created in 1996, led by a volunteer seven-member board. As the sole public charter school authorizer in our nation’s capital, we provide oversight to 128 public charter schools which are managed by 66 independently run nonprofit organizations called local education agencies. These schools educated 43,485 (unaudited) students in school year 2019-20, nearly half of DC’s public school students.

DC Graduation Requirements - Review OSSE’s academic credit requirements for high school graduation in DC. 

DC School Lottery - DC Students can apply for the lottery to attend one of the many charter schools in the city, but also to attend a public school that they are not zoned for. It is very common for 8th graders to apply to a highschool other than their zoned school. 

• What you need to know about the DC school lottery 

• DC School Lottery FAQS 

• DC post-lottery application

Northstar Tutoring - Kid Power Partner - if a protégé needs more targeted and consistent tutoring support, we can connect them with tutors through Northstar Tutoring. 

Education support resources - different college prep, tutoring, and afterschool programs here to help students in DC.

Free and low cost tutoring services - additional tutoring resources for students living in DC. 

DC afterschool programs - different afterschool programs on the DCPS website that students in DC can take advantage of. 

Conversation Starters:

• How do you stay organized? 

• What tools do you use? What tools work best for you? 

• Is there a time when you managed a complicated project?

• Is there a time when you worked under a tight deadline for assignments?

• Is there a time when you had to multitask?

• Is there a time when your organizational skills helped you succeed?

• Was there a time when the lack of organizational skill did not help you succeed?

• Is there a time when your planning led to positive results?

• Was there a time when the lack of planning led to negative results?

Helpful Links:

Time Management Beat Work Overload. Be More Effective. Achieve More - use this link and read the articles to get knowledge on time management and ways to achieve it in a positive manner.

How to Teach Your High-Schooler Organization Skills - use this link to learn the 7 ways for effective organizing as a student.

Pomodoro Technique - Staying on track with independent work can be a challenge, but using tools to self-regulate can be helpful. The Pomodoro Technique recommends using timers to break up working time into small chunks, with built in breaks. 

How to Manage Your Time More Effectively (According to Machines)- We can learn a lot about saving time and working more productively from computers including how prioritizing tasks and interruptions (notifications) can slow us down. 

Time Boxing: Elon Musk’s Time Management Method - Everybody needs to find time management tools that work for them! Give Time Boxing (aka Time Blocking) a look and see if it’s a tool that will work for you. For more tips on starting to Time Box/Block check out this video.