(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) received a $4.1 million Career Connected High School Grant from the Biden-Harris Administration to expand access to the District’s Advanced Technical Center (ATC), a pioneering initiative offering dual-credit Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses in high-demand industries to students citywide. The grant funds were awarded by the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona during a visit to the Advanced Technical Center in Ward 5.
“The Advanced Technical Center offers our students the chance to take hands-on courses in fields like cybersecurity or nursing, putting them on a path to post-secondary success even before they graduate. After the two-year program, students graduate with a credential or certificate and college credits that save families thousands of dollars,” said Mayor Bowser. “We think of the Advanced Technical Center as a new type of high school – the intersection between high school and career. We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for supporting the ATC with this grant. These funds will allow us to expand an already successful program and, in doing so, engage and prepare more young people.”
The Career Connected High Schools Grant Program, issued by the U.S. Department of Education, was launched to help build on the capacity of education and workforce systems to partner with business and industry, and to develop new high-quality career-connected high school programs for more students. OSSE will receive a collective $4.1 million over the next three years with the opportunity for two years of continuation of funding worth an additional $2.95 million.
The ATC, which launched as a pilot on the Trinity Washington University campus in August 2022, has seen growing interest and demand. Last year, Mayor Bowser opened the new permanent home for the ATC in Ward 5. After the opening, enrollment surged from 96 students from eight different schools to 191 students from 15 different schools for the 2023-24 school year. The newly awarded grant funds will support OSSE in increasing the number of students served at the ATC to 300 students a year, an increase of 57% over 2023-24 enrollment.
Additionally, the grant will allow OSSE to sustain the CTE-aligned dual-enrollment courses and transportation offered, to incorporate new industry-recognized credentials into the ATC’s programs of study, to provide student CTE-aligned internships, and to enhance student academic and career advising. The ATC was selected from more than 160 eligible applications from 43 states.
“These programs help students advance their career goals by engaging in high-quality CTE programming led by outstanding educators in a centrally located facility equipped with the latest technology used in the workforce,” said State Superintendent Dr. Christina Grant. “We are thrilled to expand ATC programming through the Career Connected High School Grant, benefiting more students across the District.”
Centrally located at the Penn Center, 1709 Third Street NE, the ATC offers high school students enrolled in DC Public Schools and public charter school access to dual-enrollment CTE programs, such as cybersecurity and general nursing, that might not be available at the high schools they attend, without having to transfer schools. Students enroll in the ATC to acquire professional skills, earn industry credentials, and gain college credits. The 2022-23 class earned an impressive 740 college credits, valued at over $570,000 in college tuition.
For more information on the ATC, visit OSSE’s website.
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