DCPS recently partnered with the organization XQ, an initiative that aims to redesign and rethink high school. Over the course of the next few years, it will likely be implemented in Jackson-Reed, and throughout DCPS high schools. 

The XQ institute is a nationwide organization founded in 2015 dedicated to preparing high school students for the future. 

XQ partnered with DCPS back in February of this year, starting the long, three-phase initiative set to take place over the next few years. The three stages include raising awareness and involvement, brainstorming ideas and solutions to our current problems, and then designing and implementing the best ones. 

Each DCPS high school has a designated design team, which is chosen by the principal of the school, and made up of DCPS staff, alumni, students, and general DC community members. Teams create their own approach, then submit an application to XQ. The organization then reviews it and approves or denies it, while also giving feedback. 

Back in March 2022, XQ conducted an exploratory audit in Jackson-Reed to surface inequity in the current school design. 

The audit aimed to address and unpack the inequities by comparing and examining various student schedules, transcript data, surveys, and student focus groups. 

These statistics lead XQ to give broad generalizations, like what percentage of kids are on the pathway to graduation, and how many are prepared for college. They also lead to opportunities to address said inequities in the school’s redesign efforts. 

“When we talk about redesigning high schools, what we need to do is look at the numbers, look at the experiences and then see, how can we adjust or redesign?” Principal Sah Brown said.

Analyzing this data is how XQ and the design team will decide how to rethink and redesign Jackson-Reed. An issue of particular emphasis is the diversity within AP classes.

“The question we must answer is how [to] redesign high school to give every kid access to the challenging courses, to get them on a pathway to get into college, be prepared for their career, and do well,” Brown said. 

XQ also has areas for redesign in mind, with an emphasis on high-growth and high-salary jobs. The institute translates this into funding for courses that will set students up for success in that career.

While the original plan for Jackson-Reed was to start the redesign process this school year, Principal Brown has put a temporary hold on it.

“I wanted to increase and build upon the original communication [of the XQ process] so that more Jackson-reed members, both faculty and students, are aware and involved in our redesign process..” Brown is planning to use this year to raise awareness about XQ and ensure that the redesign team is focused on creating a need for change.

Brown noted his excitement for the redesign of the school, and XQ’s potential benefits. “To me, the purpose of high school is to make sure you not only earn your diploma, but you are set up for success in whatever career you choose to go into,” Brown said.•