All IN DC

Fostering high-quality instruction that drives equity and outcomes for students with disabilities

Despite meaningful progress across DC’s education landscape, students with disabilities continue to experience some of the lowest achievement and growth outcomes in the city. This is not due to lack of effort. It is the result of systemic gaps in teacher preparation, professional development, and school-wide capacity to deliver high-quality instruction to all learners.

To address these gaps, the Co-op is launching ALL IN DC, a comprehensive five-year initiative to transform professional learning, instructional quality, and student outcomes across DC charter schools. By 2030, ALL IN DC will establish a sustainable, equity-centered ecosystem of educators and leaders equipped to meet the needs of every

1 in 5

fewer than 1 in 5 general education teachers nationwide feel well-prepared to teach students with disabilities.

0 %

of special education leaders in D.C. spend less than half their time supporting instructional quality.

0 %

of students with disabilities in DC are proficient in reading.

0 %

of students with disabilities in DC are proficient in math.

How This Program Advances Equity

Building Pipelines

Developing a pipeline of professionals who understand the challenges facing our students in classrooms and are equipped with the skills and strategies to strategically remove barriers to student access.

Increasing Capacity

Building the capacity of instructional leaders to support the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based practices that drive measurable improvements in student achievement and engagement.

Our Solutions

ALL IN Teachers

Equips general educators with the skills and mindsets to deliver high-quality, inclusive instruction

ALL IN Supports

Empowers dedicated aides with the tools and confidence to support effective IEP implementation, specially designed instruction, and enhance collaboration.

ALL IN Special Education Teacher Residency

Strengthens instructional and compliance capacity of special education teachers.

ALL IN Special Education Leadership Residency

Cultivates instructional leadership excellence among DC’s special education leaders.

ALL IN 360

Drives systemic adoption of inclusive instructional practices at the LEA level

I truly appreciated learning more about UDL and it has helped me reflect on my current practice and improve it.

On the one hand, the training showed me how many things I am already doing for students and I was able to fine tune them to make them even more impactful. But I also took away additional teaching skills to support even more learners. I finished the training 6 months ago and it has stuck with me. I reflect regularly on how I am incorporating UDL strategies into my lessons and my teaching has changed a lot even though the training itself was not that much work. As a department chair, I can see similar changes in a lot of my team members. I am very grateful to the facilitators because this training has had a huge impact on my work!

Astrid Alvarado-Sieg
Thurgood Marshall Academy

When we first began the microcredential process, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

This was my first year as a dedicated aide, and I had no way of knowing how this process would impact me. Now that I have completed the microcredential process, I am incredibly thankful that this opportunity was provided to me so early on in my educational career. This process has allowed me to add depth to my role as a paraprofessional in ways I may not have been able to without more experience. I am more aware of the ways I can assert myself in the classroom without overstepping, and I feel more comfortable integrating myself into my student’s IEP team.

D. Swain
Thurgood Marshall Academy

ALL IN DC’s Origin Story

In 2023, the Co-op, with support from DC’s Office of the Ombudsman for Education, SchoolTalk, EmpowerK12, and the Gamba Foundation, brought together the Office of the State Superintendent, 27 DC charter LEAs, community partners, parents, and students to chart a vision that would transform outcomes for students with disabilities. Our report, ALL IN: Getting to Solutions for Students with Disabilities, chronicles the big ideas for how to chart a new course for students with disabilities.

Among the Recommendations:

Center learning and IEPs on students and listen to their voice
Create professional development that enables every staff member to support students with disabilities
Support teachers, especially collaboration between general education and special education teachers
Invest in MTSS to meet students’ academic and social-emotional needs
Prioritize data to inform practice, especially for quality and access
Develop relationships with families

Transform Possibility Into Practice

Join the Movement for Educational Equity

Explore additional ways to support ALL IN DC.

Our Programs

All In DC

DC3C

Demonstration Classrooms

Elevate

School-Based Medicaid

Alexandra Pardo ED.D Bio

Board Member
Partner, TenSquare

Alexandra drives the performance outcomes of TenSquare’s school improvement practice.In this role she has led schools to have drastic achievement outcomes for students in K-adult ed across Washington, DC, Nevada, and North Carolina. She was the Executive Director of Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School from 2011-2015 and the Academic Director of the school for the five years prior. Under her leadership, the school became the highest performing open-enrollment high school in Washington, DC and attained unparalleled outcomes on state (DC CAS, PARCC) and national (SAT, AP) standardize tests. The school earned a 2014 National Excellence in Education Award from the National Center for Urban School Transformation and a School Award from the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (2013). The school was ranked as the highest performing high school by US World and News Report in Washington DC earning a Bronze Award (2012, 2013, 2014).

Her use of data has been recognized nationally by the Department of Education in its Doing What Works series, and she is featured in the books, Driven by Data (Paul Bambrick-Santoyo) and the upcoming From Good to Great: School Leadership (Jim Collins). Alexandra received a Distinguished Educational Leadership award in 2013 from The Washington Post. She was a mayoral appointee to the DC Community Schools Advisory Committee and a contributing writer of the DC Social Studies Standards. She is an expert on school turn-arounds and her expertise ranges from academics to school operations.

An experienced classroom teacher, she has taught at the high school and collegiate level courses in social studies, technology and ESL. A Teach for America alumna, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from American University, a Master of Science in Administration from Trinity University and a Doctorate of Education from the George Washington University.

Daniela Anello Bio

Board Member
Head of School, DC Bilingual Charter School

Daniela Anello, Head of School at DC Bilingual Charter School, leads the strategic vision, implementation, and growth of DC Bilingual both academically and operationally. The DC Public Charter School Board ranks DC Bilingual among the top elementary charter schools in the city and The New Teacher Project ranks DC Bilingual in the top quartile of all DC charter schools for its strong instructional culture.

Head of School since 2015, Daniela has been a critical leader to the DC Bilingual community as the school has become an independently operated charter school; secured its own facility; and grown to serve more than 440 students. Daniela started with DC Bilingual in 2009 as a Literacy Coach and advanced into the roles of Resident Principal and Interim Principal before the school’s board of trustees named Daniela Head of School. Daniela launched her teaching career in the elementary school classrooms of New York, Boston, and Washington, DC.

Daniela is a graduate of New Leaders Emerging Leaders and Aspiring Principals Program and completed the Literacy Specialist Master’s of Arts program at Teachers College Columbia University. Daniela holds a Bachelor’s of Arts, elementary education and teaching from the State University of New York, Geneseo. A native of Chile, Daniela lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two children, both DC Bilingual students.

Jonathan Beall Bio

Senior VP & C&I Relationship Manager With EagleBank

Jonathan Beall, Senior Vice President & C&I Relationship Manager with EagleBank, is a recognized subject matter expert and leader in the not-for-profit, bond, charter & education financing market vertical; primarily serving as a senior financing partner providing taxable and tax-Exempt bond financing supporting various school program initiatives including for operations, growth, expansion, renovation and construction of existing and new campuses across the region. Jonathan proudly maintains a client portfolio consisting of ten active District of Columbia LEA / Public Charter School programs as well as over sixteen charter and private school clients in the District, Maryland and Virginia.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Jonathan brings a personal commitment to the DC Special Education Cooperative, being a devoted Father to a neurodiverse daughter with Autism Spectrum Disorder (“ASD”). His passion for comprehensive, inclusive, and equitable education is evident and manifest within his client portfolio as well as with his other commitments including serving on the Board of Directors of Great & Small, a Maryland based non-profit offering therapeutic horseback riding services including equine based occupational and hippotherapy.

Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science & Finance from Washington College. A native of Olney, MD – Jonathan lives in Montgomery County with his wife, two children, and chocolate lab.

Shelley Jacobson Hughes Bio

Board Treasurer
Finance Director, EdOps

Shelley Jacobson Hughes is the National Finance Team Director at EdOps providing business and financial management services to ~60 school clients. Shelley joined EdOps in October 2015 from DC Prep where she worked as Senior Manager of Operations and Extended Learning. Prior to working directly with charter schools, she was a Private Equity Associate at Huntsman Gay Global Capital in Palo Alto, California and an Investment Banking Analyst at Barclays Capital in New York. Shelley has a BS in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA and Masters in Education from Stanford University.