The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education supports the Mayor in developing and implementing his vision that "the District of Columbia has a world class education system, enabling children, youth and adults to compete locally and globally." The Department of Education was established in 2007 pursuant to District of Columbia Act 17-0038. As described in the Act, the purpose of the Office is to plan, coordinate, and supervise all public education and education-related activities under its jurisdiction, including development and support of programs to improve the delivery of educational services and opportunities, from early childhood to the post-secondary education level.

• The Mayor created the Department of Education to elevate the emphasis on public education to its highest level. Because the transition brought all of the educational resources under Mayoral control, the benefit of coordination and collaboration is even greater. The Department of Education’s purpose is to provide high-level leadership and support of this aligned, unified educational mission.
• The Department of Education has also established four goals that will allow progress towards that vision to be measured. These goals map directly onto the four major functions of the Department of Education: District-wide education strategy; interagency coordination; partnerships;and oversight and support of OSSE, the OPEFM, and the Ombudsman.
• While our vision is new, our goals align strategically with youth development goals that have already been developed in the City-Wide Youth Development Strategy. The six youth development goals are comprehensive, actionable, and measurable. They cover the full education life-cycle, from early childhood to post-secondary and adult education, and will require coordinated responses across the District’s educational institutions and city agencies.