By The Numbers: Small business representation across Greater Washington

Category: Insights

By The Numbers: Small business representation across Greater Washington

Posted on by Board of Trade

Small business is important to the Board of Trade; we are one. And as a representative of Greater Washington, celebrating Small Business September this year allows us to show how important small businesses’ vitality is to our region’s ecosystem.  

To lean in on small business awareness in our region, our policy team looked at data points around small businesses across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia and collected some important statistics showing small businesses’ financial struggles.  

A huge need for small businesses is getting funding opportunities to create a vibrant and healthy small business community in Greater Washington. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in 2022, 69% of small businesses say that relied on personal savings to finance their business compared to 60% in 2020, which shows the need for funding opportunities for new small businesses looking to grow the U.S. economy.  

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also shared recently that small businesses in the United States are in much need of funding through capital investments, collecting data that shows 33% of businesses that launched in 2024 did so with less than $5,000 USD, with 58% of businesses launching in 2024 with less than $25,000 USD.  

As mentioned, our policy team has gathered data from the Small Business Association’s Office of Advocacy that breaks down the percentage of small businesses in Greater Washington. This includes highlighting percentages of women and minorities that represent small businesses across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.   

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 

  • There are 75,579 small businesses in DC, which make up 98.1 percent of all businesses in the District. 
  • DC’s small businesses employ 260,713 workers, which accounts for 48.0 percent of the total DC workforce. 
  • Women comprised 51.4 percent of the workforce and owned 47.4 percent of businesses. Veterans made up 3.0 percent of the workforce and owned 4.1 percent of businesses. Hispanics accounted for 11.0 percent of the workforce and owned 8.0 percent of businesses. Racial minorities made up 50.0 percent of the workforce and owned 43.3 percent of businesses. 

MARYLAND  

  • There are 639,789 small businesses in Maryland which make up 99.5 percent of Maryland businesses. 
  • Maryland’s small businesses employ 1.2 million people, which accounts for 48.8 percent of the state’s total employees. 
  • Women comprised 49.2 percent of the workforce and owned 44.6 percent of businesses. Veterans made up 5.7 percent of workers and owned 6.6 percent of businesses. Hispanics accounted for 9.8 percent of the workforce and owned 9.2 percent of businesses. Racial minorities constituted 43.7 percent of the workforce and owned 38.5 percent of businesses. 

VIRGINIA 

  • There are 818,450 small businesses in Virginia, accounting for 99.5 percent of all businesses in the state. 
  • Small businesses in Virginia employ 1.6 million employees, which accounts for 45.4 percent of Virginia’s workforce. 
  • Women made up 47.6 percent of the workforce and owned 44.3 percent of businesses. Veterans comprised 8.6 percent of the workforce and owned 9.1 percent of businesses. Hispanics accounted for 9.5 percent of the workforce and owned 9.2 percent of businesses. Racial minorities made up 32.1 percent of the workforce and owned 27.0 percent of businesses. 

The Board of Trade will continue to engage with people and business professionals in our region to help promote small business across the Greater Washington region. And the vitality and future of small businesses depends on public officials, regional stakeholders, and the broad Greater Washington business community, working together for a better future for our region.  

There is a lot to learn about small businesses that the SBA and U.S. Chamber of Commerce shares so people can learn more about the opportunities and struggles small businesses face.  

Below are a few stories you can read: 

New Survey Shows Small Businesses Growing Concern about Raising Capital 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Small Business Data Center 

U.S. Small Business Administration: Fund Your Business 

SBA: Women Entrepreneurs Are Accelerating the Small Business Boom 

Board of Trade engages members on potential 2024 Election implications

Posted on by Board of Trade

The Board of Trade held on July 18 the first part of its 2024 Election Watch series at the Downtown D.C. office of our series sponsor K&L Gates to engage members on how the 2024 Presidential Election could impact the Greater Washington region.  

With our region being closely connected to the federal government and our nation’s capital, it was discussed how local governments would interact with the federal government depending on the administration elected. This included how the election could impact regional transportation, the possible influx of in-person or remote work for federal employees, local public safety initiatives, and much more.  

View more photos from our July 18 discussion at K&L Gates office

While news of President Joe Biden stepping down as the Democratic nominee broke a few days after this discussion with our members, it was still valuable to see how the election is playing out, including hearing insights from experts at K&L Gates regarding what specific issues are being pinpointed by former-President Donald Trump’s campaign, and the campaign for the Democratic Party campaign. It was discussed in the meeting what the process of picking a new candidate would look like if President Biden stepped down, including if Vice President Kamala Harris took over the ticket.  

The Board of Trade is committed to keeping our members, partners, and the greater business community informed on how elections and politics can impact our region. It was special for members in a variety of professions and industry fields to share perspectives and views on what the region faces during this election year.  

In our next parts of our 2024 Election Watch series, we’ll further explore the potential election scenarios and their implications for policy, society, and regional dynamics with the help of data-driven analysis and informed speculation from those attending.  

Thank you to K&L Gates for sponsoring and hosting this series.  

Potomac Conference: Regional leaders and stakeholders collaborate of public safety

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After a 12-year hiatus, the Potomac Conference met at the Catholic University of America on July 9 to discuss the region’s economy, transportation, and security, focusing on one key point – public safety.  

The Conference – co-hosted by the Greater Washington Board of Trade (GWBOT), the Greater Washington Partnership (GWP), the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), and the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area (Consortium) – brought together leaders in the region’s government, law enforcement, non-profit, private, and academic sectors, where they had the opportunity to address the critical issue of ensuring safe communities while strengthening economic growth.  

The morning began with welcome remarks from Kathy Hollinger, President and CEO of GWP, who thanked sponsors and partners before introducing the Keynote Speaker. Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer delivered his Keynote Address, providing attendees with an overview of the national landscape and climate of public safety.  

Andrew Flagel, President and CEO of the Consortium, also provided insight on the role of the region’s universities in promoting public safety before introducing a data-driven discussion on violence impacting the region, presented by Hanna Love of the Brookings Institute.  

Love introduced her work at the Brookings Metro’s Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking, showcasing both the perceptions and realities of crime in the region. While local perceptions of crime spoke to a fear of its intensification, crime trends in downtown D.C. did not dramatically change. It was also made clear that place matters regarding types of crime and the necessary responses. Love called attention to a multifaceted approach to reducing crime, focusing on investments in economic stability, housing, access to quality education, and the built environment.  

Take a look at more photos from this event

Collaboration for Success Panel 

Strategies, Resources, and Building Community Trust for Public Safety 

The Executive Director of COG, Clark Mercer, addressed the importance of partnerships between local governments and institutions before introducing a panel that illustrated such cross-sector collaboration. Moderated by Elliott Ferguson, President & CEO of Destination DC, the panel included Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department, Metro Transit Chief Michael Anzallo of WMATA, and President Peter Kilpatrick of Catholic University.  

The three panelists answered several questions regarding their roles in public safety and crime reduction and provided insight on what was being done within their institutions to address the issues. A key point was the importance of partnerships between law enforcement, private and public institutions, and the Greater Washington community at-large.  

Chief Smith emphasized the MPD’s Real Time Crime Center and its new community camera sharing program, CameraConnect DC, through which anyone can connect their security cameras to help law enforcement more accurately solve cases and obtain footage.  

“One of the things that we’ve launched with the Real Time Crime Center is the ability to be able to connect your cameras,” said Chief Smith. “We are asking you, your partners, your business, please connect your cameras to our Real Time Crime Center. If you have business, mom-and-pop stores, we really want to use your cameras.” 

Strategizing for a Thriving Region Workshop 

Emergency Communications: First Net Case Study 

The workshop portion of the day, focused around discussing and amplifying resources for a thriving region, was moderated and led by Jack McDougle, President and CEO of GWBOT. The first discussion centered on FirstNet – or First Responder Network Authority – a nationwide communication network for first responders overseen by Congress and AT&T. Melissa Ayala, Assistant VP of Government Programs at AT&T, provided updates on a new phase of FirstNet, including standalone 5G and expanded coverage. Many attendees expressed the need for closing the communication gap about public safety updates between organizations and law enforcement, reinforcing a core theme of the conference – public safety goes beyond policing.  

Prevent Gun Violence: Research, Empowerment, Strategies and Solutions 

The second workshop focused on gun violence and the role of businesses and communities to provide resources and support for its mitigation. Dr. Joseph Richardson laid out data collected through his work as Co-Director of PROGRESS at the University of Maryland, an initiative centered around preventing gun violence with multi-disciplinary, community-based approaches.  

Key metrics stood out from this presentation, including a sobering view on the differences in life expectancy within D.C. itself – one loses 21 years of life expectancy in a 41-minute metro ride across the city from Northwest D.C. to Southeast D.C., according to Richardson’s work on contributing factors that lead to this statistic, which include disparities in economic investments and violent crime in these parts of the District. 

Dr. Richardson also shared severe discrepancies in the cost of homicides versus investment in research and implementation, with gun violence costing America over $500B per year but only about $25 million invested in 2020 by the federal government in prevention research.  

Attendees shared local stories and company ventures looking to combat this issue by providing after-school programs and gainful employment opportunities, giving those at risk another option beyond resorting to gun violence. Businesses have a responsibility to provide opportunities, many affirmed, with ideas such as increasing involvement to the community and opening hiring to those not “traditionally employable” discussed.  

Barriers to Retaining and Attracting Business to the Region 

The final workshop began with remarks from Colleen Hawkinson, Executive Director of the DC BID Council, and Shawn Townsend, President & CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.  

Hawkinson reaffirmed the importance of public-private partnerships, especially in the DC BID council towards fostering DC’s Business Improvement Districts, while Townsend relayed the hospitality industry’s continued post-pandemic struggles, but also the sector’s focus on economic development and safety.  

The workshop included suggestions such as promoting downtown safety and economic growth by recovering vacant spaces, making these vacancies attractive for businesses. The discussion centered again on providing accessible jobs for young people and creating pathways within those jobs for credential building, school programs, and career growth.  

The Greater Washington Board of Trade was thrilled to help host and collaborate on this landmark event with our partners, multilateral institutions, businesses, and agencies in the region. Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Potomac Conference to facilitate cross-sector dialogue in the region and explore innovative, actionable approaches to enhancing community safety and economic stability.  

Thank you to our presenting sponsor AT&T, host sponsor Catholic University of America, and our media partner the Washington Business Journal for being a part of the Potomac Conference and helping promote the Greater Washington region.  

In The News

DC police chief asks small business owners to help stop crime – WTOP News

Greater Washington Partnership, Board of Trade collaborate on Potomac Conference – Washington Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

Greater Washington Board of Trade relaunches annual Potomac Conference – Washington Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

New laws in effect July 1 in the Greater Washington region

Posted on by Board of Trade

As of July 1, 2024, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia residents have seen a wave of new legislation take effect across various sectors that have an impact on their daily lives. These changes reflect the region’s commitment to addressing issues and improving the quality of life for those who live within it. These new laws represent an attempt to meet evolving challenges and opportunities throughout the area.  

Maryland: 

During the 90-day 2024 session, Governor Moore signed 1,049 bills into law, including:  

  • SB 1113: is a model for state-level ticketing reform as it bans speculative ticketing and makes resale platforms accountable for any speculative tickets sold or listed on their site. Additionally, the bill requires all-in pricing throughout the purchasing process and codifies that a ticket is a license and not property. 
  • SB 244/HB 238: This legislation amends the Maryland Clean Indoor Act and makes vaping illegal in indoor public places, public transportation, and places of work.  
  • HB 4: Prohibits institutions of higher education that receive state funds from considering a legacy preference or donor preference as criteria for admissions at the institution. 
  • The Pava LaPere Innovation Acceleration Grant Program: It was established to provide grants to technology-based startup companies founded by students of postsecondary institutions by providing grants to these businesses located within the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metropolitan areas. The program is named in honor of Pava LaPere, founder, and CEO of Baltimore-based startup EcoMap Technologies, who was tragically killed last year. 

Virginia: 

Simultaneously in Virgina, several significant recent changes have gone into effect, including multiple bipartisan gun reform efforts, changes to higher education, impacts on commerce, etc. that were signed into law by Governor Youngkin. These include:   

  • HB 22/SB 210: Bans devices known as “auto sears” that convert firearms to automatically shoot more than one shot without manual reloading.  
  • Lucia’s Law (HB 36/SB 44): Gun owners will be charged with a felony if they allow a child who poses a potential risk to have access to a firearm. Lucia’s Law was spurred by the 2021 tragic killing of Lucia Bremer, a 13-year-old who another teen fatally shot while she was walking home in Henrico County.  
  • SB 480: A new law concerning Virginia’s public utilities – electric, gas, water, and wastewater- these services cannot be disconnected to a residence during an official state of emergency – and 30 days after- even if a customer is behind on bills or fees. The law goes on to state that utilities cannot cut off service when temperatures are at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or above 92 degrees Fahrenheit and on Fridays, weekends, state holidays, and the day before a state holiday.  
  • HB 48: Virginia codified similar legislation to the legacy admissions ban in Maryland with the passage of legislation in the state that will now stop public universities and colleges from giving applicants who are related to alumni or donors of the school a boost in their admissions process.  
  • SB 336: State and local law enforcement can now place photo speed monitoring devices at intersections deemed to be “high-risk”, which requires it to be part of or adjacent to an intersection with a marked crosswalk in which a traffic fatality took place in since January 2014.  
  • HB 790: Bans on the sale of liquid nicotine/tobacco products over the internet and through vending machines is now prohibited.  
  • HB 525:  Removes Richmond from the list of Virginia’s eligible host cities for a casino, grants the city of Petersburg the ability to hold a vote for a casino project in November, and blocks cities that fail to get a casino project passed by voters for three years.  

Washington, D.C.: 

  • Fair Shot Minimum Wage Act of 2016: The law, passed in 2016, includes provisions to further increase minimum wage in subsequent years. Therefore, in Washington, D.C., the minimum wage has increased as of July 1 from $17.00 to $17.50 per hour for non-tipped workers and $10.00 for tipped workers, a $2 increase making it the highest minimum wage in the United States. The wage increases have gone into effect, regardless of the size of the business.  

Mastering Inter-Generational Collaboration in Today’s Workplace | TD Morning Star

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With five generations in the current workforce, we’re experiencing a pivotal moment for every generation to come together and shape the future of workplace culture. That’s why business professionals from their early 80s to late 20s convened at the Tower Club Tysons Corner in Vienna, Virginia, on May 17th for the start of our 2024 TD Morning Star Speaker Series. Renowned expert Annie Griffiths from National Geographic captivated the audience by sharing how humor, body language, sincerity, and deeper listening can build a bridge to anyone.

With her decades of experience with National Geographic and her extensive global adventures, Annie offered a unique perspective on how different generations can learn from each other, bridge cultural divides, and foster a more collaborative and communicative workplace. Annie’s personal experiences of entering the workforce and learning from colleagues older and younger than her over the years were a highlight of the event.

REGISTER FOR OUR JUNE 7 TD MORNING STAR INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP

From Annie’s speech, our members gleaned a wealth of practical information. She dispelled assumptions, emphasized the importance of building genuine connections, and highlighted the value of mentorship. Annie’s unique perspective helped those in attendance begin to explore how these principles can be applied in our professional environments. While our May 17th session featured an inspiring keynote, our upcoming June 7th workshop will be hands-on and designed to delve deeper into practical strategies for fostering collaboration.

Some additional key takeaways and principles were: 

  • Never underestimate a person’s pride and resilience. People can care passionately about similar and different things. Understanding this can help form cultural and generational understanding in the workplace.
  • Sometimes, it’s okay to be an “idiot” to learn and understand people from other generations. Making conclusions about colleagues before you know and understand them can limit what you can learn from them.
  • Don’t assume people cannot learn or think of something that could be specific from one generation to another. As Annie stated, people can learn to do incredible things and are resilient when faced with wanting to understand someone or something when given the chance.

Register now for the second installment of the 2024 TD Bank Morning Star series – an interactive workshop on mastering inter-generational collaboration on June 7th: https://bit.ly/4bkiwvn.

Thank you to the TD Bank team and Terry Kenny, TD’s Market President of the Mid-South Region, for sponsoring the Morning Star Speaker Series. These Morning Star events have helped inspire workforce development and culture in the Greater Washington region for the last 17 years. 

From waste bins to climate wins

Posted on by Board of Trade

Since 2022, Washington Gas has teamed up with WUSA9 for multiple Recycle Days. On March 9, our Springfield, Virginia location volunteers welcomed hundreds of vehicles to drop off items rerouted from landfills to recycling facilities. All that behind-the-scenes work resulted in 26 tons of old paper being reclaimed for a new future.

Want to see something even more inspiring? Check out the cumulative results from our five sponsored Recycle Days.

📝 Paper: 252,000 pounds (129 tons) With the average ream of copy paper containing 500 sheets, 129 tons of paper equals over 25 million pages. That’s enough to stack as high as about 20 Washington Monuments and enough square footage to paper more than 270 U.S. football fields.

🖥️ Electronics: 133,000 pounds (60 tons)

Electronic devices are especially problematic in landfills. Their glass alone can take 1-2 million years to decompose, so every reclaimed electronic is a win. Rescuing old items can also reduce the high-energy needs of raw mining and first-time refining. For example, steel is 100% recyclable and can be repeatedly reused at the same quality, while recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing the metal from its original ore.

🌲Trees: 2,100 saved (equivalent)

When envisioning the 2,100 tree equivalents saved overall, picture preserving more than half of the 3,800 flowering cherry trees along the National Mall. Since trees love hydration, they’ll be extra happy to learn that the five combined Recycle Days have conserved more than 154,000 gallons of water.

We thank WUSA9 and everyone in the DMV for being outstanding partners in making small changes that led to staggering results. While we’re very proud of these initiatives, the planning and work toward our energy future are only getting started.

Trash & Trilemma

As we celebrate the immediate wins from Recycle Days, our world is also facing what is known as the Energy Trilemma. If you’re not familiar with this term, it refers to the challenge of balancing our energy systems to be reliable and affordable while supporting climate goals, now and in the future.

  • Reliability means ensuring that energy supplies are consistent and dependable to run homes, businesses and services without interruptions. In 2023, the Washington Gas reliability rate was 99.86%.
  • Truly affordable energy must be equally available and cost-effective for all. The American Gas Association (AGA) confirms that using natural gas has saved families $125 billion over 10 years.
  • Supporting climate goals includes making intelligent, innovative energy decisions that support lower-carbon solutions and long-term efficiency. For example, Washington Gas is making a strategic investment of $1.7 billion over the next five years in pipeline modernization.

From Recycle Days to modernizing our infrastructure, these interlocking steps can help resolve the Energy Trilemma. Our distribution networks enable us to deliver natural gas today and can also provide a foundation for delivering lower-carbon solutions in the years ahead. In the short run, we will primarily pursue energy efficiency and renewable natural gas (RNG) projects. These are ready-now technologies that we will continue to innovate into the future.

Recycling and RNG

While they may seem unrelated, recycling events and RNG share a common thread: transforming waste into wins. Just as recycling helps keep trash out of landfills, RNG technology can convert organic landfill waste into lower-carbon fuel options.

Renewable natural gas can be an exciting, powerful strategy for managing municipal landfill methane emissions. Landfills produce methane because of significant accumulations of biostock: a mix of food and landscape waste, biosolids, manure, digestate, sludges and other organic materials. (Yummy.)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, in 2019 alone, the food retail, food service and residential sectors generated 66 million tons of wasted food, with about 60% of this going to landfills. Municipal solid waste landfills, in 2021, generated about the same greenhouse gas emissions as 23.1 million gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year. Now for the good news. Specialized facilities can collect and process biostock to create concentrated methane gas (RNG). When injected into natural gas pipelines, RNG can provide a readily available renewable energy source. Washington Gas has partnered with various companies to support safe RNG integration into our existing natural gas distribution infrastructure. Strategically located across the DMV service territory, these resources will help ensure reliable, affordable energy while supporting long-term climate goals.

From recycling to RNG, Washington Gas is proud to be the DMV’s modern energy partner. We will soon share more about our plans, including the 2024 results update for our Accelerated Pipeline Replacement Programs.

Please stay tuned, and thank you for 175 years of support. We are honored to provide the safe, reliable energy that powers the DMV.

This is a sponsored piece of content from a member organization at the Board of Trade and does not reflect the views of every member in our organization.

Harnessing the Power of Data: Unveiling Strategies for Monetization and Security 

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This late-February Executive Lunch from the Board of Trade brought together industry leaders to delve into the profound realm of data, seeking to unlock its vast potential while navigating the intricate web of regulations and security protocols.  

Spearheaded by Sarah Senyo, Deals Transformation Principal at PwC, and John Sikaitis, Senior Vice President of Data & Technology at CBRE, the event illuminated the path towards harnessing data’s transformative power in an era defined by artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. 

With technology propelling data creation to unprecedented heights, an astonishing 90% of the world’s data assets have materialized within the last 24 months. Yet, despite this exponential surge, a staggering 96% of individuals worldwide remain ensconced in a state of data illiteracy, relying primarily on archaic tools like Excel spreadsheets for interaction. 

Amidst engaging discussions, participants at the executive lunch grappled with the pivotal question of where to commence their data odyssey. At the crux of the dialogue lay multifaceted concerns, ranging from data breaches to privacy encroachments and the specter of liability entwined with AI utilization. The integrity of data and the essence of capturing pertinent data points emerged as paramount considerations, underpinning the overarching goal for effective data utilization. 

Sarah Senyo, providing wisdom on the subject that she’s honed through her work at PwC, advocated for embarking on a profound introspection into one’s data journey. “What is your data journey?” she posited, igniting a spark of introspection among the attendees. With the potential to leverage and monetize data looming large, Senyo emphasized the imperative of taking stock of one’s data inventory. Furthermore, she shared that there are virtues of harnessing internal skill sets of employees and forging strategic partnerships to amplify the impact of data initiatives. 

Echoing Senyo’s sentiment, John Sikaitis at CBRE unveiled two groundbreaking AI solutions poised to revolutionize the data landscape. The first, Introhive’s Customer Intelligence Platform, stands as a beacon of innovation, automating the capture and enrichment of client data while unlocking profound insights into organizational networks and activities. Sikaitis also lauded Thoughtspot, a pioneering platform empowering organization to navigate the labyrinth of data with unparalleled ease. 

The Takeaway: Embrace the data revolution, seize the reins of innovation, and chart a course towards a future where data is not merely a commodity but a catalyst for transformative change. In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, the power of data beckons, ready to be harnessed by those bold enough to venture into its depths. 

October policy dicussions engage Board of Trade members with regional labor leaders and state senators

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GWBOT’s Regional Policy Leadership Series (RPLS) events bring together key policymakers and officials to discuss some of the most important issues facing the region’s business community. Last month, the Board of Trade and our partners held two policy conversations, one with regional labor leaders and another with Virginia and Maryland’s Senate Presidents. In each of these discussions, topics ranged from workforce, education, disruptive technology, and the future of both economic and environmental sustainability.

The first event was a labor-focused discussion expertly moderated by Mac Tisdale, President Mid-Atlantic Region at First National Bank. It brough together Sec. Portia Wu, Dr. Unique N. Morris-Hughes, and Sec. George Slater to discuss topics across the labor and workforce landscape, including workforce development and retention, labor environment, intraregional cooperation, and preparing the region for the future impacts of emerging technologies like AI before taking questions about the potential impacts of a government shutdown on the region’s labor market and economy. Fundamentally, the discussion centered around the notion that the Greater Washington region has one of the most educated workforces in the world and should be in a position to capitalize on the new disruptive technologies changing the national and global economic landscapes and what the region can do to maintain and expand the edge that it currently has in that sector.  

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR IN-PERSON EVENT

Our though-provoking moderator Steve Proctor, President and CEO of G.S. Proctor & Associates, led our next discussion, which engaged Senate Presidents Lucas and Ferguson on a broad range of topics spanning workforce and education, transit, economic and environmental sustainability, health and wellness, technology, and legislative priorities for Maryland and Virginia in the coming cycle, giving attendees a high-level view into what the upcoming legislative cycle is likely to bring for the region.  

Perhaps the biggest take-away, though, was the common theme through the two sessions of collaboration between jurisdictions. Leaders in both sessions have expressed an understanding of the importance of interjurisdictional intraregional collaboration and signaled a desire to work with one another more closely. Connecting regional leaders and the business community is, in large part, the goal of this series and the opportunity to see, in real time, the beginnings of those conversations and for business leaders to take part in the discussion during Q and A time to shape the conversation is a huge step toward this goal.  

If you were able to attend last month’s sessions, thank you for being a part of the conversations and helping to advance collaboration and cooperation within the region, and if you weren’t, make sure that you are able to attend future events so that you can be a party to the conversation going forward and as informed as possible about changes coming to the region’s policy landscape. 

Want to learn more abou these RPLS discussions?

Learn more here: Regional Senate Presidents

Learn more here: Regional Labor Leaders

Let’s Collaborate: How to rebrand math for the future sucess of business in our region

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Math is not just about equations but a vital skill for daily problem-solving, business success, and even landing on Mars. And in the Greater Washington region, it will help our communities grow, helping younger generations tackle issues facing transportation, economics, healthcare, and so much more.

Board of Trade President & CEO Jack McDougle joined WTOP and the Collaborative for Student Success in a discussion about why math matters for community success, why we need to help rebrand it to make it more popular to younger generations, and how we can help support its growth and necessity.

Below is the view interview from our discussion with WTOP. Read the full readout of the interview here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf_FsUyTTYs&t=1s

Check out more content from our partnership with WTOP to showcase how businesses in our region are helping grow and create stronger communities in Greater Washington here.

Want to learn more about upcoming events that help you engage in the Greater Washington business community? Stay up-to-date on Board of Trade events here: https://www.bot.org/events 

 

How research and evidence can chart the path to educational equity | WTOP Partnership

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Originally posted by WTOP on behalf of the American Institues of Research (AIR) and the Board of Trade here.

In 1954, the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education found that a “separate, but equal” education was unconstitutional and ordered U.S. public schools to desegregate. However, as we approach the 70th anniversary of this ruling, U.S. schools are far from integrated. In fact, a 2022 federal report shows that many U.S. schools remain deeply divided along racial, ethnic and economic lines, despite increasing diversity in the student population.

“This deepening segregation has serious and lasting effects on students, families and communities,” said Jessica Heppen, president of the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution headquartered in Arlington, Virginia that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance domestically and globally. “Educational inequity is a self-perpetuating ecosystem that needs to be systematically examined and dismantled,” said Heppen, a researcher and expert in education policy and practice.

Improving education is core to AIR’s work with its clients and communities, as well as a key area of focus for the AIR Equity Initiative, the institution’s five-year, $105 million investment in addressing the effects of segregation by race and place through research, grant-making, partnerships and other activities.

“Increasing opportunities and improving outcomes will take collaboration among all facets of our communities—schools, housing, public safety, social services and more,” said Rashawn Ray, vice president and executive director of the AIR Equity Initiative. “We are working to actively build structures and systems that forge integration and create educational equity.”

Segregation results in disparate academic outcomes, opportunities and experiences for many students. For instance, data from the National Center for Education Statistics Equity in Education Dashboard shows that schools where more than 75 percent of the attendees were students of color were more likely to take disciplinary actions than other schools. This is a concern because research shows that discipline measures such as suspensions and expulsions have negative effects on students’ academic outcomes and attendance, and do little to change future behavior.

With Equity Initiative funding, AIR researchers are conducting a study of the Bridges Collaborative, which connects school districts, housing organizations and other groups to collaborate and learn from each other on strategies to integrate schools. (See what AIR has learned so far.)

Academic gaps and a road to recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated long-standing inequities in U.S. schools. This was seen vividly in the most recent mathematics and reading scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federally administered test given to a nationally representative sample of students across the U.S. Scores fell or stagnated, and gaps among different racial and ethnic subgroups widened.

Academic recovery efforts, such as extended learning time and tutoring, have made some headway, but not enough, according to research from AIR’s Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, NWEA and Harvard University. While research shows such programs are working, most schools and districts have not been able to implement interventions at the scale needed to counter widespread learning losses.

Two complementary AIR projects are helping researchers and practitioners understand and address the effects of the pandemic.

The RESTART Network aims to collect evidence about practices that can promote student academic recovery, particularly among students from marginalized groups and those who experienced learning challenges prior to the pandemic. AIR leads the network, which is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education.

AIR is also studying how states, districts and communities responded to the pandemic through the COVID-19 and Equity in Education: Longitudinal Deep Dive project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the AIR Equity Initiative. The COVID-19 and Equity in Education Enrollment Explorer, an interactive data tool AIR designed as part of the project, helps policymakers and educators analyze pre- and post-pandemic student enrollment trends by locality.

“These projects aim to bring together the research communities, so that we can speak with a clear voice about how to interpret the research and share evidence-informed recommendations that can help guide policymakers,” said Susan Therriault, an AIR Institute Fellow who is leading this work.

Putting evidence into action

While data can provide decisionmakers with some insight into where they should focus or how they may tackle educational inequities, help may be needed to put that evidence into action.

Through the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL), funded by IES, AIR collaborates with states, school districts and communities in two U.S. regions to identify and ameliorate challenges. For instance, in Chicago, a team from REL Midwest is working with educators from Jonathan Burr Elementary School to implement evidence-based math engagement strategies and better prepare students for success in advanced math. And a team at REL Southwest is working with the Arkansas Department of Education to see how different communications strategies can encourage families to access literacy resources. These are just a couple of examples of how AIR is working with states and communities to improve educational opportunities.

“We not only want to generate high-quality evidence about what works to improve educational equity, we also want to help schools, districts and communities put that evidence to work,” Heppen said. “That is how we can achieve our mission and improve people’s lives today and in the future.”

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