DC Office of the Student Advocate
The DC Office of the Student Advocate is a DC government agency that helps students, parents, and families navigate DC Public Schools and public charter schools through a 311-style assistance hotline, multilingual resource guides, and advocacy tools, all provided free of charge.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DC Office of the Student Advocate does
The DC Office of the Student Advocate (OSA) is a District of Columbia government agency established in 2015 and operating under the DC State Board of Education. It serves DC families, students, parents, and community members navigating the public education system, which includes both DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools. The office functions as a 311-style service for public education, providing step-by-step assistance, one-on-one coaching, resource referrals, and advocacy support for issues including school enrollment, special education, language access, bullying, attendance/truancy, student discipline, and safe passage.
OSA's core products include the Request for Assistance (RFA) hotline (phone and email, 24-48 hour response time), the EL Navegador navigator for English Learner families, the Education and Community Resource Guide (400+ listings across 20 topic areas), the Dyslexia Guidebook, the Parent & Family Go-To Guide, the Student Discipline Guide, and the Special Education Resources portal. The office also operates the Safe Passage initiative through a multi-agency Working Group and runs the Student Advocate Fellowship and Legislative Policy Fellowship programs. Technology infrastructure is minimal: the office relies on standard government IT plus Google Translate for multilingual access and ReadSpeaker for text-to-speech accessibility.
As a government agency, OSA is funded entirely through District of Columbia government appropriations and provides all services free of charge. It has a staff of 7-9 members led by Chief Student Advocate Dan Davis (joined October 2016). The office is statutorily mandated to submit annual reports to the State Board of Education. All services are distributed through direct-to-consumer channels — phone, email, website, in-person events across all 8 DC wards, and social media. There is no commercial revenue model, no private funding, and no equity structure.
DC Office of the Student Advocate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DC Office of the Student Advocate
- Legal name
- Office of the Student Advocate (District of Columbia Government)
- Website
- https://studentadvocate.dc.gov
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The DC Office of the Student Advocate is a DC government agency that helps students, parents, and families navigate DC Public Schools and public charter schools through a 311-style assistance hotline, multilingual resource guides, and advocacy tools, all provided free of charge.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DC Office of the Student Advocate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Education Advocacy Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- IEP Meeting Advocacy & Representation (EDAKACAB), Behavioral Support & Intervention Services (PBIS/Behavior Coaching) (EDAJALAH)
Keywords
Where DC Office of the Student Advocate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
DC Office of the Student Advocate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding: As a DC government agency under the State Board of Education, the Office of the Student Advocate is funded through District of Columbia government appropriations and budgets. Services are provided free of charge to all DC residents.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
DC Office of the Student Advocate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Office of the Student Advocate provides direct advocacy and navigation support to DC students, parents, and families seeking to navigate the District's public education system (DCPS and public charter schools). Core offerings include a 311-style Request for Assistance hotline, one-on-one coaching on education issues, multilingual resource guides, guidebooks on topics such as dyslexia and student discipline, and fellowship programs. All services are provided free of charge through District of Columbia government appropriations.
Product overview
The DC Office of the Student Advocate operates as a government resource hub providing advocacy support, educational guidance, and direct assistance services to DC families navigating the public education system (DCPS and public charter schools). The portfolio consists of a core service ecosystem centered on the Request for Assistance (RFA) hotline functioning as a 311 system for education, the bilingual EL Navegador navigator for English Learners, and a comprehensive Education and Community Resource Guide with 400+ listings. Supporting products include specialized guidebooks (Dyslexia Guidebook, Student Discipline Guide), advocacy toolkits (Parent Leadership Toolkit, Right to Know Ask Sheets), fellowship programs, and the Safe Passage initiative. The organization also publishes annual reports and official testimony, and maintains a calendar of training events and workshops.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EL Navegador: English Learner's Navigation tool dedicated to providing resources in DC to support English Learner students and families.
- Student Advocate Fellowship
- Legislative Policy Fellowship
Products and services
- Training & Events
- Parent Leadership Toolkit
- Safe Passage Program
- Request for Assistance (RFA)
- EL Navegador (English Learner's Navigator)
- Education and Community Resource Guide
- Parent & Family Go-To Guide
- Dyslexia Guidebook
- Student Discipline Guide
- Bullying & Harassment Resource
- Special Education Resources
- Fellowship Programs
- How to Enroll
- Know Your Rights (EL)
- English Learner Assessments
- Right to Know Ask Sheets
- High School Graduation Requirements Guide
Quantifiable outcome
- Surveyed 430+ students on safety concerns
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DC Office of the Student Advocate
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DC Office of the Student Advocate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
DC Office of the Student Advocate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Urban InstitutecoreCollaboration with Urban Institute to analyze survey data on student safety and safe passage. The Urban Institute provided analysis of survey results from over 430 students regarding their experiences traveling to and from school.
- Pathways 2 PowerminorYouth leadership organization that OSA worked with to conduct focus group discussions about student safety and safe passage.
- Mikva DCminorYouth leadership organization partnered with OSA for focus group discussions on student safety.
- Collaborative Solutions for CommunitiesminorCommunity-based organization that expanded OSA's focus group discussions to include families and English language learning communities.
- Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME)coreLeads the Safe Passage Community and Collaboration Working Group to address student safety issues in DC. DME is tasked with reporting on safe passage systems per Bill 21-669.
- Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & JusticecorePartner in Safe Passage Working Group addressing public safety aspects of student transportation.
- Office of Family & Public Engagement (DCPS)corePartner in Safe Passage Working Group focusing on family engagement in DCPS.
- DC Public Charter School BoardcorePartner in Safe Passage Working Group providing oversight for charter schools.
- Citywide Youth Bullying Prevention Program (Office of Human Rights)corePartner in Safe Passage Working Group addressing bullying prevention in schools.
- Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE)coreParent organization partner in Safe Passage Working Group amplifying parent voices.
- Man the Block (Richard Wright Public Charter School)minorCommunity organization partner in Safe Passage Working Group.
- Roving Leaders (DC Department of Parks & Recreation)minorPartner in Safe Passage Working Group providing youth outreach services.
- Division of Health & Wellness (OSSE)corePartner in Safe Passage Working Group focusing on student health and wellness.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DC Office of the Student Advocate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE): DC-based parent advocacy organization focused on amplifying parent voices in DC education. Directly comparable as an OSA partner working on overlapping parent leadership, school choice, and equity initiatives across DC.
- Advocates for Children of New York: Nonprofit providing direct advocacy, training, and legal support for NYC families navigating public schools. Closely mirrors OSA's RFA-line plus resource-guide plus policy testimony model, just at city-scale in New York.
- DC Public Schools Office of Family and Public Engagement: DCPS division responsible for family engagement across DC public schools. Directly comparable in mission — supporting families navigating school systems — though institutionally aligned to DCPS while OSA serves both DCPS and charter families.
- Education Law Center of Pennsylvania (and similar state ELCs): Legal advocacy organizations that represent families on education rights including special education, school discipline, and language access. Comparable to OSA's IEP advocacy, student discipline guidance, and EL Know Your Rights resources.
- Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR): Federally funded parent training and information network serving families of children with disabilities. Comparable to OSA's special education resources, IEP guidance, and parent leadership toolkit — operates as resource hub rather than direct service.
- Colorín Colorado: National bilingual resource hub for English Language Learner families and educators. Closely comparable to OSA's EL Navegador program in mission — supporting EL families with navigation, rights information, and instructional strategies.
- Healthy Schools Campaign: National advocacy organization focused on health, wellness, and equity in K-12 schools. Comparable to OSA's broader student wellbeing scope (bullying, mental health, safety) and policy testimony approach, though operating at national scale.
Emerging players
- Understood.org: Digital-first resource hub for families of children with learning differences (dyslexia, ADHD, etc.). Comparable to OSA's Dyslexia Guidebook and special education resources, with modern technology stack and broader national reach.
Broad incumbents
- DC State Board of Education: OSA's parent body — the elected DC State Board of Education that sets education policy and oversees OSA. Directly comparable in advocacy and policy testimony roles but operates at broader governance level across all DC education matters.
Regional players
- Public Counsel Education Rights Project: LA-based legal services organization providing pro bono education advocacy for low-income families. Comparable mission and IEP/discipline/EL focus, but operates in California rather than DC and is structured as legal aid rather than government office.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DC Office of the Student Advocate social profiles
Digital presenceDC Office of the Student Advocate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DC Office of the Student Advocate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
DC Office of the Student Advocate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DC Office of the Student Advocate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DC Office of the Student Advocate
What does DC Office of the Student Advocate do?
The Office of the Student Advocate provides direct advocacy and navigation support to DC students, parents, and families seeking to navigate the District's public education system (DCPS and public charter schools). Core offerings include a 311-style Request for Assistance hotline, one-on-one coaching on education issues, multilingual resource guides, guidebooks on topics such as dyslexia and student discipline, and fellowship programs. All services are provided free of charge through District of Columbia government appropriations.
Is DC Office of the Student Advocate a public or private company?
DC Office of the Student Advocate is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was DC Office of the Student Advocate founded?
DC Office of the Student Advocate was founded in 2015.
Where is DC Office of the Student Advocate based?
DC Office of the Student Advocate is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does DC Office of the Student Advocate make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding.
Who are DC Office of the Student Advocate's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE), Advocates for Children of New York, DC Public Schools Office of Family and Public Engagement, Education Law Center of Pennsylvania (and similar state ELCs), Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR), Colorín Colorado and Healthy Schools Campaign. Understood.org is listed as an emerging player. DC State Board of Education is listed as a broad incumbent. Public Counsel Education Rights Project is listed as a regional player.
Does DC Office of the Student Advocate have an API?
No public API is recorded for DC Office of the Student Advocate.
What industry is DC Office of the Student Advocate in?
DC Office of the Student Advocate's product category is Public Education Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJALAK, Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy), with a secondary code of EDAKACAB, IEP Meeting Advocacy & Representation. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.