SHAWN JOSEPH

Candidate Dossier

Presented by:
Jim Huge and Associates

Contents
Candidate Summary......................................................................................... Section 1
Cover Letter ..................................................................................................... Section 2
Candidate Resume ........................................................................................... Section 3
Candidate Questionnaire ................................................................................. Section 4
Notes ............................................................................................................... Section 5

Candidate Summary

SHAWN JOSEPH, Ed.D.

Excellent developer and implementer of strategic plans

Strong community engagement around targeted outcomes (i.e., graduation rate)
Constant learner
Exemplary relator
Recognized expert with success in selecting and developing talent, particularly
principals

Current situation:
Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and
Learning (2014-Present)
Prince Georges County Public Schools, MD
Past leadership positions:
Superintendent of Schools (2012 2014)
Seaford School District, Seaford, DE
Director of School Performance (2009 2012)
Principal, Middle School (2005 2009)
Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
Highest degree attained:
Ed.D., Educational Administration and Policy
Studies
The George Washington University

Evidence of MNPS Leadership Profile

COMMUNITY-BUILDING AND VISIONCASTING CAPACITY
Led community-wide strategic planning in
two districts.
ORGANIZATIONAL/CULTURE CHANGE
EXPERTISE
Led Malcolm Baldridge implementation.
INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO TALENT
AND TURNAROUND
Led measurable student achievement
gains Kindergarten readiness, reading for
African American students, algebra for
White and African American and Title I
students, increased ACT and AP/IB
performance, and improved graduation
rates. Increased AYP achievement.
Nationally recognized expert in
developing principal talent.
EXPERTISE WITH SIMILAR STUDENT
POPULATIONS

Prince Georges County, Montgomery

County

DISTRICT COMPARISON (most recent available data)

District
Prince Georges County, MD
Seaford, DE Montgomery County, MD
Enrollment
125,136
3,384
151,295
# Schools
209
7
207
% Charter Schools
3.8%
0.0%
0.5%
% Econ. Disadvantaged
61.5%
58.9%
34.2%
% Minority
95.5%
57.8%
68.0%
% ELL
14.2%
11.0%
13.5%
% SPED
11.5%
17.3%
11.7%
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
15.03
14.46
14.96
Total Budget ($M)
$2,138
$64
$2,765
Per-Pupil Expenditure
$16,218
$16,904
$16,800

Cover Letter

Candidate Resume

Shawn Joseph, Ed.D.

Everybody can be greatbecause anybody can serve.

You dont have to have a college degree to serve.
You dont have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
~Martin Luther King Jr.
EDUCATION:
The George Washington University
Washington, DC, 2002-2009
Ed.D., Educational Administration and Policy Studies. Dissertation: A Comprehensive
Evaluation of a School Districts Grow Your Own Principal Preparation Program.
Emphasis Area: Program Evaluation
The Johns Hopkins University
School of Continuing Studies and Business, Baltimore, MD, 1997-1999
M.S., Ed. Emphasis Area: Reading Education
Lincoln University
Lincoln University, PA, 1992-1996
B.S., English Education
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY:
Prince Georges County Public Schools, Upper Marlboro, MD (2014 to present)
Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning
Led efforts to develop PGCPS 2016-2020 strategic plan which focuses on improving
academic achievement, increasing family engagement, increasing efficiency, ensuring
safe school environments, and retaining and training a high quality workforce
Led efforts to establish district-wide targets focused in increasing SAT/ACT
performance; PARCC performance, increasing graduation rates; increasing dual
enrollment, AP performance, and IB performance; and increasing the number of technical
licenses students receive to be prepared for the workforce through a collaboration with
the University of Maryland College Park Center for Measurement, Statistics, and
Evaluation
Led efforts to expand Pre-K and improve the quality of existing programs by
collaborating with community organizations and government agencies within Prince
Georges County resulting in a 4% increase in Kindergarten Readiness from the 2015
school year to the 2016 school year as measured by the Maryland Kindergarten
Readiness Assessment
Led efforts to prioritize literacy training for teams within PGCPS resulting in 87% of the
7,000 8th graders taking the PSAT 8/9 within the district during the 2015-2016 school

year meeting the College Board benchmark for College and Career Readiness in the
Evidence Based Reading Section of the exam.
Improved African American (AA) students reading performance for students in PGCPS
from being 23 out of 24 school districts on the Maryland State Assessment to the
following rankings on the Reading PARCC assessment through targeted K-12 Reading
focus and critical thinking support: 3rd grade AA 12 out of 24, 4th grade AA 12 out of 24,
5th grade AA 12 out of 24, 6th grade AA 4 out of 24, 7th grade AA 6 out of 24, 8th grade
AA 10 out of 24, and 10th grade AA 7 out of 24
Led academic efforts which resulted in White students and African American students
Algebra and Algebra II performance at levels 4 and 5 on the PARCC Assessments
exceeding the overall Maryland State average of students achieving levels 4 and 5 on the
Algebra and Algebra II PARCC Assessments
Supported efforts which resulted in 40.1 % of Title I students taking the Algebra PARCC
assessment achieving a 4 or 5 compared to the Title I Maryland State average of 9.1%
Improved ACT performance of students as measured by students achieving the College
and Career Readiness Benchmark from 33.4% in 2014-2015 to 38.5% in 2014-2015
Co-led efforts to improve graduation rates increasing graduation by over 4% in two years
from 74.12% to 78.8%
Increased the number of AP/IB tests administered from 3,512 in 2013-2014 to 3,754 in
2014-2015
Monitored school level supports to achieve a 92% attendance rate during the 2014-2015
school year with 77% of high school students attending 90% of the time
Created cross-functional teams to improve special education LRE designations by 2% for
students age 6-21 and 14% for students aged 3-5 resulting in PGCPS being removed from
Maryland State intensive support status from 2013-2014 to 2014-2015
Re-organized the Division of Teaching and Learning to target resources to increase
literacy achievement within the district and closed a 12 million dollar budget shortfall
within the Division
Re-designed professional development delivery to focus on improved literacy
achievement by establishing monthly Leading Literacy meetings comprised of school
teams for 214 schools
Led efforts to develop a comprehensive literacy plan focusing on improving reading,
writing, and reasoning across all content areas K-12 modeled after the Brockton High
School turnaround model in Massachusetts
Established a Saturday School partnership with the George B. Thomas Sr. Learning
Academy Inc. to increase academic achievement for 200 students in a high needs high
school feeder pattern
Responsible for a 200+ million dollar budget focused upon improving student
achievement within Prince Georges County Public Schools (PGCPS)
Seaford School District, Seaford, Delaware (2012-2014)
Superintendent of Schools
Developed a 5 year strategic plan in collaboration with the Board of Education and the
Rodel Foundation focused on eliminating achievement gaps, expanding program options,
increasing human capacity, and increasing family involvement
Led efforts to improve achievement within the school district resulting in Seaford High
School achieving Adequate Yearly Progress for the first time in its history as it increased

Reading and Math performance by 10% on the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment

System
Increased graduation rates by 2%
Engaged 50 community organizations to designate Seaford as a Promise Community
with Americas Promise to ensure that at least 90% of students graduate on time from
high school by 2016
Established community school model in the lowest performing schools resulting in
coordinated services to students and families for 1100 students and their families
Responsible for an $80,000,000 budget which prioritized funding for raising rigorous
instructional opportunities, building human capacity, and ensuring safe, modernized
buildings
Collaborated with Teach for America Delaware to target Corp members efforts at
Seaford High School in high needs areas such as math, special education, and foreign
languages and developed summer leadership opportunities for Corp members to increase
student achievement
Implemented a staff development teacher and reading specialist initiative in all schools
prioritizing staffing to support quality instruction
Implemented new reading and math curricula K-5 which resulted in academic increases
in elementary schools
Developed a principal and assistant principal training program for all administrators to
build administrators instructional capacity and to support administrators in their quest to
focus on instructional improvement
Established language immersion programs at the elementary level and an MYP IB
program at the middle school
Supported Seaford High School to become an IB World School
Fully implemented a high school New Tech Academy which was the first program in the
state of Delaware resulting in students cultivating 21st century skills
Expanded the Family Partnership Unit to include 6 parent coordinators and a full-time
director
Implemented the Malcolm Baldrige process for school improvement planning in all
schools
Increased communication and collaboration with state and county legislature, the
chamber of commerce, faith-based organizations, non-profit organizations, and PTOs
Reorganized central office to provide more direct supports to schools and principals
Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD (2009-2012)
Director of School Performance
Co-led 34 schools with a community superintendent and provided input into strategic
goals and continuous improvement efforts
Led efforts that enabled 9 out of 10 elementary schools that did not make AYP during the
2009-2010 school year to achieve AYP during the 2010-2011 school year
Monitored 12 enhanced school improvement processes to support schools that did not
make adequately yearly progress during the 2009-2010 school year
Monitored 14 enhanced school improvement processes to support schools that did not
make adequately yearly progress during the 2010-2011 school year
Served on a team established by the Montgomery County Executive to address poverty
within Montgomery County in collaboration with faith-based organizations, non-profit
organizations, and business leaders

Monitored SAT participation and performance, Maryland State Assessment performance,

Terra Nova 2 performance, advanced math performance, unit assessment data for
elementary and middle school students in reading and math, early childhood literacy
rates, and suspension rates for all schools
Trained 22 new assistant principals and 5 new principals
Evaluated school improvement plans for 34 schools to focus on achieving strategic
targets
Supervised and observed principals in their evaluation year and monitored the
professional growth of principals in non-evaluation years
Led the Office of School Performances strategic planning team which led to districtwide changes to improve the school improvement process for all 202 schools during the
2010-2011 school year
Led the office of school performances equity team which built the capacity of
community superintendents and directors of school performances ability to evaluate the
degree in which school leaders led for equity and supported school leaders
Collaborated with multiple government agencies to provide mental health services, social
services, and resources to families to support students achievement in a cluster of
schools
Served as an advisory board member to the Montgomery County Public Schools/George
Washington University Bi-lingual Special Education partnership
Collaborated with district-wide parent association leaders to support budget initiatives
and to support school improvement efforts
Partnered with the Montgomery County Collaboration Council to provide additional after
school activities in middle schools within Montgomery Countys Down County Consortia
of schools
Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD (2005-2009)
Principal, Roberto Clemente Middle School
Increased the amount of students successfully completing Algebra by grade 8 from 49%
in 2005 to 89% in 2008
Increased the amount of students successfully completing foreign language from 41% in
2005 to 62% in 2008
Decreased ineligibility from 25% to 9%
Reduced suspensions in 2006 by 50%, by 62% in 2007, and by 58% in 2008 by
implementing the PBIS program
Participated in multiple study circles to engage parents and teaching staff in a dialogue
and action program that addressed racial and ethnic barriers to student achievement and
parent involvement
Collaborated with PTSA leadership and the teachers union to jointly develop an
application to participate in the middle school reform effort in Montgomery County
which resulted in implementing innovative curricula, utilizing new technology, and
refining teacher planning efforts
Developed a vision focused on personal responsibility, respectful interactions,
intelligence is effort based, diversity is celebrated, and ensuring a safe learning
environment

Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD (2002-2005)

Assistant Principal, Redland Middle School
Increased the amount of students successfully completing Algebra from 64% in 2004 to
80% in 2005
Designed a truancy process to reduce truancy by 80%
Developed a Saturday Academy to support enrolling 60 African American and Hispanic
students in Honors English and Algebra in 8th grade
Coached the Maryland State Black Saga African American History Competition
championship team
Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD (1996-2002)
English Teacher/Reading Specialist/Team Leader, Roberto Clemente Middle School
Led curriculum implementation efforts
Tested students in need of reading support
Coordinated grade level efforts to support student achievement
Served on district level negotiating team for the Montgomery County Education
Association
Wrote English/Reading curriculum over the summer for the Reading office
Led school literacy team to share literacy best practices across content areas
PUBLICATIONS:
Refereed journal articles
Joseph, S. & Davis, M. (2016). Becoming a data champion in 6 steps: How a suburban Maryland
district uses its data to motivate staff and improve instruction. School Administrator.
Alexandria, VA: American Association of School Administrators.
Joseph, S. (April, 2010). School district grow your own principal preparation programs:
Effective elements and implications for graduate schools of education. International
Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 2(1).
Joseph, S. (2009). Planning grow your own principal preparation programs: Cultivating
excellence in tough economic times. International Journal of Educational Planning.
Refereed chapters in book
Joseph, S. & Roach, V. (2014). Principal succession planning: How one school district
successfully improves the quantity and quality of principal candidates. In Danzing, A. &
Hollingworth, L. (Eds,), Research in learning and teaching in educational leadership. New
York: Information Age Publishing Inc.

BOOK
Joseph, S. (2012). The principals guide to the first 100 days of the school year: Creating
instructional momentum. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
PRESENTATIONS
Refereed presentation
Joseph, S. (2010). How schools of education and school districts partner to create
exemplary principals? Paper presented at the 2010 National Council of Professors of
Educational Administration Conference, Washington, D.C., Aug 3, 2010.
Invited presentations
Joseph, S. (2014). Becoming a Data Champion. Orlando, FL: Performance Matters National
Conference.
Joseph, S. (2013). The First 100 Days of the School Board/Superintendent Relationship:
Creating Community Momentum. Alexandria, VA: National School Board Association.
Joseph, S. (2008). Leading for Equity. Towson, MD: Maryland Instructional Leadership
Institute at Towson University.
Joseph, S. (2008). Creating Adaptive Leaders. Washington, DC: National Staff Development
Association.
Joseph, S. (2008). Ensuring equity and excellence in schools. Stony Brook, NY: National
Conference of People of Colour.
PRINCIPAL AND ASPIRING LEADERS TRAINING
1. Supported Mr. Kevin Hobbs, former Associate Superintendent for Organizational
Development in Houston Independent School District, to conceptualize and develop a
district-run principal training program during the 2009-2010 school year. Specific duties
included supporting the conceptual design of the program, training executive staff on the
implementation of the program, and providing technical support to program staff.
2. Supported Dr. Dallas Dance, Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, to
conceptualize and develop a district-run principal training program. Specific duties
included training 50 aspiring leaders to assume principal positions within Baltimore
County Public Schools.
3. Supported Dr. Sharon Contreras and The Syracuse City School District to ensure a strong
assistant principal and principal pipeline by working with the Office of Human Resources
to train 150 aspiring principals and assistant principals resulting in 80% of candidates
filling open assistant principal and principal vacancies during from 2013-2016. The
training was conducted during a weekend cohort format.

UNIVERSITY TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

EDUC 276: School Community (George Washington University Masters program)
EDUC 387: Internship Supervisor (George Washington University Masters program)
ADM 505: Educational Leadership for the 21st Century (McDaniel College Masters program)
ADM 504: The Supervision and Evaluation of School Personnel (McDaniel College Masters
program)
EDU 550: Introduction to Research Methodology (McDaniel College Masters program)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP AND SERVICE

Organized and co-led the transition team for Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, CEO of Prince Georges
County Public Schools, during the 2013-2014 school year.
Member of the transition team for Dr. Dallas Dance, Superintendent of Baltimore County Public
Schools, during the 2012-2013 school year
Member of the American Association of School Administrators (2012-Present)
Served as a board member for the Maryland Association of Supervision and
Curriculum Development from 2007 to 2009.
Achievement Week Chairperson for Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Mu Nu Graduate Chapter,
from 2012-Present

AWARDS
Ambassador Andrew Young Certificate of Distinguished Service (2016)
American Educational Research Associations Outstanding Dissertation Award in the area of
Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership (LTEL) SIG (2010)
Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals Met/Life Middle Level Principal of the
Year (2009)

GALLUP SURVEY TOP FIVE STRENGTHS

1. Maximizer 2. Learner 3. Intellection 4. Harmonizer 5. Relator

Candidate Questionnaire

The Board of Education unanimously approved a leadership profile that

outlined four core competencies intended to drive the recruitment/search
process: (a) community-building and vision-casting capacity, (b)
organizational/culture change expertise, (c) innovative approaches to talent
and turnaround, and (d) expertise with similar student populations. This
four-part test of candidate effectiveness came from the work of a 17-member
community Search Advisory Committee and included outreach to educators,
parents, and others in the development of this profile. Please describe your
capabilities and track record in each of the four core areas.
Community-Building and Vision Casting Capacity
Both in the Seaford (Delaware) School District and in Prince Georges County
(Maryland) Public Schools, I led efforts to develop 5-year strategic plans. To develop
effective plans, extensive community mapping was conducted, and I gathered substantive
input from community and school stakeholders. Once a draft plan was developed, we reengaged the community for feedback to ensure that there was collective agreement on the
plan, and adjustments were made based upon feedback that was received. It was also
essential to ensure that the political structure that funded schools was actively engaged
and supported the vision and direction of the school district.
To sustain implementing the vision in the Seaford School District, I established a
committee comprised of 50 businesses and community organizations to provide feedback
and support to the Seaford Promise. I also served on the boards of the Rotary Club,
Chamber of Commerce, and the Seaford Economic Committee led by the Mayor, the
County Council Chairperson, and President of the City Council. Frequent updates were
provided and strong communication protocols were established to ensure that the vision
of the school district was understood and executed. In Seaford, I built strong
relationships with local pastors and established communication protocols with them to
ensure that they were able to communicate school events and activities with their
congregations. I also collaborated to strengthen their after school programs.
As superintendent of the Seaford School District, I sent a weekly email to all staff and
Board of Education members to focus everyone on our vision, inspire staff, and reinforce
our vision.
In Prince Georges County, I established a monthly bulletin that highlights positive
events and accomplishments of all departments that I supervise. This bulletin is sent to
board members, the county executive, principals, principal supervisors, and central office
staff members.
Working with the CEO of Prince Georges County, we established a partnership with the
Pan-Hellenic Council and Pastors to increase communication and to strengthen
collaboration with the community.

Organizational Culture/Change Expertise

In Montgomery County Maryland, I actively led trainings for the Office of School
Performance with implementing the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria of Excellence. The
Malcolm Baldrige Criteria of Excellence are some of the most rigorous process
management criteria in the industries of health care, education, and business. My seven
years of experience implementing and leading Malcolm Baldrige Criteria of Excellence
have provided me with expertise in organizational culture/change expertise.
In 2002, I read a book that changed my leadership paradigm called Leadership and SelfDeception. Reading this book caused me to reflect upon the responsibilities associated
with leadership, power, accountability, and moral development. The book describes the
epidemiology of self-deception, but more important, it discusses how to cure
organizations from this illness. The medicine involves the process of working on
improving yourself.
In Prince Georges County, over 1,000 employees have been trained on the Arbinger
approach. Central office leaders, including the CEOs cabinet, are learning how their
actions contribute to helping us achieve our ambitious goals. The district theory of
action, which I helped create, states, If we focus on culture, data, and performance, with
a lens on literacy, we will have outstanding academic achievement. Leading with an
emphasis on assessing culture has been a strength for years.
Lastly, as a superintendent of schools, I successfully transitioned into the job
implementing an aggressive 100 day plan. In addition, I served on the transition team of
Dr. Dallas Dance, Superintendent of Baltimore County, and I organized, developed, and
supported the transition team of Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, CEO of Prince Georges County
Public Schools. As a result, I have extensive experience managing change. My book,
The Principals Guide to the First 100 Days of the School Year, also deals with managing
change.
Innovative Approaches to Talent and Turnaround
My dissertation, which won the American Educational Research Associations
Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Area of Educational Leadership, focuses on
developing principal pipelines. The dissertation looks at the context, process, inputs, and
products of a grow your own principal training program. My doctoral work provided

me with invaluable insight on building principal talent within a school district.

In Prince Georges County, we partner with Gallup to utilize an Insight survey to
effectively match teachers with school needs.
In the Seaford School District, we collaborated with Research for Better Teaching to
systematically train teachers and build their capacity. All new teachers were required to
complete extensive first-year training to support their growth. District level, all day
monthly training was provided to all staff focused on district priorities and individual
school needs.
As it relates to school turnaround, high support and high accountability structures were
put in place and a monthly monitoring calendar was given to principals to help them
focus on strategic priorities. This process took the guessing out of district expectations
for school performance.
Expertise with Similar School Populations
Montgomery County Public Schools has approximately 152,000 students. The racial
make-up of the district is approximately 60% minority and 40% Caucasian.
Approximately 30% of students receive free or reduced lunch.
Seaford School District has approximately 3,500 students. The racial composition of the
district is approximately 44.1% Caucasian, 36.5% African American, 13.6% Hispanic,
1.3% Asian, and .5% American Indian. Approximately 70% of students received free or
reduced lunch.
Prince Georges County Public Schools has approximately 129,000 students. The racial
composition of the district is approximately 61.4% African American, 29.6% Hispanic,
4.2% Caucasian, 2.8% Asian, and .4% American Indian. Approximately 64% of students
receive free or reduced lunch. There are over 20,000 English Language Learners within
the district (15.8% of students) and 14,350 Special Education students (11.1%).

While we each may have different perspectives on how to best achieve strong
student outcomes, we are united in a desire to hire a Director of Schools deeply
committed and highly capable of helping the district post significant gains in the
academic performance and success of our students. With this in mind, provide at
least two concrete examples, with supporting data, of efforts you were involved in
that resulted in improved student achievement. Please cite specific data to indicate
student growth, including the source of the data, the period of time it covers, the
organizational unit that it represents (district-wide, school-wide, grade level, etc.),
and explain it in terms that a lay person will understand. Please also describe your
specific role in the development, execution or oversight of this effort. Finally, please
provide the name and contact information of a person who can verify the
information. We will contact this person before April 30.
I have been extremely fortunate in my career to have had a significant impact on student
achievement at the teacher level, principal level, director level, deputy superintendent
level, and superintendent level. For the purpose of this question, I will identify data
points related to the two large school districts that I have served: Montgomery County
Public Schools, MD and Prince Georges County Public Schools, MD.
I was promoted to be a Director of School Performance by Dr. Jerry D. Weast in 2009 as
a result dramatically increasing results for all student groups as the principal of Roberto
Clemente Middle School. As a Director of School Performance, it was my job to ensure
that 34 schools that I worked with executed their school improvement priorities. School
improvement priorities were clearly communicated by the school district to all schools.
I supported the 34 highest needs schools in Montgomery County. During the 2009-2010
school year, there were a total of 12 elementary and middle schools that had not made
adequately yearly progress (AYP) under the old MD State accountability system. My
primary responsibility was to support the principal in improving academic performance
of those schools. By the 2010 school year, 9 out of 10 elementary schools that did not
make AYP during the 2009-2010 school year made AYP during the 2010-2011 school
year. In addition, the other 24 schools progressed appropriately.
My role in the development, execution, and oversight of this effort included collaborating
with school teams to devise research-based school improvement plans. I was directly
responsible for reviewing all school improvement plans and providing all school specific
feedback on their activities. I visited all underperforming schools weekly, and I
participated in school improvement meetings and school improvement planning meetings
with the principals and their school improvement teams. I observed principals leading
school improvement meetings, and I provided them direct feedback on how to support
students learning. I conducted a weekly walkthrough of classroom instruction with
principals. Each underperforming school was required to participate in a monthly school
improvement meeting. I co-planned the meeting with the principals, and I coordinated

supports from academic offices and/or the Title I office to schools. As principals
identified barriers to academic performance, it was my role to support them in finding
solutions via technical support, allocating additional resources, or collaborating with
school personnel across schools and offices. At monthly school improvement meetings, I
ensured that we looked at school data that told us whether the school was moving toward
better performance for students by student groups. If school-wide data did not suggest
that improvements were being made, I worked with the principal and the school team to
revise plans, and I worked to secure appropriate resources for the school. This was a high
accountability, high support model of supervision. I conducted formal observations of
principals and I provided consistent written feedback on their performance. My efforts
to keep principals focused on executing school improvement plans, instead of plans being
written without any accountability, increased achievement and improved the direct
performance of the schools that I supervised.
Dr. Jerry D. Weast, former Superintendent of Schools for Montgomery County
Maryland, can verify the impact I had in supporting increasing student achievement in the
34 lowest performing schools in Montgomery County.
In Prince Georges County, as the Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, I
was charged with leading efforts to develop a strategic plan for the school district, and I
have been responsible for envisioning and implementing a Pre-K improvement plan and a
rigorous literacy plan to increase academic achievement for all students. Within our
strategic plan, we identified clear standardized assessment measures that would predict
whether students are moving toward being college and career ready. The assessments
include the following:
Elementary:
MD Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
PARCC Exams in Reading and Math
Middle School:
PSAT 8/9 created by College Board
PARCC Exams in Reading and Math
High School:
PSAT 10 created by College Board
PARCC Exams in Reading and Math
SAT/ACT Performance
Last year, 34% of Kindergarten students entered PGCPS ready for Kindergarten as
measured by their performance on the MD Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. This
year, we saw a 4% increase in one year to 38% of students ready for Kindergarten. Our
goal was to see a 5% increase in one year.
As we reviewed our results, we recognized that we needed to make changes. I worked
with my Early Learning Team to identify and implement a rigorous literacy curriculum

for Pre-K students. We ensured that Pre-K teachers were appropriately trained on the
new curriculum. We established a community task force which included staff from
county government agencies, non-profit agencies, university professors, PGCPS staff
from the Early Childhood, Special Education, and English Language Learner offices,
Board of Education Members, and owners of private day care centers to begin
coordinating training opportunities and collaborating on identifying solutions to ensure
more students had access to high quality Pre-K programs. Collaborating with non-school
based private day care providers enabled us to ensure more students higher quality
experiences, and we were able to train private providers on the rigors expected with the
Common Core as it relates to Kindergarten expectations. I met with the Early Childhood
office to review their plan of action and monitored quarterly benchmarks. I also ensured
that appropriate resources were available for the team to execute the established
priorities. I provided specific feedback and ensured that we collaborated and executed on
our priorities.
Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, CEO of Prince Georges County Public Schools, can verify my
work with the Early Childhood Team.

Why are you uniquely qualified to serve as Nashvilles next Director of

Schools? What do you bring to the table others might not offer?
Leadership is always about context. In the following paragraphs, I will share a
snippet of my personal story, which illustrates what has shaped me as a leader. I
will also describe what uniquely qualifies me as the next Director of Schools for
Metro Nashville Public Schools.
My journey into the life-changing world of public education began when I was a
sophmore at Lincoln University. To make a long, emotional story succinct, I met an
African American 11th grade student named Gary. Gary was from a high school in
Philadelphia. He participated in Lincoln Universitys Upward Bound program. I was
hired to be a tutor. The first day of classes, I learned that Gary could not read. I will
never forget that moment. Tears still form in my eyes, and I still get emotional
discussing it. To say that I was angry would be an understatement. I was enraged. I
thought to myself, How can we call ourselves a great nation if we allow kids to go
through our school systems without teaching them a basic skill like reading? Who will
fight for Gary and students like him; they will be thrusted to the bottom of a caste
likecapitalistic system forced to be an outsider within their own native land as a result of
not having the skills necessary to compete and ensure equality, equity, and
enlightenment?
I entered my junior year switching my major from Biology to become an English teacher,
and I have never regretted my decision. My mother, thinking she would have a medical
doctor in the family, had a momentary reaction of sadness, but upon my earning of a
doctorate in educational administration and policy studies and receiving the Maryland
State Middle Level Principal of the Year Award, she realized that I simply followed the
call to duty that was placed upon my heart. It is a lesson that I share with all children:
Follow your passion, and you will be successful with whatever you pursue in life.
What makes me uniquely qualified to be the Director of Schools in Metro Nashville
Public Schools is the fact that I wake up thinking about Gary every day as I do my work
and I walk around with a chip on my shoulder angry at an American schooling structure
that has been allowed to not work for all children. I have the unique abilty to push
without pushing staff over the edge. I can uniquely establish a culture of high
expectations and high support. I believe that true reform does not cost more money. It
requires a different way of thinking.
Someone once told me that a picture is worth a thousand words. The following is a
picture of me on the Montgomery County Public Schools strategic plan: 2010-2015 Our
Call to Action: Pursuit of Excellence:

On behalf of the children, staff, and communities that I serve, I strive for personal
excellence, and I strive to support excellence. In December of 2011, I published my first
book, The Principals Guide to the First 100 Days of the School Year: Creating
Instructional Momentum that has been read by thousands of educators. I have published
in top, peer-reviewed journals of education on the topics of strategic planning and
principal development. I have taught at one of the best graduate schools of education in
America. I have supported school districts, including Houston Independent Public
School district, Baltimore County Public Schools, and Syracuse City Public Schools, to
name a few large urban school districts, to support building aspiring principal/principal
capacity. As a result, I can support the development of a premier aspiring
principal/principal development program in Metro Nashville Public Schools. In addition,
I have served in high-level positions in two large, diverse, school districts. Lastly, and
most important, I have served as a successful superintendent of schools in a high-poverty,
diverse, rural school district, so I understand what it takes to be a successful Director of
Schools.
I would be honored to lead Metro Nashville Public Schools to the world-class status its
children and community deserve.

Notes