State Board adopts Phase 3 of Maryland strategic plan, adds mental‑health scaling amendment

The State Board voted to adopt Phase 3 of the Maryland Strategic Plan, completing the three‑phase roadmap that aligns statewide education priorities with the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The plan establishes mission and vision statements, a values framework, four priorities spanning early childhood to college‑and‑career readiness, and enablers (data and reporting tools, instructional materials, educator workforce development and social‑emotional/mental‑health supports).

Superintendent Choudhary and the strategic planning subcommittee described a two‑year stakeholder engagement effort involving surveys, roundtables, regional gallery walks, student shadows and charettes. The priorities reflect consistent public input: early literacy and kindergarten readiness rose to the top across stakeholder groups, while additional priorities included improvement for middle grades, career pathways, and educator recruitment/retention.

Board members debated and unanimously approved an amendment to the mental‑health enabler proposed by Dr. Wilcox (board member) that expands the language to: 1) scale the Maryland School Mental Health Response Program and strategic partnerships to support LEAs with risk assessment, crisis stabilization, linkages and brief interventions; and 2) enhance Tier‑1, school‑wide mental‑health promotion and social‑emotional learning that builds protective skills for all students. Board members cited youth‑risk survey data (rising sadness/hopelessness and suicidal ideation) to justify elevated emphasis.

The board approved Phases 1–3 as amended; the superintendent said MSDE will move to implementation, developing targets after the spring 2023 data are finalized, creating playbooks for early‑warning interventions, and rolling out supports including learning labs and coaching. Board members asked MSDE to return with concrete metrics and to prioritize accessibility of data and reporting tools for parents and practitioners.

Ending: adoption authorizes MSDE to begin coordinated implementation and monitoring; the department will publish the plan online and convene ongoing engagement and implementation charrettes to refine strategies and set measurable targets later this year.