PGCPS unveils "Forward by Design" and a math roadmap; board seeks budget alignment
May 08, 2026 | Prince George's County Public Schools, School Boards, Maryland
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The Prince George's County Board of Education heard a presentation on the district's new three-year strategic plan, "Forward by Design," and an accompanying mathematics roadmap at its May 7, 2026, meeting.
Superintendent Dr. Joseph said the plan centers on scaling instructional quality equitably across ZIP codes and prioritizes special education, mathematics and literacy, English learners, professional development and technology. "Vision without investment is an illusion," he said, urging the board to align resources and budget decisions to the plan.
Chief of staff Dr. Diane Collins described a three-year development process that included regional town halls, focus groups and a climate-and-culture survey; she said the plan will be released for public comment with strategies and KPIs for each priority and that the district has already submitted its math plan to the State for approval. "We didn't want to start from scratch; we wanted to refine and focus our energy on the proven strategies that move the needle," Collins said.
Dr. White, who outlined the mathematics roadmap, said the district will focus on job-embedded professional learning, systemic coaching and reducing variance across schools through consistent instructional frameworks and monthly learning progressions. He emphasized measurement: "Success must be measurable," he said, and described stop-gap progress checks so the district can "stop, look and adjust" when data indicate a strategy is failing.
Board members asked how the plan's costs will be tracked and whether professional-development expectations will add unsustainable burdens for teachers. Board Member Brown asked how teacher participation will be tracked and how workload concerns would be mitigated; presenters said the district will align year-one priorities to the budget, use ROI metrics, and emphasize side-by-side coaching and lab observations to support teachers rather than overburden them.
The presentation noted the district's intent to use MSDE-assigned targets for five-year growth monitoring and to operationalize an institutional improvement framework that supports instructional leadership teams at every school. Staff also said they are exploring tools, including AI-assisted workflows, to make some teacher tasks (for example, batch feedback) more efficient.
The board did not take final action on the strategic plan at the meeting; staff said a public comment window will open in the coming month and that final revisions and monitoring plans will follow. At the same meeting the consent agenda (items 17.1 6 617.8) was adopted by recorded vote (seven affirmative votes and one abstention). The board adjourned at 8:42 p.m.
Superintendent Dr. Joseph said the plan centers on scaling instructional quality equitably across ZIP codes and prioritizes special education, mathematics and literacy, English learners, professional development and technology. "Vision without investment is an illusion," he said, urging the board to align resources and budget decisions to the plan.
Chief of staff Dr. Diane Collins described a three-year development process that included regional town halls, focus groups and a climate-and-culture survey; she said the plan will be released for public comment with strategies and KPIs for each priority and that the district has already submitted its math plan to the State for approval. "We didn't want to start from scratch; we wanted to refine and focus our energy on the proven strategies that move the needle," Collins said.
Dr. White, who outlined the mathematics roadmap, said the district will focus on job-embedded professional learning, systemic coaching and reducing variance across schools through consistent instructional frameworks and monthly learning progressions. He emphasized measurement: "Success must be measurable," he said, and described stop-gap progress checks so the district can "stop, look and adjust" when data indicate a strategy is failing.
Board members asked how the plan's costs will be tracked and whether professional-development expectations will add unsustainable burdens for teachers. Board Member Brown asked how teacher participation will be tracked and how workload concerns would be mitigated; presenters said the district will align year-one priorities to the budget, use ROI metrics, and emphasize side-by-side coaching and lab observations to support teachers rather than overburden them.
The presentation noted the district's intent to use MSDE-assigned targets for five-year growth monitoring and to operationalize an institutional improvement framework that supports instructional leadership teams at every school. Staff also said they are exploring tools, including AI-assisted workflows, to make some teacher tasks (for example, batch feedback) more efficient.
The board did not take final action on the strategic plan at the meeting; staff said a public comment window will open in the coming month and that final revisions and monitoring plans will follow. At the same meeting the consent agenda (items 17.1 6 617.8) was adopted by recorded vote (seven affirmative votes and one abstention). The board adjourned at 8:42 p.m.
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