Nearing 100 days in office, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Superintendent Dr. Shawn Joseph is proud of some of the trends happening in local education and ready to tackle challenges through a comprehensive approach.
A key focus of Joseph’s administration is literacy improvement, in alignment with Maryland Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright’s efforts statewide.
“The big things I’ve found out that are significant for how we move forward is assessing how our children are doing in reading and math. We get a lot of different data sources in the state. In one file, we can compare our kids to other kids,” Joseph said in a recent WIN-TV interview with Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes. “What I’ve found is that, in Prince George’s County, which is 96% Black and Latino, our students do equal to or better than Black and Latino students across the state. In fact, Black and Latino students had higher achievement rates in Prince George’s.”
He also touted improvements to the county’s transportation system, including a significant reduction in bus driver vacancies.
“We’ve had a dramatic increase in getting our bus routes filled. Our new app, Chipmunk, gives families much more insight on where the buses are and if they are coming on time,” he said. “We have worked to ensure that families have access to this information.”
Some of his additional focus areas include: addressing truancy, expanding dual-enrollment programs for high school students and improving special education. He also plans to invest in professional development opportunities for educators.
“As I think about the budget for next year, I think we have to make major investments in professional development. We need to recruit and retain the best teachers we can find,” he said. “We need to make sure that we train new teachers as well.”
Who is Superintendent Joseph?
A Long Island native who attended Lincoln University — the nation’s first historically Black college or university (HBCU) — Joseph described himself as “meticulous and focused on detail.”
County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D) appointed Joseph to serve as the interim superintendent on June 18, pending a national search by the Board of Education.
“I could not think of a better person, and I happened to be right,” she said during an Oct. 3 speech recapping her first 100 days as County Executive. “Within days of his appointment, he solved a nearly year-long standoff with the teachers. Our teachers entered this school year among the highest paid in the region, and supported by a superintendent and administration with experience in the school system and a history of listening and offering collaborative solutions.”
She spoke alongside Joseph at Crossland High School to announce the expansion of tuition-free dual-enrollment opportunities for PGCPS students.
“The Dual in the Schools expansion is another vision that has been made real as my administration prioritizes achieving a world-class education system for our young people, and one that demonstrates how we elevate the County when we work together,” said Braveboy on Nov. 19. “I am thrilled by each new opportunity that we can provide for families and students pursuing higher education.”
The superintendent’s journey into education started after getting a teaching opportunity with a college student.
“How do we put someone on the Moon, and we can’t teach Black children to read?” he asked himself, after engaging with the students.
This curiosity drove Joseph to become an English teacher, Howard University professor, principal, and ultimately, a superintendent in one of America’s largest public school systems.
He previously served as the superintendent of schools in Nashville — the first African-American to hold that role. During his tenure, reading and ACT scores improved while suspensions declined.
He was honored as the Tennessee Tribune’s Person of the Year in 2020 and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry (D) called Joseph “an inspired choice” following his appointment.
“His commitment to equity and access is critical to ensuring that every child has access to a world-class public school, regardless of their zip code,” Barry said.
Now, Joseph is hoping to expand excellence to every corner of the county.
“As we look toward the future, we need to support our special education students and for us to better incorporate artificial intelligence in our day-to-day work, to reduce the workload of teachers and to streamline processes,” he told The Informer. “We need to make some bold investments in quality programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.”
