Membership

This P-20 organization is a bold departure from traditional education reform, heralding a new and substantive collaboration among leaders in the business community, P-20 education, and local and state government. These leadership bodies develop policy for the partnership: the governing body is the The Governor's P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland. There are several committees: Principals' Task Force (charge), Alignment Committee, Early College and Dual Enrollment Committee, Information Literacy and Ethical Use Committee, Ad Hoc Special Education Committee, English Composition Task Force, Maryland Teacher Shortage Task Force, Ad Hoc Committee on the Education of African American Males, and Career and Technology Education Task Force (charge), the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Task Force (charge). The alliance is critical to the creation of a community of learning that strives for all of its members to achieve the highest levels of excellence throughout all levels of education and in the workplace. Building on the reforms inaugurated by the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the University System of Maryland, and the Governor's office. The Governor's P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland derives its strength from the diversity of its members, who bring to this partnership the unique perspectives, expertise, resources, and needs of each entity.

Schools must have the high standards needed for our students to develop and adapt to an increasingly technological world, preparing all students for work and life-long learning. Higher education must take seriously its obligation to educate new teachers who have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to teach in tomorrow’s classrooms, and together in partnership with local school systems engage in the continuous professional development of teachers. General education experiences in higher education institutions must prepare our future leaders by instilling an understanding of technology, an appreciation of the arts and humanities, and a profound respect for diversity. Academic majors must link requirements with career expectations. Businesses must be engaged in the development of standards and curriculum throughout P-20 education that give students the knowledge and capability they will need to adapt to a workplace that is changing at an extraordinary rate, and provide meaningful jobs that enable students to use these skills. Businesses must instill and affirm an ethic of life-long learning in their workforce and actively support their employees in their educational goals. State and local government officials must thoughtfully allocate resources to ensure that they are used in the most effective way possible to achieve these goals, and remove policy and legal barriers to the collaborations necessary to attain them. Further, all must bear responsibility for ensuring that our students are prepared to accept their responsibilities as citizens, as active participants in the social, cultural, and political life of our state, nation, and world.

The success of this organization also depends on necessary change, significant improvement, and constant assessment. Standards at every level must retain rigor and relevance. Assessments must be developed to provide meaningful evaluations of student performance and to evaluate how well students are supported in their efforts to meet these standards. This organization addresses and develops strategies for strengthening standards, competencies, and assessments, the professional development of teachers and the rest of the Maryland workforce. Community engagement in the P-20 initiative is important to gain collaboration.

Within the next decade, Maryland’s elementary and secondary schools will experience a record number of enrollments at the same time that more than half the teaching force becomes eligible for retirement. The projected teacher shortage has focused the attention of the P-20 organization on finding ways to increase the number and quality of the teachers in our public schools. The P-20 organization fully endorses and supports the Redesign of Teacher Education and will continue to support multiple pathways to certification for teachers in shortage areas – both geographic and disciplinary.

Acting individually, these partners could not achieve any of these goals. Each is an essential and equally important contributor to this organization. Further, nothing can be done without the active support and engagement of the community at large and parents in particular. The most critical task of the P-20 organization is to foster opportunities for members to establish comprehensive and substantive collaborations that enable all stakeholders to engage in the far-reaching changes needed in our education system. The P-20 organization will enable the State of Maryland to create an educational system that gives its citizens the skills they will need to lead productive and fulfilling lives.