Governor Martin O'Malley Receives Panel Recommendations on Education
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 5, 2009) - Governor Martin O’Malley today addressed the P-20 Leadership Council, where he received the final task force recommendations on education in Maryland. The P-20 Leadership Council, created in 2007 by Executive Order, was established to create an integrated statewide system to better prepare Maryland students for the jobs of the 21st century while enhancing the State’s economic competitiveness by creating a workforce with 21st century skills. The Council’s recommendations include the expansion of career readiness curricula, increase in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) certified teachers, and professional development for principals.
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“We’re proud to be home to America’s number one public school system, and working together, we can make Maryland’s schools a global leader,” said Governor O’Malley. “The recommendations submitted today will help form our continued actions toward that goal, as we recruit world-class educators, build state-of-the-art classrooms, and prepare Maryland’s students for the jobs of the 21st century.”
The P-20 Leadership Council is made up of 35 stakeholders from all levels of education, labor and business sectors with the charge of seeking the best way to better prepare Maryland students for the jobs of the 21st Century while enhancing the State’s economic competitiveness by creating a workforce with 21st Century skills. Governor O’Malley charged the Council to action by establishing the current Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) baselines, identifying the gaps between baseline and current needs and developing a strategic plan to fill those gaps. Specifically, the Governor received the recommendations today from three task forces, focused on STEM, CTE, and school administration.
Recommendations from the Governor’s STEM Task Force include:
- Require the College-Preparation Curriculum for graduation from Maryland public high schools.
- Provide a meaningful internship or cooperative education opportunity for every interested STEM student
- Triple the number of STEM teachers certified in Maryland within five years.
- Design and implement a state-wide, long-term, comprehensive induction program for all new STEM teachers.
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Recommendations from the Governor’s CTE Task Force include:
- Increase the number of CTE programs of study in Maryland.
- Require all students to graduate from high school both college and career ready.
- Prioritize funding to ensure CTE classrooms and equipment meet industry standards in order to successfully prepare students for industry certification and post-high school technical learning.
Recommendations from the Governor’s Principals’ Task Force include:
- Provide a systematic, comprehensive structure for professional growth of principals and assistant principals.
- Provide a comprehensive mentoring program for newly assigned principals and assistant principals.
- Provide multiple opportunities for aspiring principals to engage in instructional leadership in order to properly prepare them for the principalship.
Since the passage of the Thornton Bridge to Excellence Plan, State funding for local school systems has increased by $1.97 billion dollars, a 76-percent increase. Governor O’Malley secured a record $5.5 billion funding level for FY10 despite difficult economic times, including full funding of Thornton formulas statewide. In addition, for the first time ever, Maryland will have invested more than $1 billion in school construction funding over a three year period, including over $260 million proposed for FY10 alone statewide.
In early January, Education Week Magazine ranked Maryland’s public schools number one in the nation. Shortly thereafter, the College Board ranked Maryland’s high schools number one in the nation for Advanced Placement participation and achievement.
