Prince William County Superintendent LaTanya McDade has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Education as the Regional Superintendent of the Year for the area covering Northern Virginia school districts.
The region’s other superintendents unanimously nominated her for the honor.
McDade took over as superintendent of Virginia’s second-largest school division in 2021, the first year that students returned to in-person learning after the pandemic. She described assuming the role at that time as “tough,” adding that a plan for the months ahead was important, because research suggested it would take students several years to catch up academically.
Education is “the great equalizer,” McDade said, emphasizing that students can have rewarding careers and achieve economic mobility.
“I just take this job so incredibly seriously,” McDade said. “I take it to heart. It’s what drives me every day.”
McDade helped the school division craft a four-year strategic plan, part of which she said includes a 95% on-time graduation rate by 2025.
Science and math standardized test scores are improving, she said, and elementary school reading indicators are also getting better.
“We do see that our students are getting stronger academically,” McDade said. “Coming out of the pandemic, recovery takes some time, but we’re headed in the right direction.”
Prince William County is also expanding its Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming, increasing the number of business partners it’s working with.
“We have a goal to make sure that every single school has a formal business partner that is supporting our students’ success beyond education, beyond the classroom walls,” McDade said.
The district has also added college and career advisors, something McDade said was accounted for in the budget in her first year with the county.
That’s helpful, she said, because “we believe that every student should have an opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with an adult who is trained to talk about career exploration and help them determine what their plan is after graduation.”
Despite the progress, McDade, the county’s first woman and first African American to hold the schools’ top post, said she’s focused on making sure every student succeeds. The county is changing, she said, and seeing a boost in special education students and English language learners. It’s also experiencing an increase in students who are economically disadvantaged.
“The needs of our population have shifted,” McDade said. “And we have to be able to understand and meet the needs of every single learner.”
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