Prince William County Public Schools is planning to expand its preschool programming as part of Superintendent LaTanya McDade’s proposed strategic plan, called “Elevate 2030.”
During a presentation to the school board last week, McDade said over the next few school years, the Northern Virginia division is aiming to expand dual enrollment opportunities, integrate emerging technology into coursework and create a robotics program, among other things.
The division currently offers pre-K to kids who are 4 years old by Sept. 30. To be eligible, a family has to meet income guidelines and live in an attendance zone that the school serves.
The plan, McDade said, will develop “early numeracy and understanding with literacy instruction grounded in the Science of Reading.” She said the county is aiming to have the initiative in place by 2030.
“There is strong research favoring the long-term effects of preschool,” McDade said.
A 20-year Georgetown University study, McDade said, found that students who attend pre-K are less likely to fail courses or be chronically absent in K-12 education. Similarly, the research found those same kids are more likely to enroll in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses in high school and graduate on time.
Separately, given the expansion of technology such as augmented and virtual reality, McDade said, by 2030, the division is planning for every school to have access to AR and VR technology.
Academically, the division has set a target of 85% of students passing reading and math Standards of Learning assessments, and wants 80% of students to be reading on grade level by second grade.
Third grade is a strong predictor of dropout, McDade said, “so we need students reading on grade level prior to entry into third grade.” The district didn’t meet the 85% SOL test pass rate goal in its last strategic plan.
The division is hoping to have 95% of high school students graduating on time within four years, measured by the Federal Graduation Indicator. That’s the same goal from the last strategic plan, McDade said, and the division fell just short at 94.8%, an all-time high. But the indicators for the graduate rate have changed, she said, so under the new metrics, the 94.8% rate would equate to 91%.
“Our vision undergirds all of the work that we do each and every day, and that is to ensure that every student will graduate on time with the knowledge, skills and habits of mind necessary to create a thriving future for themselves and their community,” McDade said.
Feedback on the proposed strategic plan, which covers 2026-30, is being accepted until Jan. 16. The school board still has to vote to approve the plan.
