I want to thank Mrs. Shayla Adams-Stafford for agreeing to participate in a discussion about her vision for education in Prince George's County Maryland. All questions presented during our interview were provided by residents of Prince George's County, Maryland.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Can you share your vision for education in Prince George's County? And can you outline a few policies or programs you have created or spearheaded that speak to your vision?
Shayla Adams-Stafford: My vision for our school system is that we will be #1 in the state of Maryland and that our students graduate college & Career ready. I have had the honor of serving my neighbors in District 4, and here are a few of the policies I have put forward to make that come true:
(a) Equity Learning Hubs-these will provide in-person learning support for our most vulnerable students to accelerate their learning
(b) Reactivation of the PGCAC- this group will help give parents greater access to help develop and implement policies
(c) I'm working on specific policies with my colleagues right now, which we hope will create a strong pipeline of pGCPS students into federal careers and also increase the amount of Latinx Educators
Dr. Mike Robinson: You have mentioned on several occasions so far through your tenure as a member of the Prince George's County Board of Education that you are student first focused. What does that mean?
Shayla Adams-Stafford: To me, this means making policies that are centered on student achievement and well-being.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What do you say to members of the community that believe the recent BOE sessions have been an embarrassment and that the entire BOE should be replaced?
Shayla Adams-Stafford: Mainly, people are contacting me because they are interested in getting involved with the positive change and policies we are putting forward that SPECIFICALLY speak to the concerns of families.
#1- Special Education- we have a large population of students in our Special Education program, and many parents have expressed frustration and suggestions for improvement. Several of my colleagues and I put forward a budget amendment to conduct an audit to specifically identify what we are doing well and where we can improve.
#2- STEM Programs- Board Member Harris put forward a Budget amendment that would reallocate three million dollars specifically to support STEM programs and internships
#3- Reading LIteracy- Board Member Murray worked on developing our Reading Literacy Workgroup, which will allow us to explore what specific reading literacy methods we should use to raise student achievement.
#4- Board Member Burroughs recently passed to public comment a provision that will allow students with failing grades to participate in extracurricular activities. This is critically important for keeping students engaged
#5 Three Million dollars allocated for additional mental health supports
#6 I put forward a Budget Amendment to introduce a workforce development program that would reclaim students that have dropped out due to Covid and support them to graduation
#7 Board member Ahmed worked to pass the first-ever Mental Health Action Day to bring awareness to essential supports available for our community.
There are many more policies, but this is just a snapshot of what we have accomplished in just a short period. I would say to anyone that feels embarrassed by board meetings that I and the majority of my elected colleagues have been advancing policies that make positive improvements in the lives of students and families.
I was elected last year to fight for change in our school system, which I know most of my constituents want to see. That is what I hear from them knocking on doors and talking to them on the phone. My job as a board member is not to focus on drama or conflicts of personality but to do my best to advance policies that will help children succeed in PGCPS. Change does not come easy; I can see that some are interested in protecting the status quo. Accomplishing positive change may appear messy, but the policies should speak for themselves at the end of the day.
Dr. Mike Robinson: In your opinion, what needs to happen for the taxpayers of Prince George's County to trust the BOE can govern the 2nd largest school district in Maryland?
Shayla Adams-Stafford: I would ask taxpayers to judge us by what we produce, or as my grandmother would say," judge a tree by its fruit." To be clear: the Board of Education is responsible for governance, policy, and oversight and holding the school system accountable. We work positively with the CEO to make sure there is accountability and transparency.
Our CEO Dr. Goldson has done a remarkable job of keeping our students and educators safe and has had a successful reopening. We worked to ensure there was transparency around building readiness and collaboration with school system unions. Fortunately, with many board members, these same taxpayers can vote and therefore determine whether or not to send us back to work every four years. However, due to the hybrid nature of the board, that is not the case for all members. In my view, this structure gives a lower degree of accountability with regards to members that are appointed.
Mrs. Shayla Adams-Stafford is a newly elected member of the Prince George's County Board of Education, representing District 4 in Maryland. Mrs. Adams-Stafford assumed office on December 7, 2020. Shayla Adams-Stafford has served as a history teacher and instructional coach for the past ten years. Shayla is a National Board Certified Teacher and has been recognized by the White House for her achievements in Project Based Learning. Shayla is the CEO and founder of RemixEducation, an education training organization that has provided more than 300 students in Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. with positive youth development programming. Shayla graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and received a master's degree in teaching from Duke University. Her SaaS company Adaptivex, aims to put the power of adaptive testing in the hands of K-12 teachers. She has won the ATT Hackathon, DC Venture Pitch Competition and most recently was a finalist in the international Penn Milken Business plan competition. Her company was featured on NASDAQ and just landed their first major client. You can learn more about Project-based learning by checking out her podcast, "PBL in Practice". She currently travels the country training educators and school leaders in authentic learning practices as a National Faculty Member of PBL Works.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Can you share your vision for education in Prince George's County? And can you outline a few policies or programs you have created or spearheaded that speak to your vision?
Shayla Adams-Stafford: My vision for our school system is that we will be #1 in the state of Maryland and that our students graduate college & Career ready. I have had the honor of serving my neighbors in District 4, and here are a few of the policies I have put forward to make that come true:
(a) Equity Learning Hubs-these will provide in-person learning support for our most vulnerable students to accelerate their learning
(b) Reactivation of the PGCAC- this group will help give parents greater access to help develop and implement policies
(c) I'm working on specific policies with my colleagues right now, which we hope will create a strong pipeline of pGCPS students into federal careers and also increase the amount of Latinx Educators
Dr. Mike Robinson: You have mentioned on several occasions so far through your tenure as a member of the Prince George's County Board of Education that you are student first focused. What does that mean?
Shayla Adams-Stafford: To me, this means making policies that are centered on student achievement and well-being.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What do you say to members of the community that believe the recent BOE sessions have been an embarrassment and that the entire BOE should be replaced?
Shayla Adams-Stafford: Mainly, people are contacting me because they are interested in getting involved with the positive change and policies we are putting forward that SPECIFICALLY speak to the concerns of families.
#1- Special Education- we have a large population of students in our Special Education program, and many parents have expressed frustration and suggestions for improvement. Several of my colleagues and I put forward a budget amendment to conduct an audit to specifically identify what we are doing well and where we can improve.
#2- STEM Programs- Board Member Harris put forward a Budget amendment that would reallocate three million dollars specifically to support STEM programs and internships
#3- Reading LIteracy- Board Member Murray worked on developing our Reading Literacy Workgroup, which will allow us to explore what specific reading literacy methods we should use to raise student achievement.
#4- Board Member Burroughs recently passed to public comment a provision that will allow students with failing grades to participate in extracurricular activities. This is critically important for keeping students engaged
#5 Three Million dollars allocated for additional mental health supports
#6 I put forward a Budget Amendment to introduce a workforce development program that would reclaim students that have dropped out due to Covid and support them to graduation
#7 Board member Ahmed worked to pass the first-ever Mental Health Action Day to bring awareness to essential supports available for our community.
There are many more policies, but this is just a snapshot of what we have accomplished in just a short period. I would say to anyone that feels embarrassed by board meetings that I and the majority of my elected colleagues have been advancing policies that make positive improvements in the lives of students and families.
I was elected last year to fight for change in our school system, which I know most of my constituents want to see. That is what I hear from them knocking on doors and talking to them on the phone. My job as a board member is not to focus on drama or conflicts of personality but to do my best to advance policies that will help children succeed in PGCPS. Change does not come easy; I can see that some are interested in protecting the status quo. Accomplishing positive change may appear messy, but the policies should speak for themselves at the end of the day.
Dr. Mike Robinson: In your opinion, what needs to happen for the taxpayers of Prince George's County to trust the BOE can govern the 2nd largest school district in Maryland?
Shayla Adams-Stafford: I would ask taxpayers to judge us by what we produce, or as my grandmother would say," judge a tree by its fruit." To be clear: the Board of Education is responsible for governance, policy, and oversight and holding the school system accountable. We work positively with the CEO to make sure there is accountability and transparency.
Our CEO Dr. Goldson has done a remarkable job of keeping our students and educators safe and has had a successful reopening. We worked to ensure there was transparency around building readiness and collaboration with school system unions. Fortunately, with many board members, these same taxpayers can vote and therefore determine whether or not to send us back to work every four years. However, due to the hybrid nature of the board, that is not the case for all members. In my view, this structure gives a lower degree of accountability with regards to members that are appointed.
Mrs. Shayla Adams-Stafford is a newly elected member of the Prince George's County Board of Education, representing District 4 in Maryland. Mrs. Adams-Stafford assumed office on December 7, 2020. Shayla Adams-Stafford has served as a history teacher and instructional coach for the past ten years. Shayla is a National Board Certified Teacher and has been recognized by the White House for her achievements in Project Based Learning. Shayla is the CEO and founder of RemixEducation, an education training organization that has provided more than 300 students in Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. with positive youth development programming. Shayla graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and received a master's degree in teaching from Duke University. Her SaaS company Adaptivex, aims to put the power of adaptive testing in the hands of K-12 teachers. She has won the ATT Hackathon, DC Venture Pitch Competition and most recently was a finalist in the international Penn Milken Business plan competition. Her company was featured on NASDAQ and just landed their first major client. You can learn more about Project-based learning by checking out her podcast, "PBL in Practice". She currently travels the country training educators and school leaders in authentic learning practices as a National Faculty Member of PBL Works.