The Prince George's County Public Schools system (PGCPS) is a large school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education. The school system is headquartered in Upper Marlboro and the district serves Prince George's County.
Video Secondary School Reform in Prince George's County
About
Background
"In late 2009, we began a process of strategic planning for dramatically changing the way our middle schools and high schools serve the needs of our children. This is our Secondary School Reform initiative. The world our children face today is vastly different than a generation ago and is changing more rapidly. The realities that face high school dropouts are bleak. As a school system, we must adapt to these societal and economic changes and become better at preparing our children for 21st century careers. The mission of Secondary School Reform is to graduate every student college AND workforce ready, so that with a High School diploma, our graduates are immediately competitive for jobs in the marketplace and are also prepared to excel in college level courses. Implementation will begin in the 2011-2012 school year."
Goal
"The goal of Secondary School Reform (SSR) is to transform the educational experience of PGCPS middle and high school students ensuring that 100% of our graduates are college and workforce ready and competitive in the 21st century economy. SSR is a key initiative in the execution of PGCPS' system-wide goals of:
1.High Student Achievement
2.Highly-Effective Teaching
3.Safe &Supportive Schools
4. Strong Community Partnerships
5. Effective & Efficient Operations"
Maps Secondary School Reform in Prince George's County
Academies
Business and Finance
The Academy of Business and Finance provides courses to prepare high school students for employment and advancement in the business industry. Students learn the basics of entrepreneurship, the foundations of business, personal finance, accounting, communications, technology, and Microsoft Office tools. They learn about various financial analysis strategies and the methods by which businesses raise capital. The current locations are Oxon Hill High School and Suitland High School.
Global Studies
The Academy of Global Studies engages students in an educational experience that fosters international understanding and welcomes diversity of thought while preparing students for a globally interconnected world. Students will understand and accept the differences they encounter in our increasingly global society and understand the importance of global awareness and the ways in which globalization shapes history, international cultures, the economy, politics, and society. The current locations are Crossland High School and Parkdale High School.
Hospitality and Tourism
The Academy of Hospitality and Tourism introduces students to the concept of service as a critical component of a hospitality or tourism business. Students examine the environmental and socioeconomic impacts and interralationships of tourism, as well as the transition to a greener tourism economy. Students analyze both good and poor customer service in a variety of contexts and through various methods. Students explore communication skills and strategies, and they use a problem solving perspective to understand barriers to communication and good service. The current locations are Bladensburg High School and Duval High School.
Law, Education and Public Service
The Law, Education and Public Service Academy provides students with a rigorous academic study in law, education, public safety, and government. The goal is to integrate practical experience with quality academic courses to aid students in the development of pre-college career skills. Students gain insight on the roles of attorneys, paralegals, social workers, teachers, law enforcement, corrections professionals, and government service professionals.academic courses to aid students in the development of pre-college career skills. Students gain insight on the roles of attorneys, paralegals, social workers, teachers, law enforcement, corrections professionals, and government service professionals. The current locations are Central High School, Potomac High School, and Surrattsville High School.
Science and Technology
The Science and Technology Academy is an academy fit to accommodate the specialty program of Science and Technology. Only those students accepted into the Science and Technology program may enroll within this academy. The current locations are Oxon Hill High School, Charles Herbert Flowers High School, and Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
List of schools
High schools
All high schools in Prince George's County operate with a "comprehensive" model as their base. All students are assigned to a high school based on an "attendance area". Magnet Programs operate as a "School-Within-A-School" model, where the magnet serves as an alternative program---in addition to the main comprehensive program---and students from outside the regular attendance area of the high school are enrolled and accepted into the magnet, either through continuity (automatic continuation from a middle school magnet program to the high school level equivalent) or more commonly, through a "Magnet Lottery", where students apply for a magnet program and are granted acceptance through a random drawing. Enrollment into the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts is through audition only. Some high schools have also implemented a "Smaller Learning Community" model, where they offer anywhere from two or more Academy Programs, which effectively breaks a school down into several smaller schools within the school, by allowing students to essentially declare a major (such as a student attending a college or university) through career academies such as "Arts, Media, and Communication" or the "National Academy of Finance", for example. Larger high schools have more academy program offerings. All high schools in the PGCPS operate on a staggered school day schedule, where some high schools start as early as 7:45am and end as early as 2:25pm, and other high schools start as late as 9:30am and end as late as 4:10pm. All high schools operate on an alternating A/B-day block scheduling system, where one group of classes are taken on "A-Days" and a different group of classes are taken on "B-Days", and the cycle repeats. Most high schools have between three and four lunch shifts, depending on enrollment and eating accommodations. The only exception is Eleanor Roosevelt High School, which has adopted a modified hybrid block schedule in which both traditional single period courses and double period (block schedule) courses, are integrated.
See also
- List of Prince George's County Public Schools Middle Schools
- Prince George's County Public Schools Magnet Programs
- List of schools in Prince George's County, Maryland
References
External links
- Prince George's County Public Schools
Source of the article : Wikipedia