Skip Navigation
Office Directory
Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures
Board of Education Policies
Board Policies 0000 - Basic Commitments
Board Policy 0119 - Theory of Action

Board Policy 0119 - Theory of Action

I. Policy Statement

  1. The Prince George’s County Board of Education’s (Board) mission is to provide a transformational educational experience for all students, anchored by excellence in equity, developing 21st-century competencies and enabling each student’s unique brilliance to flourish in order to build empowered communities and a more inclusive and just world.
  2. The Board sets forth this policy, by addressing the theory of action, and its commitments in the Core Values articulated in the 2021-2026 Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan). The Board’s Core Values, which are key to achieving equity and excellence in education, include:
    1. Students are our priority, and all students can achieve high academic levels.
    2. Families, students, and educators share the responsibility for student success.
    3. High expectations inspire high performance.
    4. All staff share the responsibility for a safe and supportive school environment contributing to excellence in education.
    5. The support of everyone in our community is essential to the success of our schools and students, and this success enriches our community.
    6. Continuous improvement in teaching, leadership, and accountability is the key to our destiny.

II. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework that outlines what steps PGCPS must take to meet the desired outcome of achieving equity and excellence in education.

III. Definitions

  1. Benchmark goals - Intermediate milestones that help track progress towards the outcome goals.
  2. Critical Success Indicators (CSIs) - Targets that have been established to monitor progress toward achieving the outcome goals established in the Strategic Plan.
  3. Stakeholders - PGCPS students, staff, parents, and community members.

IV. Standards

  1. The Superintendent/designee shall identify the unique knowledge, skills and supports needed for students to be college-, career-, and life-engaged and develop a rigorous, accessible, aligned, and standards-based curriculum to meet these needs to ensure clarity, consistency, coherency and equity in what educators will teach and what students will learn.
  2. The Superintendent/designee shall invest in continuous, relevant, professional development of educators, providing instructional strategies, supports and growth-oriented feedback for implementation in the classroom to increase instructional effectiveness and improve student learning outcomes.
  3. PGCPS staff shall embrace a culture of organizational learning and hold themselves accountable through transparent and disciplined performance management that engages every level of PGCPS in a continuous cycle of data analysis, goal setting, action planning, execution and monitoring to build capacity and to consistently strive for innovation, continuous learning and improvement.
  4. The Superintendent/designee shall work to develop a culture in PGCPS that fosters cultural responsiveness and a sense of collective responsibility for the success of all students, including students with disabilities, students with limited English proficiency, and students who are economically disadvantaged amongst all teachers, students, staff, families, and communities to deepen the understanding of students’ needs and create a shared purpose of more effective instructional practices and increased learning.
  5. The Superintendent/designee shall identify and develop strategies to address disparities in achievement for students requiring special education services, students with limited English proficiency, and students who are economically disadvantaged.
  6. The Superintendent/designee shall focus the work of PGCPS on five strategic imperatives that shall guide the work of PGCPS staff to the desired outcomes of equity and excellence in education.
    1. Academic Innovation
      The Superintendent/designee shall ensure that staff are provided with professional development about the 21st-century attributes and skills that must be taught to all students to thrive in a dynamic, complex, global community.
    2. Transformational Workforce
      The Superintendent/designee shall recruit and retain a highly competent workforce of culturally responsive employees who inspire and pursue excellence, promote creativity, and promote critical thinking and positive change for PGCPS students and one another.
    3. Organizational Learning Culture
      The Superintendent/designee shall work to create a learning and work environment that is collaborative and encourages critical thinking and problem-solving.
    4. Safe and Supportive Environments
      The Superintendent/designee shall establish a safe environment for students and staff that fosters cultural responsiveness, mutual respect, and a focus on the overall physical and psychological well-being of every PGCPS student, family member, and employee.
    5. Infrastructure and Operational Enhancements
      The Superintendent/designee is responsible for providing students and staff with systems, facilities, technology, financial resources, organizational structures, and support services that promote a positive learning and working environment.
  7. Accountability
    The Superintendent/designee shall establish CSIs to monitor progress toward achieving the outcome goals in the Strategic Plan. The CSIs shall be aligned with the Strategic Plan’s goals and be based on best practices and current baseline data. The CSIs shall be easily measurable and quantifiable, clear and easily understandable by stakeholders, and able to show change over time toward benchmark goals.
  8. Transparency
    The Superintendent/designee will provide, manage, and support transparent accountability measures for PGCPS that will lead to students who are prepared for college and careers. Data dashboards, which are intended to provide the community with information about the progress PGCPS is making toward the goals outlined in the 2021-26 Strategic Plan, shall be accessible on the PGCPS website.

V. Implementation Responsibilities

  1. The Superintendent will implement this policy through the execution of the Strategic Plan.
  2. This policy will be reviewed and revised as necessary upon revision of the Strategic Plan.

VI. References

  1. Other Board Policies
    Board Policy 0122 – Data Dashboard

VII. History

Policy Adopted – 03/26/2008
Policy Revised – 08/26/2024

Documents