Latest news with #BlueprintforMaryland'sFuture
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Officials announce $96 million in grants to continue supporting student mental health
State leaders and members of the Consortium of Coordinated Care announce $96 million in grant awards to improve student mental health. (Photo by Sam Gauntt/Maryland Matters) Woodlawn High School Principal Jamel Jerigan said that in addition to the usual stresses of high school life, students in her Baltimore County school face mental health needs that impact their learning. That's why renewed funding for a state consortium that helps boost connections between schools and mental health resources is so welcome, she said during an outside the State House Wednesday. 'We serve a vibrant, resilient and diverse student community,' Jernigan said at the event on Lawyers' Mall. 'But like so many schools across the state, we've seen firsthand how mental health crises continue to impact our students.' The Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports will award a total of $96 million in grants this year to 107 programs to help combat increasing anxiety, depression and other challenges students are facing today. The consortium grew out of the state's education reform plan, the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, to improve student mental and behavioral health by providing greater access to wraparound services. The $96 million in grants funding will help support programs and organizations provide more targeted services attuned to the needs of students in each county, reaching 80% of Maryland schools, officials say. The grant awards vary by program, ranging from $71,000 to just over $3.5 million. For Woodlawn High School, the consortium helped expand access to school-based mental health providers, connected families with community services and created spaces where 'students can feel seen, heard, supported and empowered,' Jernigan said. 'That has made all the difference – from increasing graduation rates, attendance and engagement to boosting healthier relationships and improved outcomes, both inside and outside the classroom,' she said Wednesday. 'We must recognize that today, our youth are facing unprecedented challenges,' said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), on hand with other state leaders at the event to announce the second round of grants for the program. 'We want them to be successful. But what we know is … if their mental health is not strong, noting else matters,' Ferguson said. 'They cannot be successful if they don't believe in themselves to recognize their own God-given potential.' House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County), added that while students have long struggled with mental health, the COVID-19 pandemic brought those issues to the forefront, along with political unrest and social media. 'We continue to be particularly concerned about the alarming increase in anxiety, depression, self-harm and other kinds of mental illness impacting our students,' Jones said. Mary Gable, assistant state superintendent in the Maryland State Department of Education's Division of Student Support and Federal Programs, said the 107 programs cover a wide range of topics, including 'screenings, counseling, addiction treatment, family support, crisis planning and services, telehealth services, support groups and wraparound services.' The consortium was almost a victim of steep budget cuts as the General Assembly worked this year to balance a state budget with a $3 billion deficit. Funded at $130 million in Gov. Wes Moore's (D) budget, the consortium funding was cut to $40 million by the House. The Senate held out for $70 million this year and $100 million a year thereafter, which was approved in the final budget. During budget talks this year, advocates and consortium partners warned that pulling funding for the consortium would greatly diminish the reach of the mental health network. David Rudolph, chair of the consortium and a former delegate from Cecil County, expects that the General Assembly will continue to fund the consortium as much as possible in upcoming years. 'The commitment is there,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
17-year-old Oakdale grad earns bachelor's degree, five associate's
For Oakdale High School new graduate Kenzie Eacho, earning a high school diploma was not enough. Eacho, who is 17 years old, in the month of May earned a high school diploma, five separate associate degrees and a bachelor's degree through the Frederick County Public Schools dual enrollment program. From Frederick Community College, she earned, all with high honors, her: * Associate of Applied Science, STEM Technology * Associate of Arts, Arts and Humanities * Associate of Arts, Arts and Humanities: English Area Certification * Associate of Arts, Social Sciences * Associate of Arts, Social Sciences: Psychology Area of Concentration. Eacho earned her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, Global Campus (UMGC) — also with high honors. She said in an interview that her FCC classes, usually three a day, were in person. Eacho said her classes at UMGC were asynchronous where the professor would send over the schoolwork rather than have the class meet at a scheduled time over Zoom. 'That was time consuming, but it was rewarding in the end because, obviously, I got a bachelor's degree from them,' she said. She added that she would take six classes in a semester from UMGC, and some classes were an eight-week session that lasted half of the semester, which 'did make it a bit easier.' Eacho said she began dual enrollment in her junior year because she wanted to graduate early — that year. She said after speaking with her counselor, she learned that dual enrollment through FCPS was free. The Blueprint for Maryland's Future is a set of education policies signed into law beginning in 2018 that were meant to be implemented over a decade. One of the goals in the Blueprint is improving college and career readiness, so the Blueprint requires that local school districts pick up the cost of dual enrollment for its students. Eacho said she tested out of some classes during the summer between her junior and senior years. She was earning at least 20 credits from UMGC per semester starting in the fall of her senior year. She added that her mom was supportive and helpful with time management and brainstorming 'what-if scenarios.' 'She was like, 'Well, if you do this with FCC and University of Maryland, Global Campus, then you could get a bachelor's degree by the time you're 17,'' Eacho said. 'I was like, 'I don't think that's going to happen, but we can try. What's the worst case-scenario, I get extra college credits?'' Alongside her classes, Eacho has worked as an insurance authorization specialist for Frederick Health Hospital since January 2024. She additionally began as a lab assistant for the hospital's pathology lab in March of this year. 'It was kind of a snowball effect,' Eacho said. Eacho said that through her classes and work, she has figured out that her goals have shifted from pursuing psychology in therapy and clinical application to a more research-based position. 'I feel like it's always interested me,' she said of psychology. 'Before I got into this degree-seeking thing, I was just obsessed with dreams and dreaming. I read books about it.' Eacho said she is planning to take a year to complete science prerequisites at FCC, and then attend Hood College to earn her Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. She said her favorite class from her experience at FCC was her abnormal psychology class. Eacho said her professor, Deb Morlier, would take the students around campus 'and show us all the resources the school had to offer.' 'So, I learned a lot about diagnosis and psychology and stuff like that,' she said. 'But, I also learned a lot more about the campus because I had no clue that there are so many resources available.' Eacho said her mom, Jennifer Eacho, had a lot to do with her academic successes. 'She's such a great support system, like the best I've ever had in my whole life,' Kenzie Eacho said. 'It's amazing.' Jennifer Eacho said she was proud of her daughter, and that there were days where Kenzie Eacho wanted to give up. 'She would just regroup and recalibrate, and then just kind of push through,' Jennifer Eacho said. 'It's not something I taught her because she's always been a very motivated person.' Kenzie Eacho said she and her mom have planned a cruise for October, and are planning to visit Greece, Italy and Turkey. Jennifer Eacho said she had promised to take her daughter anywhere if Kenzie Eacho accomplished her goal. 'I don't ever really have a lot of direction in my life,' Jennifer Eacho said. 'So, when I see her come up with these goals and really pursue them hardcore, it's inspiring. Of course, it makes me proud, but I wouldn't say I had anything to do with that. She was born that way.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Liberals missed the boat on school spending accountability; Maryland aims to get on board
Baltimore City pre-K instructor Berol Dewdney, the 2022-2023 Maryland teacher of the year, works with her students. (Photo by Shannon Clark/Capital News Service) We liberals have failed to learn the lesson that more money isn't enough for schoolchildren to succeed. We must pay equal attention to accountability for how efficiently and effectively the money is spent. Liberals' failure goes back about 50 years when federal funds started to flow, particularly to assist low-income students and students with disabilities. The money came but the expected results didn't. Students made little progress, which is what happens when accountability is absent from school. Nationally, the message has still not sunk in. A milestone in the retreat from accountability was Congress's revocation of the tough requirements in the landmark No Child Left Behind law. Instead of good faith efforts to raise their standards, state and local districts lobbied the Congress, fiercely and successfully, to let them off the hook. In NCLB's place, Congress, with liberal backing, passed the Every Student Succeeds Act that is widely considered 'the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter-century.' Student progress has declined. And to make things worse, Trump wants to eliminate the federal role altogether. Maryland Matters welcomes guest commentary submissions at editor@ We suggest a 750-word limit and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions. We do not accept columns that are endorsements of candidates, and no longer accept submissions from elected officials or political candidates. Opinion pieces must be signed by at least one individual using their real name. We do not accept columns signed by an organization. Commentary writers must include a short bio and a photo for their bylines. Views of writers are their own. Which brings us back to the reason for NCLB in the first place: State and local school systems were defaulting on their duty to ensure accountability then, and they're still doing it now. Summarizing the problem, eminent policy analyst Chester E. Finn, Jr. writes that, 'The country's multi-decade commitment to results-based accountability has badly eroded and may not be recoverable.' Finn was an influential member of the Kirwan Commission which was boldly determined to buck the tide. The commission drafted the Blueprint for Maryland's Future accountability scheme. It's anchored in the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board, a national model for holding state and local educators responsible for how well funds are spent and how well students are achieving. The Blueprint includes intricate accountability measures, among them specific outcomes to be achieved, data collection, frequent reports, and evaluation. It's a giant leap forward. Still, it has a distance to go. For starters, accountability is undermined if state standards aren't genuinely high. Yet, many states are doing the opposite and lowering the bar instead of raising it. In contrast, the Blueprint calls for career and college standards to be raised, and that's in progress. Fortunately, our state schools superintendent is doing all she can: A national article reported that 'Maryland's new education chief, Carey Wright, an old-school champion of rigorous standards, is pushing back against efforts in other states to boost test scores by essentially lowering their expectations of students.' Also, accountability suffers when test scores are inflated by easier questions and grading policies. The result of lower standards and easier tests is the national scandal of grade inflation. Parents are deceived into thinking their children are succeeding when, in what's known as 'social promotion,' many are passed from grade to grade despite being far below meeting grade-level standards. One further note. Though the connection is not readily visible, the inadequate funding of the Blueprint (which is now well recognized) makes it hard to hold state and local educators completely responsible for student outcomes. When students don't succeed, how much is attributable to poor funding and how much to poor management? In any event, school systems must not be allowed to evade accountability. They must be held completely responsible for whether there are maximum returns on available resources. The Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board is supposed to be the primary guardian of rigorous accountability. However, while the AIB has done much excellent work, it's way overworked and has neglected what should be its core function: evaluation that is the ultimate measure of accountability. Unless the AIB steps up on evaluation, the Blueprint's promise of accountability probably will be broken. And Maryland will lose the chance to be a national model and steer the boat of accountability in the right direction. Our schoolchildren will suffer. Let's not let that happen.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Agencies That Oversee Maryland School Reform Agree to Clarify Roles
This article was originally published in Maryland Matters. Local school systems straining to comply with the state's sweeping Blueprint for Maryland's Future have had to report to both the Maryland Department of Education and the Blueprint's Accountability and Implementation Board, a setup creating confusion 'since the get-go.' Now, more than three years into the process, the two agencies said they are working on a memorandum of understanding that could make things a bit smoother for all concerned. Alex Reese, chief of staff with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), did not tell the state Board of Education on Thursday how long it would take to finalize an agreement, but he said a memorandum is in the works. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter State law requires the seven-member AIB to oversee the 10-year plan and approve any Blueprint documents submitted by the state's 24 school systems and other state agencies that craft elements of the Blueprint. The law also requires the department to provide technical assistance and lend expertise on education policy. The AIB and state Board of Education also hold occasional joint meetings and approve certain policies associated with the multibillion-dollar Blueprint plan. Reese said 'MSDE will be fully owning Blueprint implementation. We feel good about that as practitioners. We really do feel like we possess that expertise to be able to be poised to fully implement the Blueprint.' An AIB spokesperson confirmed in an email Thursday evening an agreement is being worked on with the department. 'AIB and MSDE attorneys are working together on an MOU [memorandum of understanding] relating to the agencies' respective roles and duties,' the spokesperson said. 'There is not currently a timeline confirmed for finalizing it. Because it is an MOU directly between the AIB and MSDE, there would be no need for General Assembly approval,' the email said. In a quick summation to the state board Thursday, Reese said certain processes will remain the same such as the Blueprint board providing instructions to school systems on what is required in each Blueprint plan. It will continue 'interagency collaboration' with agencies such as the state Higher Education Commission, which focuses on two of the Blueprint's five pillars, or priorities – hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers, and preparing students for college and technical careers. The news was welcomed by school leaders, educators and advocates who have expressed frustration over the process of implementing the comprehensive education reform plan. 'One of the biggest complaints, if not the biggest, has been the lack of clarity and final guidance and where we get questions answered. We've got to run every decision by both entities [MSDE and AIB],' said Mary Pat Fannon, executive director of the Public School Superintendents' Association of Maryland. The association released a 12-page document in December that outlined proposals to help improve the plan. One of those recommendations was clearing up the relationship between the two agencies. 'Restructuring and clarifying the relationship of the MSDE and AIB would be very beneficial in the implementation of the Blueprint. This change would clarify roles and responsibilities, and establish clear guidance to the LEAs [local education agencies, or school systems] that they are governed by the procedures and processes promulgated by the MSDE and the State Board,' the December report said. 'Somebody's got to be the point. Somebody's got to be the team captain on certain things,' Fannon said. 'Otherwise, it's just completely frustrating.' 'We are happy they are doing this. This is all going to help in implementation when these guys are 100% clear with us,' Fannon said of the work on an MOU. Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-Lower Shore) was also pleased by the discussions, which she said would help improve the process at the local and state levels. But the senator hopes an agreement can be reached before the 2025-26 school year begins in the fall. 'I would like to think they would make every effort to use the time between now and [when] school starts to give as much clarity to the roles and responsibilities, since it will only have a positive impact at the local level,' Carozza said. 'That would be my expectation to keep that on track and to keep it moving.' Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Annapolis policymakers must be more class conscious
Class size matters, but state administrators and lawmakers have paid little attention to the issue, writes Kalman Hettleman. ( photo by smolaw11) Here's an oddity. For all that has been said about the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, there has been hardly a word about class size. The subject has not even been debated. That's a shocker. Common sense supports lower class sizes: The fewer the students in class, the more attention teachers can pay to individual student needs. Teachers almost unanimously think 'smaller classes would strongly boost student learning.' So why the omission in the Blueprint? For one thing, the Kirwan Commission ducked the issue, largely under the influence of its chief consultant who didn't think class size matters much if at all. For another, for decades, the importance of class size has been a raging battleground between liberals on one side (it matters) and conservatives on the other (it's a poor use or waste altogether of scarce funds). The controversy also endures because research is mixed. One summary of the research concludes 'Students often do better in smaller classes. But there's no agreement on exactly how much better, and it remains an open question whether or not class reduction is a particularly good use of funds that could go elsewhere.' The uncertainty is not surprising, given the many possible variations of the policies that are being researched. For example, class sizes may differ by the actual class-size limit, by grade level, and by targeted student population (usually students who are of color and low-income and in early grades). Maryland Matters welcomes guest commentary submissions at editor@ We suggest a 750-word limit and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions. We do not accept columns that are endorsements of candidates, and no longer accept submissions from elected officials or political candidates. Opinion pieces must be signed by at least one individual using their real name. We do not accept columns signed by an organization. Commentary writers must include a short bio and a photo for their bylines. Views of writers are their own. Still, there is clear evidence behind selective limits on class size. Northwestern University economist Diane Schanzenbach sums it up: 'The payoff from class-size reduction is greater for low-income and minority children, while any increases in class size will likely be most harmful to these populations.' Smaller classes in the early grades, in particular, matter a lot. That's the state of the research, but what's going on with state and local policies that govern class size? According to a survey by the National Council on Teacher Quality, 90% of local school districts have class-size limits, 'with state policy playing a direct role.' A majority of states have such policies; however, they're all over the map in their exact requirements. Regrettably, Maryland is one of the states without any kind of statewide class-size policy. We have regulations on staffing ratios in child care settings, but no statewide law imposing hard caps on pre-K to 12 classrooms. In the absence of a statewide policy, local school districts vary widely in their approaches. Unfortunately, there is no summary of the different local policies or reports on whether class-size policies are being implemented with fidelity. The most common argument against class-size reductions is the shortage of teachers. No doubt shortages are severe, and in the past session of the General Assembly, Gov. Wes Moore blamed teacher shortages for his attempt to slash funds in the Blueprint for Maryland's Future intended to hire more teachers for 'collaborative time' — to reduce the number of hours teachers spend teaching the whole class, allowing more time planning and tutoring. (His proposals were partially adopted – causing the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars that could have been redirected to fill big holes in funding throughout the Blueprint.) Moreover, teacher shortages could be significantly reduced by recruiting more teacher who only tutor small groups of students. Many teachers would be attracted by the chance to be full- or part-time tutors, rather than regular classroom teachers. One other fly in the class-size worthy of mention. Champions of smaller classes must overcome the frequent assertions by former U. S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and others that it's better to have a great teacher than a small class. But that's a generalization that hides the reality that some class sizes are now huge, often as high as 35 students; and classes with many low-performing students, especially in the early grades, must have low teacher-to-student ratios to meet student needs. What should Maryland do? End the long failure to study and debate a statewide class-size policy. Let voices on all sides of the debate be heard. Join most other states in allowing union bargaining over class size. According to the Maryland State Education Association, we are one of only nine states where class size is not negotiable at the bargaining table. MSEA has tried without success to get the General Assembly to change this. Focus on class sizes in the pivotal kindergarten to third grades. Fill up and speed up the teacher pipeline through incentives and focusing on tutor recruitment. Enforce existing and future class-size requirements. Too often, the laws are 'policy without consequences' because of non-compliance by school districts. If there's a political will to reduce class sizes, there's a way. Policymakers should follow the research and selectively lower class sizes based on evidence of where there will be maximum payoff.
