Wanda Durant Serves as Family Foundation Game Day Speaker
Wanda Durant, mother of NBA superstar and Prince George’s County native Kevin Durant, served as the guest speaker during Bowie State University’s inaugural Durant Family Foundation’s Education Game Day on Dec. 18.
The event, hosted by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the College of Education, invited nearly 2,000 students, teachers and parents from 16 Prince George’s and Anne Arundel County elementary schools to give them a free opportunity to witness a competitive game between BSU and Johnson C. Smith’s men’s basketball teams.
Bowie State won the game 84-71 with five players scoring in double digits. This was their first conference win of the season.
We have previously covered the Durant family’s philanthropic efforts at Bowie State. Read more here and here.
Superintendent Millard House II Outlines 90 Day Plan, Next Steps
Superintendent Millard House II vowed to release his next steps after his first 90 days in his new position; he also declared plans to improve student safety, transportation and parent-educator collaboration.
House has announced $7 million in additional spending to support student safety, and metal detectors have already been implemented at several schools. While only 43% of middle and high school students reported feeling safe in recent surveys, this did represent an improvement on the previous year.
House also plans to establish guidelines for county charter schools as another goal. There are already 12 charter schools in the County, with a 13th approved in December.
Pointer Ridge had been discussed as one of the potential schools to be closed due to underpopulation in recent years. House has recommended that Pointer Ridge remain open and that a regional autism program operate at the school.
“The decision to keep Pointer Ridge open with the addition of a regional autism program allows us to realign the space to meet the needs of our district’s special education learners while simultaneously raising the building utilization rate into optimal range through additional students,” said House in an email addressed to the Pointer Ridge community.
Report Card from State Department of Education Shows Slight Gains in PGCPS
A recent report card released by Maryland’s State Department of Education (MSDE) states that Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) high schools have failed to hit targets for improvement, while elementary schools and middle schools saw improvement.
The state ranks schools on a one to five-star scale, a practice they have done now for four years. Nearly 75% of County schools scored three stars or more, an increase from the previous year.
Additionally, nearly 75% of County schools saw some gains in school and test performance. However, four County high schools- Lanham’s Duval, Greenbelt’s Roosevelt, Brandywine’s Gwynn Park and Largo – all lost a star this year and no high schools increased in stars.
Superintendent Millard House III issued a statement saying the chronic absenteeism metrics hurt, but he called the achievement gains significant.
“Every student deserves a five-star school, and this year’s state report card confirms what we already knew – that our students are moving in the right direction,” House said.
Three Prince George’s County schools received the coveted five-star rating: the Academy of Health Sciences High School at Prince George’s County Community College, Glenarden Woods Elementary and Heather Hills Elementary.
Eighty-five schools across the state received five stars during the 2022-23 school year, compared to 215 schools from the 2021-22 school year.