Superintendent Latanya McDade raises the bar to PwCs

The distance from Chicago to Manassas is about 700 miles, but for Latanya McDade it seemed much longer.

“My siblings and I grew up on the southern side of Chicago,” says Prince William County Public Schools Superintendent. “We grew up poor, but we didn’t know. My parents immigrated to the United States from Belize City, Belize, looking for a better lifestyle. “

McDade’s father worked on collecting coins from vending machines and her mother cleaned home to wealthy families. It was only before McDade tested in Chicago’s Elite Whitney M. Young Magnet High School that she discovered that other kids were growing up differently.

“I came to Whitney Young and realized that the world was composed of two buckets of people, right? The gardens – their houses, their cars, their anything; 16-year-old drives to school in BMWS and I hardly scrape to get a bus pass. “

It was then imposter syndrome kicked in, and the scientific student began to question her ability to succeed. McDade started cutting biology class, but fortunately for her her high school leader, Powhatan Collins, entered.

“He wanted to hang out by my closet and he just wanted to trigger a conversation and we would go,” says McDade. “When we finished walking through the hall, he would say, ‘Shouldn’t you be in biology right now?’ I started going in class. He just did that to go with me to biology class. And when he stopped, I didn’t stop going because I knew he was interested. “

McDade’s family couldn’t afford to send her to college, and Onus to fill the forms of financial support were on her when she was a senior in high school. As a result, she received a letter informing her that she would not receive any financial support.

“It was the first time I saw my mother crying,” says McDade.

At school the next day McDade told Collins about his situation. “He said, ‘No, something is wrong. Definitely not. You go to college, ”she remembers.

Collins corrected her application error for financial support and connected her with southern Illinois University, where she received a full financial aid package. McDade later transferred to Chicago State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in primary education. She eventually got a master’s degree in management and administration from Loyola University Chicago and a doctorate in educational management and supervision from Lewis University.

“It was because of Mr. Collins ‘access to opportunity, to knowledge, to resources, that I ultimately did not live out of not only my dream of going to college, but my parents’ dream for me to go to college, ”she says. “Teachers like Mr. Collins reminds me of the power that we really have to change the field in a person’s life. “

Latanya McDade sees students doing science experimentLatanya McDade sees students doing science experiment
As the first black superintendent of Prince William County Public Schools, McDade has become a role model for students. (Courtesy Prince William County Public Schools)

A role model for students

A little she knew that one day she would be the first woman and the first black person to serve as a superintendent of schools for the second largest school district in Virginia. Black women make up fewer than 1.5 percent of the country’s superintendents, according to Educational weekAnd McDade’s presence has served as inspiration for students and staff in the community. PwC’s Chief Information Officer Matt Guilfoyle has seen the first hand.

“The hope that I see in the children’s faces when they see her – especially female color students – but all students are like,” yes, this is something I can really strive to be, “says Guilfoyle. “Students just flow to her. I have seen it from children who are as small as first class all the way through high school. “

Rania Lateef, Senior at Colgan High School in Manassas, says she has been motivated by McDade’s example. “What inspires me most about her is that she is willing to listen to everyone’s story, and she is willing to give our dreams and our hope a chance,” says Lateef, 17.

Latanya McDade sits at the table with elementary school studentsLatanya McDade sits at the table with elementary school students
Courtesy Prince William County Public Schools

Setting the pace

McDade has experienced both sides of the coin: She was once an underprivileged student looking for a robust education, and she is now a respected leader in Virginia’s most different county, which is also the 10th most different county in the nation.

She started her career in the Chicago Public Schools system – then the third largest school district in the nation – as an English -language art teacher for middle schools. She worked for 23 years in Chicago public schools and moved up the ranks to the role of Chief Education Officer, supporting more than 352,000 students across 638 schools and managing a budget of $ 3.4 billion.

“I learned just as much along the way, implemented some tested and true practices and saw marked success throughout my tenure in Chicago,” says McDade. “I still think education is the great equalization and we had what I call the great American history in public education. Just before I traveled, we were able to show so much progress and growth in Chicago public schools to be a district that was investigated nationally. “

Architect for transformation

Under McDade’s leadership, Chicago schools increased academic performance, degree of graduation and registration of the university and reached record -breaking dropout, suspension and expulsion.

In his personal life, McDade married, had two (now adult) sons and became an avid marathon runner. She built a living and a life of the windy city, and by 2021 she felt it could be time for a change.

Her next stop: Prince William County, with about 88,000 students in 100 district schools. Since joining the team in July 2021, she has set ambitious goals, including reaching a 95 percent graduation rate in 2025; PwCS is currently 94.3 percent.

“It’s a high high for us. The highest degree of graduation that the school system has ever experienced, ”says McDade.

PwC’s dropout for English students were in the double digits when McDade came to town; Now it’s down 9.6 percent.

Latanya McDade cut ribbons with studentsLatanya McDade cut ribbons with students
McDade participates in the tape cut at River Oaks Elementary Think Large Space in 2023. (Courtesy Prince William County Public Schools)

The superintendent also led effort to ensure that at least 60 percent of students earned an early college or career information, which made a great focus on career and technical education. As a result, the district developed 326 formal business partnerships, and 763 senior schools have received apprenticeships or internships at the exam.

“She says these goals, but she puts things in place to really take steps towards achieving these goals. It’s not just lip service, ”says Vanessa Owens, a PWCS teacher and a mother of six.

McDade notes that in the last three years candidates for seniors have earned $ 123 million in scholarships.

“It’s like 30 to 40 percent growth in line with where we were the first year I came in,” she says.

Parents notice McDade’s sharp ability to listen to the needs of students, staff and families as one of the reasons she gets the job done.

“Parents have a voice. They have a strong voice, ”says Owens. “It is heard. It is appreciated. “

Structure of success

McDade’s contract has been renewed until 2028, so she has a long runway to perform her mission. Meanwhile, Chicagoan’s own story continues to give students permission to dream.

“With her you see that everything can happen; It doesn’t matter where you come from, ”says Chevelli Smith, headmaster of Freedom High School in Woodbridge. “You work hard enough, you can actually be what you want to be. I think she helps children not only dream, but she helps get things in place so their dreams can become a reality. “

Functional picture of Latanya McDade courtesy Prince William County Public Schools

This story originally ran in our February edition. For more stories like this, Subscribe To Northern Virginia Magazine.