About Us

WCGMD is a volunteer IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2019 and headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the seat of state government. We are an independent group of highly skilled and experienced members of the public and private sectors of our state’s economy, who came together to support and promote educational reform. We studied the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission embedded in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation that was enacted in 2021. Upon evaluation we determined to fully support the Blueprint’s plan to transform Maryland’s education systems as the very best opportunity to prepare ALL students for 21st Century careers and satisfying lives. 

More information about the Kirwan Commission recommendations and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is available here.

WCGMD is pro-active. After deep analysis we act as a catalyst for the long-term success of the Kirwan Commission’s “call to action.” We review and analyze data, link with others working with these and related areas and we meet with public officials to promote the successful implementation of the Blueprint and transformation of education in Maryland.

Vision: Every child in Maryland has a bright future.

Mission: We strategically champion and proactively advocate for every child who enters Maryland public schools to succeed in 21st Century careers and fulfilling lives.

Values: 

  • Inclusion and Economic Equity: We envision that ALL Maryland graduates are flourishing and contributing for a lifetime in a society that supports inclusion and economic equity.

  • Informed Advocacy: We are an independent resource. We strongly support the full implementation of the “Blueprint for Maryland’s Future” reform law. We advocate for the Blueprint and track progress toward reaching its goals. 

  • Based on Research:   We research and promote best practices from top performing school districts across the state, country and world, while helping to inspire public debate and influence public policy. 

  • Broad Public Support: We partner with other like-minded advocates and county/state agencies, to build and maintain strong public support for the full implementation of the Blueprint law and the realization of true education reform.

About the Work:

Our volunteers care deeply about the vitality of our children’s future. We need citizens who have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to obtain satisfying employment (jobs/careers) that enable them to lead lives that are satisfying to them and their families. We believe that the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission are the foundation for reaching these lofty goals. Therefore, we fully endorse the Blueprint for Maryland legislation. We also are committed to continued attention to detail over the next many years to be sure the Kirwan recommendations are fully implemented and welcome others willing to join us in this work.

Officers:

President – Thornell Jones

Vice President – Richard Van Dyke 

Secretary – Heather Millar

Treasurer – Richard Van Dyke

Director - Chuck Hurley

Statewide Focus

WCGMD operates throughout all 24 school systems in Maryland and partners with organizations and indivduals across the state. WCGMD utilizes a systems approach to help all parts of the educational enterprise understand how they impact the Blueprint’s stated goal to have all students college and career ready by the end of high school. We have discovered in our years of research and analysis to focus our work on developing strategies from pre-birth to employment to meet this goal. Strong Schools, Maryland Family Network, MSDE, MAREE, Blueprint Coalition.

Research and Policy Development

Our research arm exists to understand how existing research results apply to Maryland schools, and to address problems found during Blueprint implementation. Studies of many aspects of the Blueprint are necessary to ensure the program is on track. WCGMD collaborates with researchers in institutions to find the best routes to realize the results to which the Blueprint aspires.

We seek to understand the policies related to the Blueprint so we can share the information with the public. Our research findings have local and/or statewide implications. As the implementation of the Blueprint is on-going, we find there are educational problems that require additional policies for correction. We endeavor to develop proposed policies from research results produced by WCGMD and others, and share that information with legislators and implementors, including MSDE and the AIB. 

Information and Presentations

WCGMD provides information to the public, public officials, and those implementing the Blueprint. Our purpose is to ensure that correct and accurate knowledge is available to all who are interested, so all citizens and organizations can play a positive role in improving Maryland education, enabling the state to compete on the world stage.

WCGMD supports the full implementation of the Blueprint by presenting information to legislators, implementors, activists, and the public in general. Widespread knowledge about its direction, needs, and actions to improve results, are important for all to know.

Periodically, through in-person presentations and webinars WCGMD informs the public of areas we all need to be concerned about, or areas that have had remarkable success that we all should celebrate.

History

For most of the 20th century the United States was the world leader in education, and Maryland was considered to have one of the best systems. Unfortunately, in recent decades, both have fallen into mediocrity, and far behind the leading education systems in the world. Since Maryland's youth will be competing in the global workplace with students who are far better prepared, the implications are profound. 

Therefore the Maryland General Assembly launched a four-year comprehensive study to address these critical issues chaired by renowned education leader, Dr. William E. Kirwan. One of their key findings is that less than a third of Maryland students are currently prepared to compete on an even footing with those of the leading systems. The result was the enactment of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, with major investments in key areas. Fully implemented, it will transform the current array of education programs designed in the 1930's into a system based on proven results of the best performing systems in the world. This will not happen overnight. It will require at least ten years of public support and participation to ensure that the major initial investments produce the results that are essential. 

After these years of investing in  necessary reforms, Maryland will begin to see a profit. One of the successes of the full implementation of the Blueprint will include a more skilled workforce. This is attractive to employers and employees, resulting in Maryland being a highly desirable state in which to live and work. Less tax money will be needed to support basic needs for Maryland residents, another favorable result of the successful implementation of the Blueprint.