What We Do

World Class Grads-Maryland Inc. (WCGMD) is a non-profit organization. We are pro-active in our support for the long-term success of the Kirwan Commission’s “call to action.” We analyze and publicize student job and career data, link with others working with these and related areas; and meet with public officials to promote the successful implementation of the Blueprint transformation of education in Maryland. More information is available here.

Statewide Focus

WCGMD seeks to operate throughout Maryland, in all 24 school systems. We are based in Annapolis, the seat of our state government, and 30 minutes from Baltimore, the seat of the state education system offices.

To be effective, WCGMD operates with a systems lens to help all parts of the educational enterprise understand how they impact the Blueprint’s stated goal of having all students being college and career ready by the end of the 10th grade, leaving the last two years of high school to begin higher education or apprenticeships leading to employment in 21st Century jobs.

Partnerships

WCGMD functions with an extensive system of partnerships to ensure the entire state is covered by teams paying attention to the key indicators of success, including community understanding and culture. In this way, we serve as a trusted partner to the Accountability and Implementation Board (Click here for link to AIB website), Maryland State Department of Education (Click here for link to MSDE website), and other organizations, both public and private, that have an interest in the success of the Blueprint and the social and economic growth within the State of Maryland. 

Research and Intellectual Property 

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. Some aspects of the Blueprint are new to the United States and may have not been previously addressed by the research community. WCGMD does research and analysis and collaborates with researchers in other institutions to find the best routes to the results to which the Blueprint aspires.

Policy Development

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

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.

Presentations

WCGMD supports the full implementation of the Blueprint by presenting information about it 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, WCGMD will provide webinars to inform the public of areas we all need to be concerned about, or areas that have had remarkable success that we all should celebrate.

Resources

WCGMD provides a list of relevant Blueprint publications and links available online.