Shawn Joseph formerly served as Prince George’s County schools deputy superintendent before heading to Howard University.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Prince George’s County Executive-elect Aisha Braveboy named an interim school superintendent Friday, less than 24 hours after Millard House II left the role.
Dr. Shawn Joseph, the co-director of AASA-Howard University Urban Superintendents Academy, will serve as the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) superintendent while the county embarks on a search for the full time replacement. He’s coming back to the school system after previously serving as its deputy superintendent from 2014 to 2016.
The school system announced the Board of Education would “separate their employment relationship” with House on Thursday night, just over a week after the Prince George’s County Educators Association (PGCEA) voted no confidence in him. His last day will be June 18.
“Our members no longer have confidence in the superintendent’s leadership and his ability to solve the systemic failures that our school system has been dealing with,” PGCEA president Dr. Donna Christie told WUSA9’s Alexis Wainwright earlier this month.
Christie characterized House’s tenure as problematic, claiming repeated concerns about payroll, staffing shortages, and building safety all went unaddressed.
In a statement, PGCPS credits House’s policies for improving student transportation and increasing the county’s graduation rate to more than 80%.
However, Christie says that’s not good enough.
“That means 20% failure,” she argues. “That means one in every five students still isn’t graduating, and that’s not acceptable. Our children deserve better.”
Joseph is currently a professor of educational leadership, administration and policy at Howard University, where he also works as the co-director of a program that mentors school administrators in school districts across the country.
It’s Joseph’s third time working as a school superintendent, previously working in Delaware’s Seaford School District and Tennessee’s Metro Nashville Public Schools. Before that, he taught in Montgomery County Public Schools and became an assistant principal, principal and district administrator.
He has a doctoral degree in educational administration and policy studies from George Washington University, a master’s degree in reading education from Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree in English education from Lincoln University.
Now he hopes his experience will help move Prince George’s County’s schools forward.
“All the stars are aligned for Prince George’s County to do extraordinary things,” he says. “We just need to focus and execute, and we need to be relentless about results, and over the course of this year, you have my commitment to do just that.”