Superintendent

About LaTanya D. McDade, Ed.D.

Dr. LaTanya D. McDade was appointed July 1, 2021, as the Superintendent for Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS), which is the second-largest division in Virginia and serves approximately 90,000 students. She is the first woman and first African American to serve as Superintendent of the school division. She is a proven leader and passionate advocate for students. A lifelong educator, Dr. McDade is a former teacher, principal, chief schools’ officer, and district leader.

Within her first year as Superintendent of PWCS, Dr. McDade launched an ambitious four-year strategic plan, Vision 2025: Launching Thriving Futures. Building on that foundation, her next strategic plan, PWCS Elevate 2030 Strategic Plan, was approved on Feb. 4, 2026. While the plan looks ahead, its core commitments remain steadfast: improving learning and achievement for all students, fostering a positive climate and culture, strengthening family and community engagement, and ensuring organizational coherence.

Dr. McDade has also led the development and School Board approval of exceptionally strong and unprecedented budgets, most recently the Fiscal Year 2026 $1.89 billion budget driven by the division’s strategic priorities. Eighty percent of the budget is allocated to the instructional core, encompassing our students, staff, and curriculum.

Under Dr. McDade’s leadership, PWCS achieved an all-time high of 94.8% on-time graduation rate for the 2024-25 school year. From 2021-25, the division also reduced its chronic absenteeism by 6.7% and recently joined the National Attendance and Engagement Meta Network to help solve chronic absenteeism nationwide.

PWCS has improved academic achievement over the life of Vision 2025, increasing performances in math by 7 percentage points, science by 6.4 percentage points, and writing by 6.5 percentage points. Dr. McDade has also led efforts to expand career and technical education (CTE) programming and certifications, offering more than 135 CTE courses in agriculture, aviation, culinary arts, cybersecurity, etc. To date, PWCS has established over 373 registered CTE partnerships, and more than 23,500 students have obtained one or more CTE credentials in the past four years.

Dr. McDade has removed barriers for equitable access to advanced courses for all students, leading to a more than 10% improvement in equitable access to gifted, AP, IB, Cambridge, and dual enrollment classes. Currently, 53% of graduates earn one or more early college or career credentials. Dr. McDade knows that representation matters and has increased the diversity of staff to reflect the 159 countries and 174 languages represented in PWCS classrooms. She secured $22.1 million in philanthropic support and ensured 100% high schools have a college and career counselor, and 100% of graduates have a concrete postsecondary plan. PWCS students are excelling, with students earning more than $492 million in scholarships from 2022-25.

Dr. McDade joined PWCS with 23 years of experience at Chicago Public Schools, the third-largest district in the nation. She previously served as the Chief Education Officer at Chicago Public Schools, charged with overseeing all academic offices and supporting over 340,000 students across 638 schools, while managing a $3.4 billion budget. Under her leadership, Chicago Public Schools increased academic achievement, expanded academic programming, increased graduation rates and college enrollment, and reached record low drop-out, suspension, and expulsion rates.

In 2024, Dr. McDade was unanimously nominated by her Northern Virginia school division colleagues and received the Region IV Superintendent of the Year Award. Her leadership has earned widespread recognition, including the Northern Virginia Kappa Achievement Foundation’s 2024 Women of Achievement Award, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc.’s 2024 Courageous Generational Women’s Leadership Award, the Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.’s 2022 Citizen of the Year Award, and recognition by Northern Virginia Magazine as one of the 50 Most Influential People in both 2024 and 2025.

In 2025, she was also named one of District Administration’s Top 100 Influencers in Education and received the Virginia Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Association’s School Administrator Award, the Epsilon Sigma Boulé Foundation Community Partner Award, and the Recognition in Science Education (RISE) Award from the Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST). Earlier, in 2021, Washingtonian Magazine honored her as one of Washington, D.C.’s 150 Most Powerful Women.

Dr. McDade completed her doctorate in educational leadership and supervision from Lewis University. She holds a master’s degree in leadership and administration from Loyola University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Chicago State University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and currently serves on the Board of Directors for 1EdTech, Foundation First, Heart of America, and Women Leading Ed. She is also a member of the UVA K-12 Advisory Council and Northern Virginia’s Regional Public School Leaders Network. Additionally, Dr. McDade serves on the American Heart Association’s Eastern States Superintendent Council, aimed at improving the health and well-being of students, families, and educators.

Dr. McDade deeply understands school communities and knows how to support their academic, social, and emotional growth. She is dedicated to education and passionate about improving the quality of life for all children through an equity lens. Her mantra, Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. – John Dewey.

Assistant

Jessica Beverley
Executive Assistant / Administrative Coordinator
703-791-8712

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About LaTanya D. McDade, Ed.D.

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