Prince William County Public Schools

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 more than 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.

As Superintendent of PWCS, Dr. McDade launched an ambitious four-year strategic plan, Vision 2025 Launching Thriving Futures. This plan is committed to improving learning and achievement for all, building a positive climate and culture, increasing family and community engagement, and achieving organizational coherence.

Dr. McDade has also led the development and School Board approval of exceptionally strong and unprecedented budgets, most recently the Fiscal Year 2025 $1.76 billion budget driven by the division’s strategic priorities. Eighty percent of this budget is allocated to the classroom, providing PWCS with the opportunity to advance the necessary work of supporting the instructional core: students, educators, and curriculum.

Under her leadership, PWCS achieved an all-time high 94.3% on-time graduation rate for the 2023-24 school year, marking a 2.6% increase over the previous year, while also reducing chronic absenteeism by 5.4%. PWCS has also seen improvements in student academic achievement, increasing performances in math by 17%, science by 9%, and early literacy performance on Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening Assessment (PALS) by 19%. She’s expanded career and technical education (CTE) programming and certification, offering more than 135 high school CTE courses in agriculture, aviation, culinary arts, cybersecurity, etc. Dr. McDade has removed barriers for equitable access to advanced courses for all students, leading to a 9% improvement in equitable access to gifted, AP, IB, Cambridge coursework, 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 $13.52 million in philanthropic support, and ensured 100% of graduates have a concrete postsecondary plan. PWCS students are excelling, with the class of 2024 being awarded over $123 million in scholarships.

Dr. McDade joined PWCS with 23 years of experience at Chicago Public Schools, the third largest district in the nation. Dr. McDade previously served as the Chief Education Officer at Chicago Public Schools, where she was 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.

As Chief Education Officer, she challenged the efficacy of traditional education models and launched the first of its kind PK-12 Curriculum Equity Initiative known as Skyline to modernize instructional practices across the district. Skyline is a pioneering digital curriculum to address educational inequity in Chicago Public Schools. This digital learning ecosystem offers high-quality curriculum development, content-linked professional learning, translation, support, and maintenance.

In 2024, Dr. McDade was unanimously nominated by her colleagues and received the Region IV Superintendent of the Year Award. Region IV includes all school divisions in Northern Virginia, spanning from Shenandoah and Frederick to Orange County. Dr. McDade’s groundbreaking work earned her several prestigious honors, 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, Northern Virginia Magazine’s 50 Most Influential People of 2024, and the Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.’s 2022 Citizen of the Year Award. Additionally, she was honored by the Washingtonian Magazine in 2021 as one of Washington D.C.’s 150 Most Powerful Women. In Chicago, she also received the Chicago Defender Women of Excellence Award.

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 an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for 1EdTech, Heart of America, and Women Leading Ed.

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.

Dr. LaTanya D. McDade's First 100 Days