PWCS presents proposed strategic plan: Elevate 2030

At the January 7 School Board meeting, Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Superintendent Dr. LaTanya D. McDade presented the proposed PWCS Elevate 2030 Strategic Plan, the school division’s new four-year strategic plan designed to prepare every student for a rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

Speaking on the creation of the new plan, School Board Chairman At-Large, Dr. Babur Lateef, praised the collective effort that led to Elevate 2030. Dr. Lateef stated, “This plan was drafted by Dr. McDade and her staff with input from every corner and community in our county. Just like our last plan, including our community ensures buy-in from everyone and will lead to a successful outcome.”

Opening the presentation, Dr. McDade emphasized that while Vision 2025 produced meaningful progress and momentum, Elevate 2030 is intentionally forward-looking. “Tonight is not about looking back,” she shared. “We stand on the shoulders of that work as we launch our next four years of excellence, innovation, and opportunity.”

As PWCS looks ahead to 2030, its vision remains unchanged: every student will graduate on time with the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind necessary to create a thriving future for themselves and their community. Six core values—equity, inclusivity, innovation, integrity, resilience, and well-being—continue to anchor the division’s work and guide decision-making.

Central to the plan is the Profile of a Graduate, which emphasizes preparing students to be critical thinkers, digital citizens, innovators and visionaries, resilient individuals, and global collaborators. “These skills are increasingly essential in an era shaped by automation and artificial intelligence (AI),” said Dr. McDade.

A major focus of Elevate 2030 is the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce and the urgency for schools to adapt. The Superintendent highlighted national and global research showing significant shifts in job skills, automation, and workforce demands over the next decade. “These changes are not theoretical,” she noted. “They are happening now—and public education must respond with urgency, relevance, and purpose.”

Informed by extensive stakeholder feedback, Elevate 2030 maintains four core commitments:

1 - Learning and Achievement for All

The plan sets ambitious academic goals, including higher graduation rates across demographics, stronger early literacy outcomes, increased advanced success, and expanded college, career, and credential pathways.

Priorities include:

  • Expanded global and multilingual learning, including growth in IB, Cambridge, and dual-language programs
  • Early and continuous career exploration, with high-wage, high-demand career clusters in every high school
  • Increased access to emerging technologies such as AI, augmented reality, and virtual reality
  • A commitment to universal preschool by 2030 to strengthen early learning foundations

2 - Positive Climate and Culture

Recognizing that strong learning depends on strong environments, the plan focuses on people and facilities.

Priorities include:

  • A comprehensive Human Capital Framework to attract, develop, and retain top talent
  • Launching a Principal Residency Program to build leadership capacity
  • The Housing Options Made Easier (H.O.M.E.) initiative to support workforce recruitment and retention
  • Modernized, AI-enabled school facilities, expanded outdoor learning environments, and a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

3 - Family and Community Engagement

Elevate 2030 strengthens partnerships that support students beyond the classroom.

Priorities include:

  • School-based health clinics and expanded food pantry access
  • A countywide mentorship network connecting students with community and business leaders
  • Workforce-readiness programs developed in partnership with local businesses to provide students and families with clear pathways to careers and post-secondary opportunities
  • Continued investment through SPARK, the education foundation for PWCS, with a goal of raising $30 million by 2030

4 - Organizational Coherence

Building on work begun in Vision 2025, the plan advances systemwide alignment and efficiency.

Priorities include:

  • Integrated data systems and AI-enabled analytics dashboards
  • Modernized enterprise resource planning systems
  • Expanded data and AI literacy for staff at all levels
  • A clear focus on return on investment, with increased transparency and strategic reinvestment

Among the strategic initiatives, Dr. Lateef stated, “I am particularly proud of our effort to provide universal pre-K to every Prince William child. Along with the plan’s ambitious agenda, this will be a game changer for families across our county addressing affordability and access to high quality educational opportunities.”

The presentation concluded with student voices reflecting on the future of learning, which provided an exclamation point to the future-focused plan. “Now is the moment for us to lead with vision, spark innovation, and boldly shape the future that awaits our students,” Dr. McDade said. “With your support, Elevate 2030 will ensure every PWCS student graduates ready to thrive.”

Reflecting on the Superintendent’s presentation, Dr. Babur Lateef stated: “I am proud of the successful completion of Vision 2025. Dr. McDade provided fidelity to a plan that the community helped develop four years ago. Every single dollar was spent towards our strategic goals and objectives. This has led to record graduation rates, dramatic improvements in student success, record scholarship dollars won, and one of the best school divisions to work for in the nation.”

He concluded, “As we look forward, our next strategic plan, Elevate 2030, presented by Dr. McDade last night, lays out a bold, ambitious, and innovative strategy to improve student success in Prince William County.”

PWCS invites the community to review the proposed PWCS Elevate 2030 Strategic Plan and provide feedback via the survey by Friday, January 16.

View the presentation for the PWCS Elevate 2030 Strategic Plan.