Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy has appointed Dr. Shawn Joseph as the permanent Superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), following nearly a year serving as the district’s interim leader.
Dr. Joseph, who took over as Interim Superintendent in July 2025, will continue leading Maryland’s second-largest school system pending approval of his contract by the Prince George’s County Board of Education and final confirmation by the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools.
The appointment marks another milestone in a career that began in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), where Dr. Joseph spent 16 years serving as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, and central office administrator before advancing to leadership roles in other school systems.
According to PGCPS, Dr. Joseph guided the district through a significant period of transition while implementing a comprehensive 100-day plan focused on academics, operations, and accountability. He also prioritized community engagement, hosting listening sessions and budget town halls to gather input from students, families, staff, and community members.
Working alongside stakeholders, Dr. Joseph established five district priorities focused on literacy and mathematics achievement, student attendance, organizational development, college and career readiness, and expanded support for special education and multilingual learners.
PGCPS highlighted several accomplishments during the 2025-26 school year under Dr. Joseph’s leadership, including reducing teacher vacancies by 52%, improving special education staffing levels, and navigating what officials described as the largest single-year budget adjustment in district history, a $150 million structural deficit, without teacher layoffs.
The district also finalized three employee union contracts, restored nearly $20 million in state funding through an immunization compliance initiative, expanded tuition-free Dual Enrollment opportunities to all high schools, and launched public dashboards providing families with access to student achievement, graduation, attendance, and staffing data.
Additional initiatives included improving transportation services with a 96% bus driver fill rate and the launch of a real-time bus tracking app, increasing college access partnerships, and establishing the Innovation & Performance Area to provide additional support to 24 schools identified for accelerated improvement.
As permanent superintendent, Dr. Joseph will oversee implementation of the district’s new three-year strategic plan, Forward by Design: Acceleration 2029, which aims to accelerate student achievement, expand opportunities, strengthen family partnerships, invest in employees, and foster a culture of excellence throughout the school system.
“Every child in every zip code deserves a transformative education — and here in Prince George’s County, the work of accelerating student progress and strengthening outcomes is already well underway,” Dr. Joseph said. “I am honored to serve as superintendent and look forward to continuing our work alongside families, staff and community partners to scale excellence across every school in our district.”
Dr. Joseph brings more than 30 years of experience in education and holds a doctorate 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, the nation’s first degree-granting historically Black college and university.
His selection follows a months-long national search process led by the PGCPS Superintendent Search Committee. Working with search firm PoliHire, the committee gathered feedback from more than 4,200 community survey responses and identified priorities including transparency, operational effectiveness, fiscal responsibility, student achievement, and positive organizational culture.
The Board of Education is expected to vote on Dr. Joseph’s contract later this month.
