In her final days, Dr. Theresa Stafford was still thinking of the children. When Cambridge Police Captain Antoine Patton visited her at the hospital on December 9, she was worried about whether he had gotten receipts taken care of for the Christmas program for the kids at New Beginnings Youth and Family Services, where Stafford was executive director. On the 12th, she had her sister get a message to Dr. Susan Morgan, who served on the Dorchester County Board of Education with her, because she was still thinking of the Board’s responsibilities to the schools.

“I trusted her and her knowledge of our community and the kind of help children in the community needed,” said Cambridge Mayor Steve Rideout. “That is who she was.”

“Dr. Theresa Stafford was a phenomenal woman and dedicated education advocate for accountability in educating all children, especially children of color,” said Omeaka Jackson, CEO of Harvesting Hope Youth and Family Wellness, Inc.

But she was much more than that. She was a spouse, a mother, a foster mom, a sister, and a friend to so many. The city of Cambridge was in her blood, because it’s where she began her journey and where it ended.

Theresa Diane Molock was born in Cambridge on November 30, 1953, to Thomas and Rose Lee Molock. She graduated from Cambridge High School and then earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where she joined Zeta Phi Beta sorority. Along the way she got her Master’s at Salisbury University and her Doctorate at Wilmington University. Education, of course, was her focus. She married Lewis H. Stafford, Sr., at Waugh United Methodist Church on October 8, 1983.

“She was kind of tough on me like she was on the kids, but she also had a gentle side,” recalled Mr. Stafford. “She was my best friend.”

Likely Dr. Stafford acquired, or at least honed, her discipline during her 22 years in the Maryland Army National Guard, from which she retired as a Sergeant First Class. At the same time, she was an educator in the public school systems. And she continued being a mom, taking the principal responsibility for her children while Lewis was on the road as a truck driver.

“She was the doctor to the kids, she ran them to different activities and stuff,” he explained. “I don’t really know how she did it all. I always said she would wear out the Energizer Bunny if they were in a contest together. My bet would be on Theresa Stafford.”

As Dr. Morgan put it, “Talking about Theresa is like talking about a whirlwind.”

Dr. Stafford’s mothering didn’t stop when her kids grew up. According to daughter Ashley. “If I was wronged at work, she would just always encourage me to stand up for myself, get everything in writing in case I ever had to prove something. Just making sure we were good financially, emotionally.”

She also carried her maternal instincts into the schools. Even before becoming an official foster mom in the early 2000s, Dr. Stafford would take a child home with her if the kid was having trouble at his or her own home.

After retiring from the school system following 37 years of service, Dr. Stafford refused to slow down. The kids still needed her. Besides running programs like New Beginnings, she was ubiquitous at community functions such as City Council meetings or police town halls, where she made herself heard.

“She was vocal and very direct,” said Charlene Jones, director of programs for the John and Janice Wyatt Foundation.

“I loved the conversations that we had about the children of this community,” remembered Mayor Rideout. “When we talked and listened to one another, we very often wound up in complete agreement. When there appeared to be disagreement, such as with the curfew ordinance, we only disagreed on how to solve the problem but not that the problem did not exist or did not need to be solved.”

Eventually, Dr. Stafford decided to take an even more active hand in things. She ran for the Board of Education because she felt she could lend her expertise to help get the county schools where they needed to be. She won and became the representative for District 2 last December.

“Working with her on the Board was great,” said Dr. Morgan, “even though she would call or text me as late as 1:30 at night or as early as 6:30 in the morning. It seemed like she never slept. Her mind worked 24 hours a day.”

And that mind constantly worked for the children, thinking of more ways to help them.

“I remember Dr. Stafford sponsored a basketball team with Recreation and Parks so more children had an opportunity to play,” said Jones.

Even as she was losing her long battle with cancer, she didn’t give up on the kids. For Thanksgiving, she had made plans to take a bunch of children to Great Wolf Lodge in Perryville. When she got noticeably ill, her spouse tried to make her face the reality of the situation.

“I said, ‘I think you’re gonna have to cancel that because you’re not gonna be able to do that,’” recalled Lewis Stafford. “And she said, ‘No way. I will not disappoint them children.’” Fortunately, Ashley agreed to take the kids, and several of the Stafford grandchildren went along as chaperones.

But finally the force of Theresa Stafford’s will had to give way, and she died on December 14. Scores of people have expressed their grief while also remembering her strength and how she influenced and inspired those around her.

“She set the standard, but she also left the blueprint,” said Jones. “Dr. Stafford has impacted a lot of lives, mine personally and professionally, and I am ever so grateful.”

“I’ve never met anyone like her,” said Dr. Morgan, “and I doubt I will in the future.”

“The ladies of Iota Chi Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., will work diligently to ensure her legacy lives on in Cambridge,” wrote Tonya Lewis, president of the sorority chapter Dr. Stafford helped to begin. “Her memory will live on in the hearts and lives she touched.”

Two decades ago, the people of Queen Anne’s County identified the significance of positive character traits and committed to integrating these values into their daily lives. In a continued effort to foster a community guided by strong ethical principles, the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners officially embraced the “Six Pillars of Character” in 2000, solidifying Queen Anne’s County as a “Character Counts!” community.

Character Counts!, an initiative advocating for the adoption and embodiment of the Six Pillars—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship—has been instrumental in shaping the moral fabric of our community. This ongoing commitment aims to promote character development and ethical behavior among all citizens, both corporate and individual.

The collaborative efforts between Character Counts! and the Queen Anne’s County public school system have proven immensely successful. Over 100,000 character education experiences have been delivered to children, facilitated by an impressive cohort of over 1,500 volunteer character coaches and mentors.

“I have been a Character Counts! Coach in the past and the experience of working in the classroom gives great satisfaction, said County Commissioner Phil Dumenil. If you are on the fence about signing up to be a coach, please do it! The experience is truly amazing.”

Local businesses, organizations, and nonprofits have played a pivotal role in advancing the mission of Character Counts! These entities have actively participated as Businesses of Character, offering volunteer support, financial contributions, and aiding in spreading the crucial message of good character throughout our community.

Through the unwavering dedication of Character Counts!, Queen Anne’s County continues to strive towards strengthening personal character traits, fostering families of character, and building a more cohesive and ethically sound community.

In recognition of the 23rd anniversary of Character Counts!, the Queen Anne’s County Board of County Commissioners extends an invitation to all citizens to join in celebrating this milestone. Let us commemorate the enduring impact of Character Counts! in shaping a community guided by values and ethical principles.

For more information about Character Counts! and its initiatives, please visit https://www.peopleofcharacter.org/.

Maryland lawmakers should provide more guidance and flexibility to county governments as they work to find space in tight budgets for far-reaching public education reforms, a leading advocacy group said.

The Maryland Association of Counties made a series of recommendations to ease pressures on the effort to implement the 10-year Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan in a recent letter addressed to Gov. Wes Moore (D) and the legislature’s presiding officers.

“The Blueprint applies a one-size-fits-all approach to education investment and implementation that does not account for our state’s diverse local government capacities, processes, and abilities,” according to the letter signed by MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball (D), president of the organization. “As we move deeper into implementation, the diverse systems, constraints, and structures counties must work within become more apparent, especially financially.”

Sanderson said in an interview Monday that the goal is not to go back and legislate the Blueprint law, but to inform lawmakers and the public of the continuing challenges to funding the Blueprint on a local level.

One proposal, Sanderson said, is for the legislature to provide a more comprehensive cost analysis detailing how much Blueprint funding is mandated in local budgets. In addition, that analysis should take into account fluctuating school enrollments, he said.

Some counties received notice about how much money would be needed for Blueprint reforms in the next year just a week before budgets were approved last spring, Sanderson said. Most county officials release preliminary budgets between December and February. The General Assembly’s 90-day session is set to begin Jan. 10.

“What we tried to do was harvest the things we’ve been hearing at the local level,” he said. “The idea of more clarity in the funding projections and estimates and having that in a more timely and clear way [helps] everybody…as they go through their budgeting process.”

The Blueprint plan continues to be implemented based on its priorities: expanding early childhood education, hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers, preparing students for college and technical careers and providing additional resources for students in need.

The Blueprint Accountability and Implement Board, an independent body established by the legislature to oversee the initiative approved some updates this summer. One of the board’s duties is providing recommendations to the General Assembly and the governor on proposed changes to the Blueprint law. The panel is set to meet next on Thursday.

The Blueprint law states that schools must implement a $10,000 salary increase for teachers who are designated as National Board Certified, and an additional $7,000 salary increase for certified teachers who work in low-performing schools.

MACo proposes those salary figures should be switched: $7,000 for all teachers certified, and an additional $10,000 for certified teachers in low-performing schools.

Brianna January, associate director of policy for MACo, said there still remains “a universal concern” about a requirement for school systems to raise minimum annual teacher salaries to $60,000, which must be done by July 1, 2026, according to the law.

January said county leaders are concerned the salary increase “will kind of pinch all the other staff positions into an upward trajection for their starting salaries.”

Carter Elliott, a spokesperson for Moore, said in an email Monday that “county leaders are important partners and [the governor] appreciates them stepping up to share their thoughts about the Blueprint and how to ensure its success going forward. The Moore-Miller Administration is looking forward to engaging in further conversation to ensure that all of Maryland’s children have access to a world class education.”

‘More flexibility’

Some of the other MACo recommendations for state leaders are:

• Provide a specific cost analysis between the state and counties to fund dual enrollment programs at community colleges.
• Offer greater flexibility for counties to utilize certain spaces such as libraries and community centers to provide prekindergarten instruction. Such spaces may be available but aren’t an option under the law because each would need “the presence of a school administrator, front desk person, and on-duty nurse.”
• Consider best practices for expedited or alternative teacher certification without lessening the standard for high-quality teachers.

“To best ensure successful implementation of the Blueprint, county governments are seeking a more comprehensive cost analysis and investment from our State partners,” Ball said in an emailed statement. “County governments are funding partners for our local Boards of Education and have minimal oversight on how taxpayer dollars are spent. By having local costs required by the Blueprint clearly defined by the State, and transparently shared with the public, we can all have smoother budget processes and increased collaboration during our annual local budget cycles.”

Some Blueprint supporters, such as Michelle Corkadel, president of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, said equity must remain a focal point in the plan.

The state Board of Education continues to review a possible revision to the “college and career readiness,” or CCR, standards that are part of the Blueprint plan. Current law states that students “meet or exceed” the standard based on standardized test scores. Under the proposal, students could pass the standard if their grade-point average is 3.0 or higher by the end of 10th grade.

Corkadel said there should be a more holistic approach to aide students who have a focus on career programs.

“It seems to me that we should be including more flexibility in the arena of those students who have chosen a career path. We know that the state does not allow you to sit for your cosmetology license, which would be the ultimate in verifying that your college and career ready. It cannot occur until you’re 18 years old,” said Corkadel, a member of the school board in Anne Arundel County, where schools provide cosmetology training. “I do think that closing our opportunity gaps is one of the desired outcomes of Blueprint and we need to make sure that we are mindful of that. We are hopeful that the decisions we make are going to include the perspectives of all of us.”

By William J. Ford

The last time the Spy chatted with Lorelly Solano a few years ago, she had just begun her work at the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center. And her focus in 2019 was to help the organization train interpreters to help offer bilingual services on the Mid-Shore to various businesses and nonprofit institutions. 

One of the schools that Lorelly worked closely with at the time was Chesapeake College, so it was not a surprise to find her almost five years later working with that institution as the new director of its Cambridge Center. As the Mid-Shore continues to grow with a diversity of cultures and languages, Dr. Solano was immediately attracted to the challenge and opportunity of making the Cambridge campus a regional leader in adult education for high school equivalency, English language acquisition for immigrants, and non-credit courses like skilled trades.

In her new role, Solano has made it a goal to mirror the community’s diversity within the Center, ensuring that when people visit, they see themselves represented.  

Last month the Spy came by the Cambridge Center to learn more about Dr. Lorelly’s plans.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about Chesapeake College and its Cambridge Center, please go here.

Chesapeake College celebrated the opening of the 23-24 academic year with an enrollment increase and a new brand.

Faculty, staff and community stakeholders gathered for the annual State of the College address and a local leader status report where President Clifford P. Coppersmith introduced Chesapeake’s new brand and shared news of a 10 percent increase in credit student enrollment compared to last fall.

“Chesapeake has grown, and our mission has evolved with the world around us in recent years—all while the market for higher education has become increasingly competitive,” Dr. Coppersmith said.  “It was essential that we assessed both who we are and how we are perceived to develop a consistent and unified message—not just visually but also in our actions.”

Chesapeake conducted a nationwide competitive bid search for a firm to develop a comprehensive new brand.  VisionPoint Marketing of Raleigh, N.C. was awarded the contract. The specialty higher education firm performed the research, analysis, and creative work on Chesapeake’s brand during the last year.

Market analysis and extensive research—including community surveys and focus groups—informed development of the brand pillars and logo. While Chesapeake College used outside firms for logo development in the past, this project marks the first time the college contracted with a vendor to conduct such in-depth research and analysis.

In addition to gathering comments and perceptions from more than 1,200 stakeholders within the service community, VisionPoint led the college through deep self-reflection to build brand pillars on the foundation of the institution’s history, core values and aspirations.

The end result, Dr. Coppersmith said, is a comprehensive brand that pays tribute to Chesapeake’s nearly 60-year history as the educational, cultural and economic development hub for the Mid-Shore.

Chesapeake College Director of Marketing and College Relations Danielle Darling said Chesapeake needed a new brand that that can carry the college into the future,“ Chesapeake’s audiences are vast and diverse. We need a brand that resonates with each of these groups as an authentic representation of the College and to reinforce our unique selling proposition,” Ms. Darling said.

She added, “One of our new branding pillars is ‘connector to what’s next.’  This particular brand pillar has the most value for our students,” Ms. Darling said. “We connect students to high-quality education, to training, to universities, to employment and local industries, personal enrichment, and so much more. This reflects our position at the heart of this region and as the conduit to changing peoples’ lives.”

After all the research and exploratory work were completed, the consultants and the Chesapeake community delved into several visual interpretations of their findings, ultimately moving toward an abstract expression of forward movement, suggestive of the iconic skipjack.

“We didn’t want to have a literal skipjack, we wanted to build on this idea of connection and momentum—of meeting students where they are and getting them to their next destination, moving the community forward, one student at a time—which is really the central story of our brand.” “The idea that the skipjack, historically, was a working-class vessel with strong connections in our region was important as well,” Ms. Darling said. “We wanted to represent that in an abstract way, not only to stand out in an area that uses a great deal of nautical imagery, but to make it unique to Chesapeake College, and more accessible and approachable to our audience.”

Ms. Darling explained the negative space in the icon illustrates the rigging of a skipjack, perfectly symbolizing the connections Chesapeake helps build for its students and the community at large.

The new logo features modern hues of Chesapeake’s traditional blue and green colors, with new shades of gold and orange. A deep coral red rounds out the new brand color palette.

Five segments represent the individual identities and unity of the five counties in Chesapeake’s service region. A bold serif font blends the past and future in Chesapeake’s new visual identity.

When paired with the name “Chesapeake College,” the College becomes the wind pushing the shape forward—the force that moves students and the community forward, connecting them to what’s next.

To explore the new look, visit www.chesapeake.edu/brand.

An analysis of Maryland’s current “college readiness” metrics meant to determine whether high school students are properly prepared for college may be improperly assessing a large percentage of students, according to a new report analyzing the state’s interim College and Career Readiness standards.

In fact, as much as 35% to 53% may be inaccurately assessed as either ready for college or not ready for college, the American Institutes for Research’s report to the Maryland State Department of Education found.

The College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard is a central goal for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, an education overhaul passed by the 2021 Maryland General Assembly, in order to determine if students are properly prepared to take on a 2-year or 4-year postsecondary education, and then ultimately enter the workforce.

In 2022, the Maryland Board of Education set up interim CCR standards to lay the groundwork for more-permanent standards down the line. Students are currently evaluated as “college ready” if they surpass benchmarks in 10th grade English and benchmarks in one of the following math courses: algebra 1, algebra 2, or geometry. Students can also earn a score of 520 on the SAT math test to prove college readiness under the interim standards.

The Blueprint also required MSDE to contract with a public or private entity to help evaluate the interim standards and offer suggestions for how they could be improved.

And there appears to be room for improvement, according to the American Institutes for Research (AIR), which is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research facility that was tasked with conducting the analysis. The final report was released on Sept. 14 and the Board of Education discussed the findings at a meeting this week.

“AIR completed a multifaceted, best-in-class investigation into the predictors of postsecondary success and the alignment of high school standards to postsecondary expectations,” State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury, said in a written statement in mid-September. “The study is full of crucial insights into ensuring that Maryland sets a CCR standard that is aligned with national research and ensures equitable access for all students.”

In the coming months, education officials and leaders will be using the study in order to create and approve a new CCR standard.

“To assess the quality of different high school measures of CCR, we examined how well the interim CCR standard and alternative definitions of the standard predicted students’ progress toward postsecondary success, particularly college course credits earned in a student’s first semester in college,” the report said.

One of the caveats for the analysis is that it was conducted on students in graduating classes from 2017 to 2021, and the results “may not apply to future student cohorts,” according to the report. The analysis also did not look at the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) because the assessment was too new at the time of the study.

That said, one of the main takeaways from the report is that the current interim CCR standards often misclassifies students on their readiness.

For example, the analysis says that only 35% of the students in the study were “correctly classified” as ready for college under the interim CCR standards, based on whether a student earned math credit in their first year of post-secondary education. But 5% we’re “misclassified” as ready, as they struggled to earn a math credit in their first year.

Meanwhile, the analysis shows that the current interim standards correctly classified 28% of students as not college ready, but misidentified 32% of students as “not college ready,” when in fact they were able to earn a math credit in their first year.

“So they did not meet CCR standard, but they demonstrated they could earn math credit when they enter college,” Jordan Rickles, the principal researcher for the study, explained to the Board of Education Tuesday. “So this is the big source of error when it comes to the validity of our standard. For almost a third of students, the standards say they’re not college ready, but we have evidence that when they really go off to college, they really can do well in these first year courses.”

The AIR analysis says that the interim standard has an accuracy rate between 47% and 65%, depending on subject matter measured.

To further complicate the analysis, the interim standards were even less accurate for certain demographics, such as for Black students, Hispanic students, current English learners, students with disabilities, and students eligible for free and reduced price meal services. For these populations, the  interim CCR standard had average accuracy rates that were less than 60%, the report says.

The analysis looks at potential alternatives for how the state can identify which students are ready for college and which ones could use some additional help. The board will also be looking at the college readiness standards of other states to help inform their future decisions.

The analysis puts forward that it may be more accurate to analyze college readiness through a high school Grade Point Average threshold or the interim CCR standards, meaning that a student could meet either benchmark in order to be deemed college ready.

If the board were to take up that alternate college readiness metric, then the accuracy rate is expected to increase to about 75%, meaning that three in four students would be accurately evaluated as college ready or not.

The analysis suggests that a high school GPA threshold between 2.83 and 2.98 would be a strong indicator of a student’s college readiness, but the AIR recommends rounding up to a 3.0.

The report also advises the department to revise CCR standards to assess more accurately and equitably. That includes providing students with two options to meet CCR standards, either based on state assessments or through a GPA of at least 3.0. If the department takes this route, the MSDE would need to work with local education agencies to better standardize  and align grading practices across Maryland.

AIR also recommended that the department help students strengthen college readiness by providing additional counseling and other wrap-around services in middle and fhigh school that cultivate skills and knowledge critical for college success. Such skills include critical thinking, self-direction, and other skills that are not part of formal high school standards.

By Danielle J. Brown