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News & Notes- September 2025
 

President's Report

Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket
 

Hello Maryland School Leaders,

 

My name is Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket, and I am grateful to be the principal of Waterloo Elementary School in Howard County, Maryland. I am truly honored to serve as the 2025–2026 President of the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP)!

As school leaders, we sit at the intersection of policy and practice, where every decision we make carries the potential to uplift a child, empower a teacher, or strengthen a school community. This work is complex and deeply personal, and that’s why MAESP exists. We are here to walk alongside you, to offer encouragement, advocacy, and professional growth opportunities that help sustain your leadership passion and purpose.

This year, I have three key goals for our organization:

  1. To grow our membership by actively engaging new leaders and ensuring our current members have meaningful opportunities to share their expertise and grow professionally, both at the state and national level.
  2. To continue building strong connections among leaders across Maryland. Our immediate past president, Dr. Joshua Fine, did incredible work bringing together rural leaders from the shore to the mountains. I plan to continue that mission by deepening those relationships and listening closely to what our leaders need across the state.
  3. To center the joy in school leadership. In a time when education feels more complex than ever, I want MAESP to be a space that reminds us of why we chose this work in the first place—because we believe in students, our staff, families, and in the power of great schools led by compassionate leaders.

I’m grateful to work alongside a dedicated Board of Directors, Executive Director, and our incredible membership. This organization is strong because of you. Whether you attend a conference, join a committee, share your voice in a meeting, or simply connect with a colleague, you make us better!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at: rachel_edoho-eket@hcpss.org. I’m looking forward to a year of meaningful connection, shared leadership, and continued impact.

 

Warmly,

Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket
President, MAESP

Executive Director's Message

Dr. Christopher Wooleyhand

The possibilities of the school year are endless in September! I hope you are off to a great start! Every year brings a new sense of excitement and enthusiasm. The challenge for all of us is to keep the momentum going as we get farther into the year.  It is easy for school leaders to feel isolated. You are NOT alone.  MAESP is here to provide service, support, and advocacy.

We have many opportunities to connect with each other. I hope you'll take advantage of our Connected School Leader Speaker Series and meet your amazing colleagues while networking and learning from each other.  Check out our calendar or log in to your account and view events through our Info Hub.

I also encourage our members to register for our fall leadership conference, Maryland

UNITED. This event is a collaboration with MASSP and will once again be held at the Ashore Resort & Beach Club in Ocean City. There will be many awesome keynote speakers and almost all of our concurrent session presenters are Maryland school leaders.   

Welcome to our new zone reps, who are noted below.  We are excited by the energy they will bring to this new MAESP role! 

Finally, I am excited to support our president, Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket, as she takes on several initiatives.  Dr. Edoho-Eket is a rising rockstar at the state and national level with lots of energy and the desire to make sure her colleagues exercise self-care and protect their plates.  Hold on tight as she works passionately to grow our organization.

Great things are happening with MAESP. I look forward to connecting with you this year!

With appreciation,

Christopher Wooleyhand, Ph.D.

Executive Director, MAESP
 

Member Spotlight!

Seattle Superstars!

 

MAESP was well-represented at the national conference in Seattle in July.  We had several members who presented sessions.  Shout out to Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket, Dr. Ryan Daniel, Ashley Moore, Ed Cosentino, Dr. Tangela Scales, Dr. Sharon H. Porter, Dr. Patricia Wells-Frazier, Dr. Sharon Hill, Dr, LaTonya Wright, and Dr. Andrea Thompson for sharing their knowledge at the national level.  You make Maryland look good!
 
 

Playground Champions!

Kudos to our MAESP team who participated in the playground build in Seattle!
 

Principal Magazine Shout Out

 

Congratulations to Ed Cosentino and Dr. Patricia Wells-Frazier for their contributions to the September/October issue of Principal Magazine.  Dr. Wells-Frazier was highlighted in the From the Field section sharing one tried-and-true initiative she'll be implementing this year.  You'll have to read it to find her words of wisdom.  Ed Cosentino wrote an article titled, Embracing the VUCA Mindset in Educational Leadership.  His article noted that school leaders must model what intentional, adaptive, and values-driven leadership looks like.  Ed and Patricia stand out as proactive leaders in Maryland and at the national level.  We are proud of their work.
 

New Zone Reps Appointed!

Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket, MAESP president, recently appointed four committed school leaders to serve as zone reps for our association.  These positions were created to bring new energy and ideas to our organization.  The zone reps will serve a two-year term as a regional source of information to the zone.  They will be promoting service, support, and advocacy to members and enhance MAESP's efforts at increasing membership throughout the state. 

 

Please welcome Arienne M. Clark-Harrison (zone 1); Ashley Moore (zone 2); Dr. Sharon H. Porter (zone 3); and Briana Walker (zone 4).  Statements from their applications are included below.  We know they will do great things!

 

Zone 1- Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Washington

 

Arienne M. Clark-Harrison

Chevy Chase Elementary School, Principal

Montgomery County Public Schools

 

“I believe my 18 years of educational leadership experience in MCPS (with 4 additional years of leadership in DCPS) uniquely positions me to serve as an effective advocate and resource for elementary principals across our state. This role represents a natural progression of my commitment to supporting educational excellence, allowing me to broaden my impact beyond my current district to benefit principals throughout MAESP Zone 1.”

 

Zone 2- Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll, Harford, Howard

 

Ashley Moore

The Empowerment Academy, Principal

Baltimore City Public Schools

 

“As an innovative and bold principal, I bring a unique perspective, a proven track record of connecting leaders, and a commitment to equity, collaboration, and results. I will leverage my experience in driving innovation, building partnerships, and representing diverse perspectives to strengthen MAESP’s mission and impact statewide.

 

Zone 3- Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's, St. Mary's

 

Sharon H. Porter, Ed.D.

Allenwood Elementary, Principal

Prince George’s County Public Schools

 

“As an active member of NAESP and MAESP, I am eager to expand my leadership and service locally by applying for the MAESP Zone 3 Representative position. I believe this role will allow me to strengthen the connection between national initiatives and local needs, ensuring our region remains aligned with best practices in elementary education.”

 

Zone 4- Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester

 

Briana Walker

Greensboro Elementary, Assistant Principal

Caroline County Public Schools

 

“I applied for the zone rep position because I would like to increase participation for MAESP in the Eastern Shore. It would help me network with colleagues in the surrounding counties and hopefully continue to increase the equity within MAESP.”
 
 

Membership Platform & Website

 

If you haven't created a MAESP member user login, please visit this link:

Info Hub Login

 

When you create a login, you open up the ability to edit your contact information, register for events, locate other members, refer new members, and access resources from MAESP, and NAESP.  It's quick and easy, so please, do it today!

 

New website link!

 
 
 

MSDE & Legislative Updates

State Assessment Scores Rising in Mathematics and English Language Arts

BALTIMORE (August 26, 2025) – Results from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) for the 2024-25 school year continue to rebound from post-pandemic learning loss.

Last school year marked the fourth full administration of the English language arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments after a shortened test for the 2020-21 school year. Overall results showed steady gains, a 5.5 percentage point increase since the 2021-22 school year, although ELA student performance has recovered more swiftly than mathematics.

“Maryland students are making progress. For the third year in a row, we have seen performance increases,” said Dr. Carey M. Wright, State Superintendent of Schools. “We will continue to explore enhanced teacher resources, professional learning and student supports. I am excited that we’re headed in the right direction.”

“Our latest MCAP results show modest but meaningful growth—especially for our economically disadvantaged students,” said Dr. Joshua L. Michael, State Board of Education President. “This progress proves that when we focus on the fundamentals, our efforts pay off. By raising expectations, sharpening curriculum, and strengthening instruction, we’re opening doors, because literacy and math unlock every other opportunity.”

English language arts proficiency has now reached 50.8 percent, up from 48.4 percent the previous year and 45.3 percent in the 2021-22 school year. Mathematics proficiency reached 26.5 percent compared to 24.1 percent for the previous school year and 21.0 percent in the 2021-22 school year. 

Other highlights:

  • Black/African American student performance in ELA increased 3.2 percentage points from the prior year to 39.4 percent. Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds improved ELA proficiency by 3.4 percentage points to 34.5 percent.
  • Nearly all student groups experienced slight increases in mathematics proficiency. 
  • Achievement gaps persist in both ELA and mathematics. Multilingual students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities had lower proficiency rates as compared to their peers.
 

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