News & Notes- September 2026
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MAESP Members,
My name is Justin Holbrook, and I am the proud principal of Armistead Gardens Elementary Middle School in Baltimore City, Maryland. I am honored to serve as the 2026–2027 President of the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) alongside our members!
This year, I am looking forward to connecting with each of you during our various professional development sessions, conferences and other events. To elevate our organization and profession, I will focus on three things this upcoming year:
- To continue to diversify our membership from all our various counties with a focus on the groups that are under represented in our current membership.
- To elevate the expertise in our organization and create authentic spaces for collaboration as a way to connect our members to the source of what is working well across our state.
- To highlight your amazing work directly in your school communities through our messaging, meetings, and media.
I believe that the smartest member in our organization is our organization! Our collective power through our virtual meet ups, conferences, and advocacy continues to prove that MAESP is a model professional organization for school leaders.
If you have any ideas or want to share some of the amazing things from your school community, please feel free to send me an email at jcholbrook@bcps.k12.md.us. I am excited to lead and grow alongside all of our MAESP members this upcoming year!
Justin Holbrook,
President, MAESP
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Executive Director's Message
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Dr. Christopher Wooleyhand
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Oh, the hopes and dreams that September brings! Every year begins with 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 like they're a one-person band. You are NOT alone. MAESP is here to provide service, support, advocacy and, most importantly, connection with your colleagues across the state.
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 to view upcoming events.
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 Oceanfront Hotel in Ocean City. There will be many awesome keynote speakers and almost all of our concurrent session presenters are Maryland school leaders.
Finally, I am excited to support our new president, Justin Holbrook, as he takes on this vital role in our organization. Justin is an enthusiastic and focused professional who is passionate about Philadelphia sports teams (ugh) and his school, Armistead Gardens Elementary/Middle in Baltimore City (yay).
Great things are happening in Maryland! I look forward to connecting with you this year!
With appreciation,
Christopher Wooleyhand, Ph.D.
Executive Director, MAESP
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Maryland in Orlando!
MAESP was well-represented at the national conference in Orlando in July. We had several members who presented sessions. Shout out to Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket, Dr. Ryan Daniel, Ashley Moore, Ed Cosentino, Dr. Sharon H. Porter, Dr. Patricia Wells-Frazier, Dr. LaTanya Sothern, Dr. LaTonya Wright, Dr. Andrea Thompson, Dr. Kishawn Smith, and Dr. Sedrick Smith for sharing their knowledge at the national level. You made Maryland look good!
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Our two National Outstanding Assistant Principals, Dr. Rhoda Núñez-Donnelly and Ms. Briana Walker, were celebrated in Orlando!
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Three Maryland leaders and their schools were recognized as NAESP Gold Star Schools. Congratulations to Julia Walsh, Dr. Aundrea McCall, and Shauna Kauffman!
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Welcome New Board of Directors
Please welcome Justin Holbrook, President; Dr. Sharon H. Porter, President Elect; Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket, Past President; Tracy Hilliard, NAESP Representative; and Dr. Glen Messier who will serve as our 2026-2027 Board of Directors. We are excited to learn and collaborate with this awesome group of school leaders!
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Dr. Patricia Wells-Frazier will take over as Zone 3 Rep (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's, St. Mary's) this year. Dr. Frazier has been very involved with both MAESP and NAESP over the years and we are sure to benefit from her leadership in Zone 3.
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Coming to Ocean City? The first 100 MAESP members who stop by our table in the exhibitor's hall will receive a free commemorative 80th anniversary t-shirt!
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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!
Website link!
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MSDE & Legislative Updates
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Maryland Kicks Off New School Year
New teacher coaching program and attendance awareness campaign among highlights for 2026-27 school year.
BALTIMORE — This school year marks the launch of Maryland’s statewide literacy and mathematics teacher coaching program. MSDE has hired 51 teacher coaches to work in 13 districts with literacy coaches assigned to 63 schools. A pilot mathematics teacher coaching program will be implemented in 14 schools across the Charles, Harford, Kent and St. Mary’s school systems.
“From the first day to the last day of school, we are committed to ensuring strong, evidence‑based instruction for every student in Maryland schools,” said Dr. Carey M. Wright, State Superintendent of Schools. “When we invest in educators, we invest in students. This investment in professional learning will benefit Maryland for years to come.”
“This year brings important opportunities to accelerate student achievement across Maryland,” said Dr. Joshua Michael, Maryland State Board of Education President. “We are strengthening instructional quality, improving access to effective teaching materials, and modernizing the way we measure student learning. Our focus remains on ensuring all students have the tools they need to thrive.”
The state will also transition to a new testing program this school year. Last school year marked the fifth and final full administration of the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), which will be replaced by the newly designed Maryland System of Testing Academic Readiness (MSTAR) for third through eighth grades next spring. MSTAR’s benefits include shorter test length, faster reporting of test results, and increased score accuracy.
Last school year’s MCAP results reflected a five-year high.
Additionally, the new “Maryland Shows Up” campaign will promote regular attendance among school districts, families, and community partners. The statewide chronic absenteeism rate fell to 25 percent in the 2024-25 school year, down 6 percentage points since the baseline 2021-22 school year. Preliminary data from the 2025-26 school year indicates additional declines.
“Even a small number of absences can disrupt a child’s learning,” said Dr. Wright. “It is important for families, community partners, health providers and local leaders to reinforce the message that showing up every day in school matters.”
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A BIG Thanks to our Business Partners!
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