GOVERNOR O’MALLEY TO HOST BETTER CHOICES, BETTER RESULTS FORUM HIGHLIGHTING EDUCATION IN MARYLAND

Second policy forum in a series that focuses on the Administration’s strategic goals and vision for strengthening Maryland’s middle class

WALDORF, MD — Thursday, September 26, Governor Martin O’Malley will host the “Better Choices, Better Results Forum - Education” -- the second in a series of statewide forums that will foster an ongoing, collaborative dialogue on the O’Malley-Brown Administration's strategic goals. Stakeholders from across the state will engage in a roundtable discussion about the better choices we’ve made together, measuring progress, and delivering results to strengthen and grow Maryland’s middle class and create a better, stronger Maryland for our children.

Thursday’s forum will highlight key education initiatives, track progress on early childhood education, college and career readiness and college affordability, and foster an ongoing dialogue that will lay out a vision to sustain and continue to grow Maryland’s number one public education system into the future.

WHEN: Thursday, September 26, at 6:00 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)

WHERE: North Point High School, 2500 Davis Road, Waldorf, MD

With better choices, the O’Malley-Brown Administration has built what Education Week magazine says is the best public school system in America for the fifth year in a row. These better choices are leading to better results. Eight out of 10 of our youngest students are entering Kindergarten ready to learn compared to 5 out of 10 a decade ago. Maryland’s elementary school students have raised their MSA scores nearly 40 percent in both reading and math, and our middle school students have increased their MSA scores in math by more than 80 percent. What’s more, Maryland’s high school students have been ranked number one in the nation in AP Success for seven consecutive years and are graduating at the highest rate in our State’s history. And, together with Maryland’s hard working educators, we have made more progress to close the income achievement gap than any other state in the nation. In addition, alone among the 50 states, Maryland froze in-state tuition at state colleges and universities four years in a row and has held tuition increases to the lowest in the nation for over five years. We also invested more in public education, more in innovation, and more in infrastructure than ever before in our State’s history.