How a Culture Shift at G. James Gholson Middle School is Powering Achievement

Academic achievement can be measured in many ways, but a year-over-year 5% increase in English Language Arts proficiency and 3% increase in mathematics proficiency are unmistakable signs of academic lift-off. At G. James Gholson Middle School, these gains are more than numbers — they reflect a deliberate, student-centered approach to reshaping school culture and learning, led by Principal Marcus Young and his dedicated team.

An ‘Innovation Zone’ Pilot School

For a school designated by the state as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) — placing it among the lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools in Maryland — these gains are especially noteworthy. This year, Gholson is one of 33 focus schools in the district identified as CSI or Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) schools participating in the new Innovation and Performance Zone pilot. The initiative is designed to strategically accelerate achievement, and Gholson’s early results show what's possible with focused leadership, dedicated staff, and a relentless commitment to students.

The Innovation and Performance Zone is built around a single goal: accelerating resources to help schools exit CSI and ATSI status. 

The approach asks a critical question — how can the many resources available through multiple budgets be aligned for the greatest impact? Strategies include working more closely with pupil personnel workers, shifting attendance meetings from monthly to weekly; reinstating School Performance Management Teams that meet biweekly to make data-driven decisions; and holding community conversations to remove stigma around CSI status while strengthening trust. By fully embracing the model of “community schools,” the zone aims to put schools at the center of the community and leverage every available resource. These evidence-based levers, when applied with fidelity, have been shown to drive measurable gains.

Principal Young and instructional leaders, Tisha Nichols and Shantel Lovitt, shared the strategies that are redefining the school's culture and empowering students to achieve more on MCAP testing and beyond.

A New Culture of Learning

For Principal Young, a proud Prince George's County Public Schools alum who grew up less than two miles from the school he now leads, the gains are a testament to the hard work of his staff and students. 

"Our gains are good, but I see them as a runway for even greater improvement," Young said. “We have been very intentional in creating a culture of learning here. The fact that people come into our building and recognize a different feel and different climate makes me most proud because it's a testament to the hard work we do day in and day out. Our gains are also attributed to us following the district's curriculum with fidelity, so our students can receive the best education possible."

The school's cultural shift is built on a foundation of daily collaborative planning, where teachers work together to unpack standards, identify student misconceptions, and develop data-driven, differentiated instructional plans.

“Principal Young has brought a culture of motivation, collaboration and collegiality to G. James Gholson Middle School,” said instructional leader Tisha Nichols. “We are training our teachers to become investigators to make our students better practitioners.”

Investing in Academic Discourse

At the heart of Gholson’s academic improvements is a strong focus on academic discourse and student-led learning. Instructional leaders like Tisha Nichols are training teachers to become "investigators" with mathematics. 

“In collaborative planning sessions, we unpack standards,” Nichols said. “Before you instruct students, you have to also know how to navigate the skill yourself. We unpack assessments and create differentiated, data driven instructional plans that we tailor and take into the classroom to make our students practitioners where they can engage in problem solving and discourse.”

This investigative approach has led to the implementation of the SOLVE method in math classrooms, which incorporates a comprehension component to help students break down complex word problems.

"We are pushing the envelope in terms of the depth of questions that we're asking," said Lovitt. "Questions in the past have been very surface level, and now we're asking them the 'why?' “How do you know?” “Do you agree?” '”Do you disagree?”

Similarly, in English Language Arts, the focus is on collaborative conversations and ‘accountable talk.’ Reading Instructional Lead, Shantel Lovitt emphasized the importance of pushing students to think critically, focusing on data driven instruction, and assessing students more frequently to catch where they are struggling to address those skills.

“What makes Gholson so special are the students and staff that are inside our building,” said seventh-grader Makai Hardy, who highlighted the positive environment and support from his teachers. “They help us grow mentally, academically, and physically.” Hardy mentioned after-school programs, like CYA which help students with homework, reinforce classroom lessons and provide leadership opportunities.