A Culture of Continuous Improvement & Excellence
Everything we do begins with our scholars and our mission. We set a clear vision, hold high-quality work as our standard, and get better every year — guided by our strategic plan.
The vision and principles that guide every decision
Our strategic plan is the foundation of our school. It names where we are going and the principles that shape how we teach, lead, and serve our community.
A world where all young women, regardless of their background, have the skills, tools, and qualities to develop as leaders in their communities and the world.
High-Quality Work
The pursuit of excellence in every classroom. High-Quality Work — authentic, complex, and crafted with care — is the touchstone that guides our curriculum, instruction, and culture.
Deeper Instruction
We empower scholars to take charge of their learning through rigorous, culturally responsive academics that dive into subjects with depth and joy.
Families & Community as Partners
We authentically engage parents and the community as vital partners, building a true sense of belonging and shared ownership of our scholars’ success.
Legacy & Long-Lasting Impact
We steward our school responsibly so its excellence endures — for our current scholars, our alumnae, and the generations of Baltimore scholars still to come.
Where we are focused right now
Each year, our work plan turns the strategic vision into action. Our focus lives across the three dimensions of a Lillie May education — and our multi-year impact goals describe the future we are building toward.
Rigorous academics
LMCJ will move dramatically closer to closing the achievement gap by consistently outperforming the state — preparing every scholar for the next grade level and beyond.
The HOME qualities
Our scholars will embody our HOME qualities — so they have rich and varied options for their future and can create the lives they want for themselves and their communities.
Work worth sharing
Every scholar will create high-quality work in every subject and present it through Celebrations of Learning, Passage Portfolio Presentations, and student-led conferences.
How can we create classrooms that challenge, engage, and empower scholars to create high-quality work?
Our continuous-improvement cycle
Improvement at Lillie May is a disciplined, year-round practice. Reflection and data review are embedded in our daily programming and tracked through our Lillie Landing Pad dashboard.
Listen & Assess
We gather insight from scholars, families, and staff, and review our progress across academics, character, and high-quality work.
Name Priorities
With families and our Board, we identify what matters most and set the year’s clearest priorities.
Act on Strategy
We deploy proven strategies, focusing our resources and energy where scholars need them most.
Monitor & Adjust
Regular walkthroughs and data reviews tell us what’s working — so we adjust in real time, not in hindsight.
What the independent review affirmed
In January 2026, the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners renewed our charter through June 2029. The independent review named a clear set of strengths — the foundation we keep building on.
In a 2.5-day School Effectiveness Review, LMCJ earned “Effective” on 11 of 12 standards across all four domains — instruction, talented people, vision & engagement, and strategic leadership.
Our middle-grades suspension rate fell from 32.8 (2021–22) to 16.1 (2024–25) — below the district average — through relationship-building and restorative practice.
Scholars attend at a rate above 95%, ahead of our schoolwide goal — reflecting an “Effective” climate rating and strong early-warning supports for families.
Our top 5Essentials rating, with “Strong” marks for Effective Leaders and Collaborative Teachers — the markers of a school organized for success.
MCAP Math growth was named an area of strength — our scholars are gaining ground year over year.
Our ELA proficiency for grades 6–8 sits above the median for schools serving similar communities — a bright spot the review noted.
Source: Baltimore City Public Schools Operator Renewal Recommendation Report, #371 (2026), and the 2024–25 School Effectiveness Review.
How we put resources behind the strategy
Our federal Title I funds are invested in the very same priorities. The FY27 Title I Schoolwide Plan organizes that investment into four evidence-based strategies, each designed first for the scholars who need us most.
Grade-Level Acceleration as the Default
Grade-level work with intentional scaffolds becomes the default for every scholar, with targeted support layered in for those who need additional skill-building — powered by EL Education Core Practices, i-Ready, our MTSS process, and culturally responsive teaching that preserves rigor.
Identity-Affirming Habits of Scholarship
We carry the strong sense of belonging scholars feel in Crew into every classroom, teaching our HOME Habits of Scholarship as the foundation for academic risk-taking — grounded in culturally responsive practice.
High-Quality, Grade-Level Authentic Work
Looking-at-Student-Work and High-Quality-Work protocol cycles become routine practice — the way we ensure grade-level rigor reaches every scholar and that our standards are shared consistently across classrooms.
5th–6th Grade Acceleration Bridge
6th grade is our main entry point. Dedicated coaching, curriculum-coherence work, and a summer foundations bridge give new scholars a strong, accelerated start from day one.
Families and community as partners
This plan was shaped with parents, scholars, staff, our PTO, and the LMCJ Board of Directors — partners in setting priorities and budget, not an audience for decisions already made.
| Engagement | Who Took Part | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Back-to-School Night & PTO Sign-Up | Families, scholars, staff, PTO | Aug 26, 2025 |
| Mastery of Knowledge & Skills Night | Families, scholars, PTO, staff | Oct 23, 2025 |
| November PTO Meeting | PTO, families, leadership | Nov 20, 2025 |
| Budget Priority Engagement Session | PTO, families, leadership, community | Dec 16, 2025 |
| Board of Directors Meeting | Board, Operator, Principal, leadership | Dec 18, 2025 |
| Scholar-Led Conferences (Trimester 2) | Families, scholars, teachers | Jan 9, 2026 |
| Community Budget Forum (Feb PTO) | Full community, PTO, Board | Feb 26, 2026 |
| Board Budget Review Meeting | Board, Operator, Principal, Grants Specialist | Apr 23, 2026 |
| Lillie May Day & Celebration of Learning | Full community, families, scholars, Board | May 21, 2026 |
Our planning documents
The full documents behind this page are available to download.
Strategic Plan (2022–2025)
Our full multi-year strategic plan — mission, vision, guiding principles, and goals.
Work Plan — Page Two
This year’s multi-year impact goals and performance benchmarks across our three dimensions — Mastery, Character, and High-Quality Work.
FY27 Title I Schoolwide Plan
Our federal Title I plan for 2026–2027 — needs assessment, strategies, goals, and family engagement.
Our commitment, in one sentence
We will keep listening, naming what matters most, and getting better — so that every Lillie May scholar leaves us prepared to lead in her community and the world.
