Walt Whitman High School will add two new academic pathways when Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) launches its regional center model in the 2027-2028 school year.

The school will host Centers for Global Learning, Opportunity, Biliteracy and Engagement (GLOBE) and Centers for Leadership, Empowerment, Action and Development (LEAD), The Black and White, Whitman's student newspaper, first reported. The changes follow the Board of Education's 7-1 vote on March 27 to group all MCPS high schools into six regions, each with four to five schools offering specialized programs.

What GLOBE brings

Whitman's GLOBE center covers two programs: Humanities and Critical Languages, Cultures and Global Connections.

The Humanities program offers advanced studies in English and social sciences, including semester-long courses called Media in Society and Culture in Literature. Whitman English teacher Omari James created and has taught both courses since 2019, according to The Black and White. Humanities applicants must write two essays and show strong performance on standardized tests and in seventh- and eighth-grade English and social studies courses. The MCPS Humanities page lists it as a criteria-based program.

The Critical Languages program focuses on Mandarin Chinese and Chinese cultural immersion. Students can earn the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy in Mandarin Chinese. MCPS Academic Programs supervisor Peter Ostrander, speaking at Whitman's Oct. 1 showcase, said the program goes beyond language study to include Chinese history and culture, The Black and White reported.

The Critical Languages program is interest-based, with no academic preconditions to apply, according to The Black and White.

LASJ becomes LSJ

Whitman's LEAD center will reshape the school's Leadership Academy for Social Justice (LASJ), a program that started in the 2020-2021 school year. Under the regional model, it becomes "LSJ" and will be offered at other high schools with the LEAD program.

The shift tightens requirements. Previously, LASJ students took Introduction to Social Justice and then chose from multiple options for four additional courses and one internship. Under the new structure, participants across MCPS must take additional specific courses, including Leadership and Social Justice, AP Seminar and Community Organizing and Social Justice, according to The Black and White. The MCPS LSJ page lists the program as interest-based.

Sheryl Freedman, the LASJ lead teacher at Whitman, told The Black and White that students in the program will have fewer elective options under the new countywide LSJ standards. She said new courses such as AP Seminar and AP Research will be open to all students, but those taking the classes for LSJ credit will be scheduled together in cohorted sections.

Junior Dagny Richardson, a current LASJ student, told the student paper the changes will not apply to students already in the program but will affect those joining next year. Richardson said the county's expansion plan will put the pathway under increased oversight from special programs administrators.

How the lottery works

MCPS is using a ranked-choice lottery for all regional programs. Only current eighth graders may apply, since the course pathways span all four years of high school. Students can rank up to eight programs in their region, according to Bethesda Magazine. Families may apply only within the region where they live.

The first-round application deadline closed Nov. 6. Students will receive first-round results in January, with a second round opening in February and those results released in March.