Meet our Assistant Commissioner

Maria Encarnacion
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Maria A. Encarnacion is a daughter of the soil, born and raised on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to Luis and Doris Encarnacion. My family is everything. “I am what I am thanks to my mother, my father, my brother, my 4 sisters... because they have given me everything!” She has four children and seven grandchildren who mean the world to her.

Ms. Encarnacion is a career educator of almost 40 years. She has served the Virgin Islands Department of Education as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, Deputy Superintendent, Director of Curriculum & Instruction and currently as Acting Assistant Commissioner. She is extremely proud of the impact she has had on molding our current and future leaders. Education is truly her passion.

As Assistant Commissioner, Ms. Encarnacion’s primary task will be to develop and/or build our Virgin Islands curriculum. It is the goal of this initiative to put all aspects of the curriculum: standards, curriculum, pacing guides, scope and sequence, resources, and professional development in one centralized repository. This is a huge task, however, through the assistance of stakeholder workgroups, she is confident that we will be successful. Improved student achievement, especially in Reading and Mathematics, tested on our state assessment, will also be her focus. We can and will do better to ensure that our teachers are teaching and our students are learning effective practices which will transfer to college and career readiness and ultimately, productive citizens in whichever community they choose to reside in. Ms. Encarnacion welcomes community support of these initiatives. Contact her at maria.encarnacion@vide.vi.

Education is the passport to the future,
for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.
- - Malcolm  X

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