For Pr. George's Schools, a Scene They Know Well

At a news conference yesterday, Deasy promised a "seamless" transition and said the system was in good shape for the future.

"This decision was a difficult one to make. I am so proud and humbled by what we have accomplished together for the youth of Prince George's County Public Schools," Deasy wrote in a letter to the school system's staff.

"The work of student achievement will continue to progress," Jacobs said. "Together we were able to achieve stability for our school system. . . . We are grateful to the passion and energy brought by Dr. Deasy."

County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) said that he's sorry to see Deasy go but that it probably won't harm the school district: "People can go, but the institution will continue to do better because of the commitment to excellence among the people who remain."

The county's results on this year's Maryland School Assessment, a state test of elementary and middle school students' reading and math skills, improved at every grade level. The number of schools on a state watch list for poor academic performance has declined from 76 in 2006 to 58, and many more schools are poised to leave the list.

But some of Deasy's initiatives never reached fruition. An idea to create smaller schools teaching a variety of specialized subjects has yet to take effect. A plan to make elementary schools run from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade was put on hold because of tight budgets. The future of these programs, as well as those getting underway, is unclear.

When asked whether his departure had any connection to an investigation of his doctoral degree announced last month by the University of Louisville, Deasy said "none whatsoever," adding that the Gates Foundation had been courting him for months.

At the Gates Foundation, Deasy will join a swelling cohort of leading education policy thinkers investing billions from Microsoft founder Bill Gates's fortune in innovative models to increase graduation rates and college preparedness among the nation's most underperforming students.

The foundation is rapidly expanding staff at its Seattle headquarters, where Deasy will move to work as deputy director of its U.S. education program.

The Gates Foundation had been watching Deasy's work in Prince George's for several years, said Vicki L. Phillips, director of the Gates Foundation's education program. She approached Deasy a few months ago, and the two recently began serious talks about a job at the foundation.

"We did seek him out," Phillips said. "We obviously follow the work of a lot of people around the country, and certainly we've been aware of John for some time."

Phillips, a former schools superintendent in Portland, Ore., said the Gates Foundation's senior officials were impressed with the attention Deasy has paid to classroom relationships between students and teachers, as well as expanding opportunities for Advanced Placement courses.

As for what would come next for Prince George's, the consensus seemed to be that the county's schools would muddle through a leadership transition once again.

"Schools are still on, kids are still in class and we have to make sure that we continue to deliver instruction" to make federal standards of academic achievement, said Monica Goldson, who heads the system's high schools.

Staff writers Philip Rucker and Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.