After 32 years with the Howard County Public School System, Robert Glascock is leaving his position as an assistant superintendent to lead a new state initiative to boost academic marks at underperforming schools.

The new state initiative has yet to be officially named, and Glascock's title has not yet been settled, said Bill Reinhard, a spokesman for the Maryland State Department of Education. Reinhard said Glascock will be working with the state's chronically underperforming schools and helping those schools get the resources they need.

"Bob is an expert in both curriculum and technology, and we'll count on him using that expertise to help strengthen schools," Reinhard said. "He will be a huge asset to MSDE and the state's public schools."

Glascock's last day with Howard schools is Aug. 8, and he will start his new job with the state Aug. 11, Glascock said.

Glascock, 56, said he is excited about the prospect of helping more children across the state.

"I really believe that through collaboration with each other and focusing on children together, we can really make a difference in children's lives," he said.

Glascock began his career in Howard County in 1976 as a social studies teacher at Glenwood Middle School. He later became the Gifted and Talented teacher at the school and was later promoted to supervisor of the system's Gifted and Talented program. In 2000, Glascock was named director of K-12 curricular programs and was promoted to assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in 2002.

Glascock said the new state initiative is being launched to combat the increase in the number of Maryland schools that fail to meet annual progress targets in math and reading on state-mandated exams as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

In many cases, schools miss their targets due to small, specific populations of students, such as those with limited English proficiency, Glascock said, adding that the new initiative will help schools get the right kind of support they need to help these specific pupils.

In his new position, Glascock said he hopes to increase access for all state school systems to needed resources and curriculum. He said he also hopes to tap into the talents of many educators across the state by forming a "think tank" of sorts to come up with new solutions related to helping schools get the resources they need to help their students pass mandated tests.

"It's critically important to level the playing field to access to resources," he added.

Superintendent Sydney Cousin said he hopes Glascock will eventually return to Howard County schools.

"Bob has done a lot for the students of Howard County, and he will be missed," Cousin said.

Glascock is the second Howard administrator tapped by state education officials this summer. On July 1, Centennial High School principal Scott Pfeifer left the county to lead the state's efforts to improve students' performance on a battery of exams known as the High School Assessments and state efforts to reform the assessment program.

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