Maine DOE Updates – May 21, 2012

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Welcome to the May edition of Maine DOE Updates.

It’s been a busy and important month here in the education world.

It kicked off with Teacher Appreciation Week, a special time to say thank you to our hard-working teachers. It continued with more work on our efforts to craft a new accountability and improvement system for our schools that replaces what we have under the decade-old No Child Left Behind law. And a few late legislative victories have topped it off.

Read about those topics and more in this month’s edition.

FROM THE COMMISSIONER

Accountability and improvement work in high gear

Our efforts to create an accountability and improvement system that works for our students, teachers and schools are picking up speed. As we take on this work, the feedback more than 1,500 of you offered last fall is serving as a guide. By Stephen BowenMore

Appreciating our teachers

Teachers deserve our thanks all year long, but Teacher Appreciation Week is a special opportunity to recognize their invaluable contributions. By Stephen BowenMore

DISPATCHES

Students perform an art-math activity in the hallway of Mount Vernon Elementary School.The Math Gates: Team teaching art and math

We (a math coordinator and an art teacher) are interested in having students discover how integral math is for an artist and how a mathematician benefits from creative thinking abilities. That’s why we’ve team-taught the two subjects at Mount Vernon Elementary School this year. By Dona Seegers and Sarah Caban | More

The respect, prestige teachers deserve

Headshot of Maine 2012 Teacher of the Year Alana Margeson

I was surrounded by 53 innovative, inspirational and articulate educators from all over this nation last month during Recognition Week for all State Teachers of the Year. Our sponsors treated us like rock stars, complete with gift bags and a personalized chartered bus to take us all over Washington, D.C. By Alana Margeson  | More

The scoop at Yarmouth: Students step up to real-world challenge

When a company like Friendly’s struggles to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, desperate times often call for desperate measures. Can students at Yarmouth High School help? | More

A student delivers a presention at the Project Citizen service-learning showcase.Project Citizen students participate in public policy

Dozens of students from across the state took public policy proposals to Maine’s capitol on May 11, where they presented them in legislative committee rooms and discussed them in the halls of the State House. | More

PRESS RELEASES

Bowen issues statement on passage of education bills

Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen issued a statement lauding the Legislature’s passage of several key education bills, including legislation that requires a proficiency-based diploma for Maine students, expands access to career and technical education programs and moves those programs toward full adoption of national industry standards. | More

Commission receives notice of 9 charter school proposals

AUGUSTA – Nine groups have informed the Maine Charter School Commission that they plan to submit applications to open public charter schools. | More

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