Welcome to the August edition of Maine DOE Updates.When the school year’s over, the work doesn’t stop in Maine’s education realm.
In a few weeks, the Department will be offering a series of one-day meetings to explain Maine’s new state literacy plan, Literacy for ME. Anyone with an interest in literacy is invited to form a well-represented group locally and sign-up to attend a meeting.
Also this month, we’ve been asking for public feedback on Maine’s proposal for flexibility under the decade-old No Child Left Behind Act (or Elementary and Secondary Education Act). The Maine DOE is dedicated to developing a state accountability and improvement system for our schools that’s thoughtful, fair and constructive, and we’ll submit the application by Sept. 6 – just as we’re buckling down for another productive school year.
DISPATCHES
You’re invited: help build a local literacy plan for your community
The Maine Department of Education will sponsor a series of regional meetings to provide local community teams with an understanding of Maine’s new comprehensive state literacy plan, Literacy for ME. | More
Teacher of the Year finalists named
The 2013 finalists are: Kathy Bousquet, a second- and third-grade looping teacher at Central School in South Berwick; Shannon Shanning, a seventh- and eighth-grade special education teacher at Whittier Middle School in Poland; and Beth Switzer, a fourth-grade teacher at Coastal Ridge Elementary School in York. | More
Maine residents join first forum online to discuss ESEA flexibility draft
A small group of Maine residents joined an online forum Monday night to provide Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen with feedback on the Department’s draft proposal for flexibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. | More
York student explorers join global collaboration in Brazil
York Middle School science teacher Jeff Wilford admits he’s not much of an adventurer, but when the opportunity arose to travel with a team of educators to the Pantanal region of Brazil in 2003, Wilford dusted off his pith helmet. Since 2006, Wilford has returned to explore the Pantanal each summer with students from York High School. | More
PRESS RELEASES
Seeking public feedback on education plan
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Education is inviting the public to weigh in one last time on its plan for creating a fairer and more constructive system for holding schools accountable and helping them improve. | More
FROM THE COMMISSIONER
Join statewide discussion on ESEA flexibility
For nearly the past year, we’ve been working on a proposal for flexibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Maine will submit its application by Sept. 6, and it’s important to us to involve the public one more time as we finalize a plan for creating a better school accountability and improvement system. By Stephen Bowen | More