SKOWHEGAN – Maine Department of Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen will complete his Promising Practices Tour with visits to elementary schools in Skowhegan and Canaan on Friday.
The Promising Practices Tour has taken Bowen to each of the state’s nine superintendent regions to see innovative practices schools are implementing that show promise and move forward the Department’s vision of an evolving education system that meets the needs of all learners by putting them first.
The Commissioner – himself a former social studies teacher – will make his first stop in MSAD 54 at Canaan Elementary, where he’ll sit-in on a first grade reading workshop and a fifth grade math workshop. He’ll then travel to Bloomfield Elementary in Skowhegan where he’ll have lunch with the Civil Rights Team and their advisors, before observing second and third grade math workshops.
Both schools have characteristics commonly seen in high-performing schools including actively-involved supportive principals, a commitment to facilitating parent and family engagement and a close eye on the data – including that which the public can view on Maine DOE’s online data resource center – to drive informed decision-making.
The resulting climate is all about student success, something seen in the continuously improving student proficiency and growth rates at the two schools.
WHERE: Canaan Elementary, 178 Main St., Canaan and Bloomfield Elementary, 140 Academy Circle, Skowhegan
WHEN: 11 a.m. to noon, Friday, May 31 in Canaan and 12:30 to 2 p.m., Friday, May 31 in Skowhegan
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