Welcome to the July issue of Maine DOE Monthly.
It’s hard to believe that children will be back in the classroom in just a few weeks. Summer has flown by here at Maine DOE as we’ve been fully focused on supporting schools to improve student outcomes. We awarded Montello Elementary in Lewiston a $1.8 million School Improvement Grant, added more informative and inspirational videos to our Center for Best Practice and traveled across the state teaching schools how to use the new Maine DOE Data Warehouse to inform improvement planning and action for the upcoming school year.
Next month, we’ll restart our school improvement webinar series (check out the episodes we recorded in June), announce our fall progress report tour (let us know if you’d like us to come to your school or community) and continue advancing our Education Evolving strategic plan that puts students at the center of a transformed education system (with an exciting announcement on accountability expected in August).
Until then, stay tuned to our newsroom for updates and new resources from Maine DOE.
Dispatches & Press Releases
State awards Lewiston’s Montello Elementary $1.8 million for school improvement
LEWISTON – Montello Elementary School will use $1.8 million in new State support to improve student proficiency by double-digit percentages, enhance teacher effectiveness and better engage the community. | More
What does a Common Core classroom look like?
Trying to paint a picture for your parents, school board members or community leaders of what school looks like with the new standards in math and English language arts? | More | Common Core – ELA: Mind the shifts
Education Commissioner affirms State commitment to school improvement as alternate grading bill fails
AUGUSTA – Maine’s Education Commissioner says the demise of Democrat-led legislation that would have derailed the new State school report card system allows his Department to keep its focus fully on school improvement. | More
Maine students invited to help NASA
In March, NASA launched an exciting new partnership with Lockheed Martin to engage students across the nation in America’s next phase of human space exploration. The Exploration Design Challenge (EDC) is now inviting Maine students from kindergarten through 12th grade to learn more about one of the biggest challenges NASA faces before sending humans beyond low-Earth orbit: space radiation. | More
State Education Board has new leadership
AUGUSTA – The Maine State Board of Education has new leadership, having elected Nancy S. Perkins as chair and Peter E. Geiger as vice-chair. | More
Fort Kent’s CHIPPY Family Literacy program surpasses 200 families served
MSAD 27’s Center and Home-based Instructional Program for Parents and Youth (CHIPPY) Family Literacy project has hit a significant service milestone. | More
County students to benefit from Aroostook Aspirations Initiative
AROOSTOOK COUNTY – A first-of-its-kind, County-wide project will provide significant opportunities for young people in the region to pursue their dreams, and, in turn, support higher education institutions and bolster economic development efforts in northern Maine. | More