Maine educators from schools serving students pK-12 and higher education institutions gathered at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor from June 29 through July 1 for the 2026 Maine Department of Education (DOE) Summer Learning Institute, The Science of Learning: Developing Literate and Numerate Minds. The three-day institute connected research with practical strategies that educators can use to strengthen learning across grade levels and disciplines.
Keynote presentations by national and internationally acclaimed educational experts Vanessa Vakharia, Jessica Fries-Gaither, and Molly Ness highlighted connections among literacy, numeracy, and interdisciplinary learning through a shared focus on confidence, engagement, and authentic application.
Literacy workshops provided educators with research-informed strategies for strengthening literacy instruction and student learning. Sessions explored purposeful play, foundational reading instruction, tiered supports, dyslexia, strategies for supporting striving and reluctant readers, multilingual learners, vocabulary development, comprehension, literacy dispositions, civic literacy, and student engagement. Together, the workshops emphasized building confident readers and using relevant, interdisciplinary experiences to deepen understanding.
Numeracy workshops focused on moving mathematics beyond isolated procedures and helping students develop confidence, curiosity, and positive mathematical identities. Through hands-on activities, games, inquiry, career connections, data visualization through art, and outdoor learning, educators explored strategies to build fluency and help students use mathematics to solve authentic problems and make sense of real-world experiences.
The institute concluded with Brian Lescord, Maine DOE Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) specialist, sharing strategies for measuring implementation fidelity. Throughout the institute, networking and coaching sessions gave participants time to consult with presenters, collaborate with colleagues, reflect on their learning, and begin planning how to apply their learning in classroom and schools.
The feedback from educators who attended was overwhelmingly positive. Participants reported substantial growth in their understanding of core concepts, and 86% said the institute markedly increased their confidence in both understanding and applying what they learned. In addition, 89% said the material presented was “directly relevant” to their teaching practice, and 100% reported being satisfaction with the institute overall.
Lisa Skiff, a third-grade teacher said, “I came home with a plethora of resources that won’t just sit on the shelf – they’ll be put into practice every day in my classroom.
For more information about the Literacy and Numeracy Summer Institute, contact any of the following members of the Maine DOE Interdisciplinary Instruction Team: Heather Martin at heather.martin@maine.gov, Michele Mailhot at michele.r.mailhot@maine.gov, or Kathy Bertini at kathy.bertini@maine.gov.
Title II funds provided by the U.S. Department of Education support the implementation of this project. The project has a total award of $156,494, 52% of which is federally funded and directly supports project implementation. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, or an endorsement by, the U.S. Department of Education or the U.S. government.
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