Category: Instruction

English language teacher leaders attend ESL Summer Academy at UMaine

English learner educators from twenty-five school districts participated in the ESL Summer Academy at UMaine in Orono where participants engaged in activities to facilitate professional development planning based on the needs of their schools and districts. This valuable training supports educators as they become in-house facilitators, building capacity within districts to develop all teachers into teachers of English language to further support the needs of all students.

Continue reading “English language teacher leaders attend ESL Summer Academy at UMaine” →

Maine STEM Summit and grant competition for educators

Maine DOE encourages educators to attend the upcoming Maine STEM Summit on Friday, Nov. 18 at Colby College in Waterville. This summit will provide an opportunity to foster discussion, engagement, and innovation across the education, workforce, and technology sectors of Maine. This year, K-12 educators are encouraged to apply for the first annual STEM Education Innovation Challenge Grant Competition to fund innovative projects in the classroom. Finalists of the challenge will present their pitches at the summit.

Continue reading “Maine STEM Summit and grant competition for educators” →

Putting Reading First in Maine videos now available online

The Putting Reading First in Maine instructional video collection, a key resource featuring reading instruction and assessment practices happening in Maine schools, is now available online. Maine educators, especially those who work in the K-5 grade span or with secondary level students in need extra assistance with reading, are encouraged to access this collection of resources for professional learning.

Continue reading “Putting Reading First in Maine videos now available online” →

Governor LePage and Deputy Commissioner Beardsley tap Dr. Robert Hasson to join Blue Ribbon Commission as chair

AUGUSTA – Dr. William Beardsley, Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education, announced today that he has accepted an invitation from Governor LePage to serve as the Governor’s designee on the Commission to Reform School Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine, creating a vacancy on the commission for a representative from the Department of Education, the seat previously held by Dr. Beardsley.

Continue reading “Governor LePage and Deputy Commissioner Beardsley tap Dr. Robert Hasson to join Blue Ribbon Commission as chair” →

Math teaching improves for students with disabilities

The Maine Department of Education provided three of its five days of intensive Foundations of Math training last month to some 30 educators in the Lewiston-Auburn and Turner areas. The rest of the training will take place in early August. The training is an integral piece of Maine DOE’s “Math4ME” special education initiative, designed to improve math achievement for Maine students with disabilities.

Continue reading “Math teaching improves for students with disabilities” →

Cross Discipline Literacy Network adds webinars to collection

The Cross Discipline Literacy Network (CDLN) has added eight webinars to its collection with the completion of the 2015-16 season, bringing the total to 71. CDLN is a professional learning network that fosters effective literacy practices across content areas for PK-12 educators.

Continue reading “Cross Discipline Literacy Network adds webinars to collection” →

Upcoming facilities conference for school staff

The Maine Department of Education is encouraging superintendents, facilities directors, business managers, maintenance teams and custodial staff to attend the forty-eighth Annual School Facilities Conference at Waterville High School on June 28-29. The conference is free for public school staff; registration is required.

Continue reading “Upcoming facilities conference for school staff” →

Maine Curriculum Leader of the Year announced

The Maine Curriculum Leaders’ Association recently selected  Assistant Superintendent of Westbrook School Department Dr. Peter Lancia, as Maine’s 2016 Curriculum Leader of the Year. This is not Lancia’s first award, having been Maine’s 2002 Teacher of the Year.

Continue reading “Maine Curriculum Leader of the Year announced” →