WATERVILLE – The chair of the State’s Board of Education has been honored for his advocacy on behalf of adult education.
Dr. Steve Pound, of Greenville, was recognized as the 2013 recipient of the Gerald N. Levasseur Award, presented by the Maine Adult Education Association (MAEA) at the Maine Adult Education Conference held at Colby College last week.
Continue reading “State Education Board Chair honored for Adult Education advocacy”
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.
LD 1540, “An Act To Fix and Improve the System Used to Evaluate or Rate Public Schools in Maine,” was introduced by Democrats as a challenge to the LePage Administration’s new A-F school grades.
The funding from the Maine Department of Education will help transform the struggling school and increase student proficiency, teacher effectiveness and community engagement
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.
The Maine Department of Education announced its award Thursday to the struggling Lewiston school, which joins 10 others across the state – including the Governor James B. Longley School also in Lewiston – that have received significant funding since 2010 through the federal School Improvement Grant program (SIG) to initiate intensive reforms that advance student achievement.
Continue reading “State awards Lewiston’s Montello Elementary $1.8 million for school improvement”
AUGUSTA – As Governor Paul R. LePage continues to review the upcoming two-year budget, which was delivered to him late last week, he has discovered a disturbing trend of cuts to education. The budget reflects a slashing by the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee of supports for existing programs proven to prepare Maine youth for success in college and their careers and some innovative new ones.
That committee cut a total of $18.4 million proposed by the Department of Education and Governor LePage, including reducing funding over the next two years for Jobs for Maine’s Graduates by $600,000 and the Aspiration program– which raises education aspirations by allowing students to take college courses at a reduced rate – by $1.2 million.
Continue reading “Legislative budget misses opportunity to support students”
AUGUSTA – For the first time since the Maine Learning Technology Initiative began in 2002, schools have made a choice in the solutions they will use for 21st century teaching and learning.
This fall, 39,457 students and educators will start using Apple’s iPad tablet ($266 per year, per seat with network), followed by 24,128 using Apple’s MacBook Air laptop ($319 per year, per seat with network) and 5,474 using the HP ProBook 4440 laptop which runs Microsoft Windows 7 ($286 per year, per seat with network).
Continue reading “Schools embrace first chance for choice of learning technology”
AUGUSTA – The Maine Charter School Commission is seeking candidates interested in replacing outgoing member Dr. Richard Barnes. Barnes is not seeking reappointment to the Commission, which consists of seven members appointed by the Maine State Board of Education.
The Maine State Charter School Commission mission is to provide thoughtful stewardship in authorizing and monitoring public charter schools consistent with State statutes to create unique, high-quality learning options for Maine students.
Continue reading “Maine Charter School Commission seeks new member”
AUGUSTA – Maine education chief Stephen Bowen has presented his annual Commissioner’s Recognition Awards to those who have helped at-risk youth find success in school and beyond.
Commissioner Bowen was joined by Emanuel Pariser and Leslie Morrill, co-chairs of the State Advisory Committee on Truancy, Dropout and Alternative Education, in presenting the awards at a Blaine House ceremony last week.
Continue reading “Commissioner Bowen recognizes those who support at-risk youth”
AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage today congratulated Deputy Jason Solomon of the York County Sheriff’s Office on being selected as the 2013 National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) School Resource Officer (SRO) of the Year.
Solomon is a 12-year veteran of the York County Sheriff’s Office who has been the school resource officer for Massabesic High School in Waterboro since 2010.
ROCKPORT – Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen will speak to the Rockland Kiwanis Club Monday about his department’s commitment to seeing all Maine students leave school college and career ready.
In his remarks as the guest speaker at the June 10 lunchtime Kiwanis meeting at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Commissioner Bowen will share how the Maine Department of Education is increasingly a resource to districts in developing and deploying the best practices that ensure educator effectiveness and high student achievement.
Continue reading “Commissioner Bowen to address Rockland Kiwanis Monday”
AUGUSTA – As educators look to better support student success following the release of the state’s new letter grades, the Maine Department of Education is offering a series of school improvement webinars.
The one-hour webinars begin this Thursday and are free for educators.
Continue reading “Education Department supports schools with new improvement webinar series”
Maine DOE Newsroom 