The first round of RREV (Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures) Awardees were announced in August of 2021. RREV is an initiative of the Maine Department of Education, funded by the Education Stabilization Funds through the US Department of Education’s Rethink K-12 Education Models, that bolsters Maine educators’ innovative efforts to support their students with agile, effective, and resilient learning experiences that improve learning outcomes for all students. Now, after a year of experience and development, the Department of Education would like to thank the awardees for their dedication to innovative education and highlight their achievements that have resulted from the RREV contracts over the past year. Continue reading to learn more about the ways in which the Brewer School Department has used their RREV funding this past year.

After a year of remote, online learning, many students and educators were eager to get back inside the classroom. This desire to have in-person learning once again was understood by most people, as online classes made learning harder for many students. However, Superintendent of Brewer School Department (BSD) Gregg Palmer believes that the rush back to the traditional classroom was also a “rush back to marginalization” for those students who felt more comfortable in online classes. “Tradition is a place of safety,” he said, however, some students feel as though the tradition of brick-and-mortar school buildings is far from safe. He, along with Renita Ward-Downer, Director of Curriculum at BSD, recognized that some students need an online alternative.

In August 2021, after receiving their RREV funding, BSD began to offer a remote learning pathway for students in 7th through 12th grades. At first, the intention was for the pathway to be fully online education with limited spots. The students would have access to in-person opportunities for extracurricular activities to ensure students were still able to make meaningful connections with peers and educators. However, the school quickly realized that their enrollment limit was not high enough, as greater need was shown by the number of students registering in the program. The district honored their promise of flexibility, though, and simply increased the number of students able to enroll in the program.

Ward-Downer said their goal with the program was to “truly tailor a person’s education,” and they have done just that. Once students understood that they were able to help define the shape of the program, they began to communicate with the district what they wanted and needed. In the case of many students, this meant not being 100% remote, but rather a mix of in-person and online education. The district, Palmer said, was happy to make this change, as it gives an intermediate option rather than the “all or nothing” structure of classic public school.

Remote Learning Planning

Students taking advantage of in-person opportunities and activities

Students taking advantage of in-person opportunities and activities

Many of the students who have taken advantage of this online option are students who have been chronically absent in the past. Prior to the introduction of this program, the district wasn’t appropriately addressing student needs, Palmer said. Now the district has found that kids who previously had no interest in school want to learn because their needs are being met. One student was consistently truant about a third of the school year prior to COVID, mostly due to anxiety surrounding being in class at school. Since enrolling in the online pathway that BSD has to offer, however, they have not missed a single day of school, and, at the end of the school year, was sad that it was over. The student is excited for the next school year to start for the first time.

Another group of students that found great value in the program were homeschooled students. Many families who switched to homeschooling at the start of the pandemic placed their students back into the public school system because of this program. They found that the online pathway helped relieve family stress while continuing to provide a similar flexibility to homeschooling.

Getting to this level of success wasn’t easy, though. The district had to battle the stigma that comes with online education along with misconstrued perceptions of the work they were trying to do. “The one thing we couldn’t be was afraid of upsetting people or being viewed as not supporting the idea of a full public education program,” Palmer said. If they had, he said, they would’ve opened the door to questions and doubts about what they were trying to do.

Even while they were confident in their work, others found ways to doubt the district. Parents were concerned that students would take advantage of the online program, using it to slack off. Others who provide supports to students including Special Education, were understandably concerned that identified students looking to try the new program might encounter difficulty having all their educational and social/emotional needs met. However, Brewer offered in-person support for these students and monitored how the pilot went for certain students. The results were very positive, with identified students improving their attendance, and all groups are now in support of the online pathway. Ward-Downer believes that “to grow, [we all had to] problem solve together” in order to find the best solution for the kids. Parents and educators alike found that the students in the online program are leaders, taking control of their education. This form of online education, Palmer said, takes a different kind of motivation than a typical public school education, and Ward-Downer added that they ensure their students have balance so they’re not just lying in bed all day. They both agreed that you cannot fake your way through the online pathway the way you might be able to in the back corner of a classroom. The Special Education department found that some of their students have been able to be more successful in the online pathway thanks to anxiety relief and increased flexibility. Since its introduction, the online pathway has continually gained momentum and support throughout both the student body and the community to get to where it is now.

Other districts around the state are noticing BSD’s success, too. Realizing how beneficial the online pathway has been for students in Brewer and how it has lowered truancy, other districts are looking to implement the innovation in their districts as well, and the educators in BSD say they are happy to help. Their goal for the next year, Palmer said, is to work with other districts to build a network of online programs. In true RREV spirit, the district aspires to inspire innovation and collaborate with other schools to provide as many students a chance at success as possible. Once other RREV pilots based off of Brewer’s are established, like Hampden and Bucksport, which have been recently approved, Palmer said he hopes that they will all be able to tap into each other’s different online courses and resources to offer all students a well-rounded education with multiple outcomes.

Martin Mackey, the former RREV Project Director who tragically passed away in April of this year, embodied the RREV spirit: to think and act boldly to meet the needs of students. His passion was to “change lives.” As such, he challenged each and every RREV participant to do just that as they designed pilot ideas that would ultimately have a lasting systemic impact on students.  After 18 months of leading RREV, Martin’s passion had been passed on to almost 200 educators who had participated in innovation professional development. From those educators, 27 Pilot ideas were brought to fruition and have received over $5.7 million in RREV awards. Through their pilot ideas, these educators have pledged to commit themselves to innovation.

The Maine DOE encourages all schools and districts across the State of Maine to learn more about these innovative educators and their RREV pilots through the RREV website and the online RREV collaborative platform known as EnGiNE. It is through EnGiNE that we all hope to continue the Martin Momentum to change students’ lives through innovative and responsive educational programs.

Maine DOE team member Robert Palmer is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Robert in the question and answer below.

What are your roles with DOE?

I am Management Analyst II for the EANS (Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools) team. I make up the fiscal and procurement section of the EANS Team.

What do you like best about your job?

I enjoy assisting the Non Public Schools to better enable the children to learn more effectively in safe/secure environment.

How or why did you decide on this career?

I decided to work with the EANS team because I enjoy challenging myself. Working with Non-Public Schools and the ever changing funding sources provides a challenge that is always evolving. Being able to adapt and overcome each challenge while helping the schools is very rewarding.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

I enjoy spending as much time outside as possible. Most of the time is spent hiking, hunting and fishing. If I am not outside, I can be found renovating my rental properties. I enjoy learning how to do things for myself and as any home owner knows, something always needs to be done.

The first round of RREV (Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures) Awardees were announced in August of 2021. RREV is an initiative of the Maine Department of Education, funded by the Education Stabilization Funds through the US Department of Education’s Rethink K-12 Education Models, that bolsters Maine educators’ innovative efforts to support their students with agile, effective, and resilient learning experiences that improve learning outcomes for all students. Now, after a year of experience and development, the Department of Education would like to thank the awardees for their dedication to innovative education and highlight their achievements that have resulted from the RREV contracts over the past year. Continue reading to learn more about the ways in which School Union 76 has used their RREV funding this past year.

Last August, School Union 76 was approved for their RREV pilot project titled “Classrooms in the Community,” which was intended to create outdoor learning spaces for students across the district. These outdoor spaces were meant to be inclusive and were designed for all students to be able to engage, connect, and explore. The district took on big goals, hoping to significantly boost student learning proficiencies across all subgroups of students, create a global, integrated base of knowledge for staff, students, and parents, expand aspirations and awareness of continuous learning opportunities for students and communities, and better prepare students for a world rapidly changing through technology and innovation by teaching and nurturing the practices of self-educating, research & exploration, and teamwork. A year later, significant progress has been made towards these goals thanks to the construction of an ADA accessible boardwalk that is part of a nature trail, and partnerships with community organizations, sharing their progress all along on Facebook.

The ADA accessible boardwalk has been a focal point for both the schools and the surrounding community. Students now interact with it regularly, and, in October, after the construction completed, Island Heritage Trust collaborated with the district on a jack-o’-lantern carving event. Jack-o’-lanterns lined the boardwalk and were illuminated for two nights where the trail was open to the public. Mickie Flores, Deer Isle-Stonington (DIS) Elementary Science Teacher, described how students “oohed” and “awed” as they walked down the boardwalk. Community members, she said, showed up too, to enjoy the pumpkins and fall air.

The boardwalk and the outside facilities are not just used for events, however. One kindergarten class took a walk on the nature trail every day this past school year. They loved their routine so much, they wanted to do everything they could to maintain the boardwalk and trail. As part of the district’s turn to hands-on learning, the teachers encouraged their students to collect pennies and took them on a field trip to the bank to deposit them. When all the collected pennies were counted, the students had collected over $230 to put towards boardwalk maintenance, and community members in the bank at the time donated even more money to help the kindergartners maintain their beloved nature trail.

While the kindergarteners use the trail to take in the nature around them, Flores emphasizes that “going outside is not just to learn science.” She believes you can learn anything outdoors, and the curriculum in SU 76 reflects this. 5th grade students spent time outside writing haikus this year, and 2nd graders painted rocks with positive messages. The time outside was good for their creativity and mindfulness, not just factual, science-based education.

Next year, Flores will find herself in a new position with a new title as the Classroom and Community Coordinator. “I believe the past titles of RREV Coordinator and Place Based Education Coordinator are much too enigmatic,” she said. To her, a label that clearly communicates her role within the district is more important, as the clarity helps to create and strengthen those community connections that are integral to the project. In her new role, Flores looks forward to establishing herself as a resource for all four schools and continuing to collaborate with Island Heritage Trust, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, and the Chase Emerson Public Library.

In terms of the continuation of their project, the district hopes to expand the opportunities available to students this coming school year. The construction of an outdoor classroom is underway and is set to be opened near the high school. Flores hopes that this outdoor space, while it will be used by all students, will increase high school engagement and excitement because of its proximity to their school building. The district is also hoping to have opportunities to connect the schools through field trips and increased interaction with community partners to achieve their long-term goal of having all students experience multiple learning opportunities that are active, hands-on, creative, and student-centered.

Ultimately, before the June 30, 2023 funding deadline, Flores hopes to increase participation at Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School and the Sedgwick Schools and begin involvement with the Brooklin school as well as the Deer Isle-Stonington High School. She also intends to produce a calendar documenting the activities at the various schools throughout the year to share the activities with the community and increase this involvement.

Martin Mackey, the former RREV Project Director who tragically passed away in April of this year, embodied the RREV spirit: to think and act boldly to meet the needs of students. His passion was to “change lives.” As such, he challenged each and every RREV participant to do just that as they designed pilot ideas that would ultimately have a lasting systemic impact on students.  After 18 months of leading RREV, Martin’s passion had been passed on to almost 200 educators who had participated in innovation professional development. From those educators, 27 Pilot ideas were brought to fruition and have received over $5.7 million in RREV awards. Through their pilot ideas, these educators have pledged to commit themselves to innovation.

The Maine DOE encourages all schools and districts across the State of Maine to learn more about these innovative educators and their RREV pilots through the RREV website and the online RREV collaborative platform known as EnGiNE. It is through EnGiNE that we all hope to continue the Martin Momentum to change students’ lives through innovative and responsive educational programs.