As I tour the state, I wonder what’s getting in the way of letting educators do what’s best for their students.
Fred Woodman has done it all in his career in Maine schools.
He’s been a teacher, principal and superintendent. Now, he’s director of the United Technologies Center in Bangor, which I visited Thursday on the second day of my statewide listening tour.
Students apply math and science skills in classes they find relevant at United Technologies Center in Bangor.
Continue reading “Technology center engaging students, training future workforce”
Parents and teachers offer suggestions on how the Maine DOE can support schools in their work.
TURNER — How do schools need to change and how can the Department of Education help educators make that happen?
Continue reading “Commissioner seeks input at first public forum in Turner”
Parents, teachers, and superintendents offered good feedback on how the Maine DOE can help them make schools better. That, and a personalized tour by students at Greene Central School.
What a great start to the Listening Tour yesterday.
Continue reading “Our listening tour gets off to a great start”
Teachers dig into data to improve teaching and learning.
TURNER — Teachers at Turner Primary School are trying to figure out how they can best use data to improve the instruction they offer their 300 students in pre-kindergarten through third grade.
Continue reading “Turner school works on data-driven teaching”
Teachers say they are eager to use new academic standards and talk about their success in raising student achievement.
GREENE — The students at Greene Central School have made steady progress in reading ever since their school fell short of federal testing benchmarks four years ago.
Using federal school improvement money, staff members developed a plan that emphasized intensive training for teachers and using regular classroom tests to determine how to help students make progress, according to Principal Pamela Doyen.
Continue reading “Greene school shows its stuff to Ed Commissioner”
ADMINISTRATIVE LETTER: 32
POLICY CODE: DB
Continue reading “FY 2011-2012 Budget Reporting – Due August 25, 2011”
Bowen seeking input from all nine superintendent regions in first 100 days
AUGUSTA – Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen announced he will visit schools, superintendents and parents in each of the state’s nine superintendent regions in the first 100 days he is on the job. He also announced the first three dates on this “Listening Tour.”
“I want to hear from educators in the field about the work they are doing, and about how the Department can best support them in that work, and from parents their thoughts about how we can make our schools better,” Bowen said. “People in the field know what they need. Most important, I want to hear about their ideas for making the Department better and making education in Maine better.
Continue reading “Ed commissioner embarks on “listening tour””
Ranks needs in 71 school projects
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Education presented its ranking of the pre-K-12 school projects with the most significant needs to the State Board of Education on Wednesday. The proposed “priority list” is the first rating of school construction projects since the 2004-05 rating cycle, through which 22 schools were approved for renovation or construction.
Continue reading “Maine DOE releases school construction list”
Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen said Monday’s unanimous passage by the Education Committee of the Common Core State Standards means schools throughout the state can start focusing on adjusting their curriculum to the new, rigorous standards.
Continue reading “Bowen: Vote on rigorous standards creates certainty for Maine schools”
Maine DOE Newsroom 