Category: Priority Notices

Bridging our ‘skills gap’ long-term

Author icon: Head shot of Commissioner Stephen BowenMaine employers from all sectors of the economy came to the Blaine House in Augusta last week with a clear message, though not the one most might have expected.

The economy is slow, but we have job openings, the employers told Gov. Paul LePage. More than 20,000 Maine people are receiving unemployment benefits, but we can’t find the workers we need, they said.

In other words, what we have in Maine isn’t only a jobs deficit. It’s a skills deficit, too. We have more available jobs in some sectors than we do workers with the skills needed to do them.

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Preparing for an ‘inevitable’ era

Author icon: Head shot of Commissioner Stephen BowenSometimes it’s helpful to step away for a moment from the frenzy of daily operations to reflect on our work and where it’s headed. That’s what the staff of the Department of Education did earlier this week.

On Tuesday afternoon, the entire DOE was treated to a presentation by Bea McGarvey, former executive director of education for the Portland Public Schools and co-author of the book “Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning.”

Bea shared with us a compelling vision for the future of public education: one that harnesses the power of technology to customize learning for each student based on his or her interests, learning style and educational needs.

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Maine DOE as a resource, not a regulator

Author icon: Head shot of Commissioner Stephen Bowen

This blog entry was published in the September edition of The Maine Apprise, the newsletter of the Maine Principals’ Association.

As I toured schools across the state this past spring, I heard a lot from principals and assistant principals whose jobs are becoming more demanding by the day. We’re expecting our schools to prepare all students for college and careers in a constantly changing world. The expectations haven’t dropped even as funding has become tighter.

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Risk-taking as a route to transformation

Author icon: Head shot of Commissioner Stephen BowenTony Wagner came to Maine this week with a message to which we in education should pay attention.

What we need to do isn’t get better at teaching within the system we have now. We need to retool our education system to teach the skills that take precedence in our 21st-century, knowledge-driven economy.

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Commissioner Invitation to Superintendents’ Conference

May 23, 2011

Dear Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents of Schools:

I’m pleased to invite you to the 100th Annual School Superintendents’ and Assistant Superintendents’ Conference on June 27-28, 2011 at the Senator Inn in Augusta, Maine.

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