Category: Professional Development

Continuing Webinar Series on Expanding Multilingual and Multicultural Opportunities in School

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is excited to continue the Multilingual/Multicultural Connections Webinar Series with its second session, Incorporating Indigenous and Critical Needs Languages into the Curriculum, on Monday, February 3, 2025, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. via Zoom.

This professional learning opportunity highlights the transformative potential of multilingual and multicultural education in Maine schools. General education teachers, administrators, and district leaders are strongly encouraged to attend and explore strategies to leverage the international partnerships established through the Maine DOE’s Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs).

Why Attend?
Participants will:

  • Learn actionable strategies for integrating Indigenous languages, like Wabanaki, and critical-need global languages, such as Mandarin and Portuguese, into classrooms.
  • Explore partnership-driven resources, such as teacher exchange programs and virtual collaborations that enrich language learning.
  • Discover how to align language instruction with workforce development goals, preparing students for global careers.

Special Highlights
This session will feature insights from:

  • Bri Lolar, Maine DOE State Wabanaki Studies Specialist
  • Cynthia Huang, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office

Both experts will share real-world examples and practical applications for embedding critical languages into diverse classrooms.

Please use this link to register.

This series aims to demonstrate how Maine schools can utilize the unique opportunities afforded by the Maine DOE’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) partnership agreements with countries like Spain, China, Taiwan, Portugal, Germany, and France. Don’t miss this chance to explore the benefits of global engagement for your students and educators! Let’s work together to empower Maine students with the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in an interconnected world.

For more information, please contact Ayesha Hall, Maine DOE Director of Strategic Partnerships, at ayesha.hall@maine.gov.

Maine DOE Launches New Pre-K Professional Learning Series for Dual Language Learners

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Teaching and Learning is proud to introduce an exciting new professional learning series, designed to support educators working with Dual Language Learners (DLLs) in pre-K settings. This five-part interactive series will provide educators with tools and strategies to create inclusive, language-rich classrooms that celebrate student voice, engage families meaningfully, and embrace culturally-responsive practices.

Series Overview

Participants will engage in collaborative activities, watch expert-led presentations, and gain actionable resources, including Individualized Language Acquisition Plans (ILAPs) and Student Profiles designed specifically for pre-K learners.

This series is ideal for pre-K and Early Childhood educators, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, and administrators supporting pre-K and early learning programs. It will empower educators to:

  • Develop child-centered, language-focused programming using asset-based student portraits.
  • Foster meaningful communication and authentic partnerships with families.
  • Build language-rich environments that integrate language development into daily routines.
  • Co-create culturally-responsive programming that reflects and celebrates student diversity.
  • Use data and assessments effectively to support growth and smooth transitions for DLLs.

Participants will receive Unlocking Multilingual Learner Potential, Second Edition by Diane Staehr Fenner and Sydney Snyder, provided free of charge. Enrollment is capped at 30 participants to ensure a collaborative and impactful experience. Educators and administrators are encouraged to commit to all sessions and will receive 30 contact hours.

Series Details

Dates:

  • Session 1: February 27, 2025
  • Session 2: March 27, 2025
  • Session 3: April 17, 2025
  • Session 4: May 29, 2025
  • Session 5: June 26, 2025

Time: 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Format: virtual and interactive

The application deadline is Friday, February 7, 2025. Please use this link to apply. Participants will be notified of acceptance by February 13.

About the Facilitator

Rebecca Carey, a 2024-2025 Teacher Leader Fellow with the Maine DOE, will lead this professional learning series. Carey is a dedicated educator passionate about supporting multilingual learners and fostering joyful, play-based learning environments.

Carey has developed an asynchronous resource, Dual Language Learners, Pre-K and Early Learning, which includes a short video addressing frequently-asked questions about identifying and supporting multilingual learners in pre-K programs. Accompanying slides and a one-pager offer additional resources to build culturally-responsive, child-centered classrooms.

For questions, contact Melanie Junkins, Maine DOE Multilingual and Bilingual Education Specialist, at melanie.junkins@maine.gov.

The Maine DOE Office of Teaching and Learning is committed to unlocking the potential of every learner by creating classrooms where every child thrives. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your impact and make a lasting difference!

Reminder: Registration Open for Inclusive Education Conference on April 10

Join the Maine Department of Education (DOE) for the state’s first Inclusive Education Conference on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at the Augusta Civic Center. The conference theme is “Reimagining Education: Empowering All Learners, Embracing All Abilities.” It will provide school communities (educators, administrators, families, and students) with the tools necessary to empower every student, particularly those with disabilities, by embracing diverse abilities and ensuring that all students have the support they need to build inclusive, meaningful futures.

The Maine DOE Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education and the University of Maine at Farmington are hosting this conference. The keynote speaker will be Katie Novak, an internationally renowned education consultant, author, graduate instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a former Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts. Dr. Novak’s keynote address will focus on an introduction to inclusive education practices and structures in schools. She will also hold three sessions on Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

The conference will feature students, families, educators, administrators, university faculty, and Maine DOE staff from across the state, as well, who will share their expertise and experiences with inclusion in schools and communities.

Please gather a team of your school colleagues and meet us in Augusta this spring! The cost of the daylong conference (8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.) is $175 and includes lunch, as well as a wealth of information and resources.

Register here. (Please note that technical issues with the event registration website have been resolved.)

For more information, please reach out to Maine DOE Special Projects for Inclusion Coordinator Tracy Whitlock at tracy.w.whitlock@maine.gov. Click here to learn more about the conference and other inclusive programming.

WEBINAR: Lights, Stage, Learn – The Transformative Power of Theater in Education

Join Maine Department of Education (DOE) Arts Integration Teacher Leader Fellow Joshua Chard and special guests Reba Askari, Emily Dixon, and Allison McCall from the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine for an engaging and interactive webinar that explores how theater can enrich classroom learning and foster creativity, empathy, and critical thinking in students.

Educators will gain practical strategies for integrating theatrical techniques into lessons to make subjects more dynamic and relatable. Additionally, the session will highlight the lasting impact of exposing students to live theater performances, from sparking curiosity to deepening cultural awareness.

The Children’s Theatre of Maine was established in 1924 and continues to offer professional theater for young audiences at Maddy’s Theater, located at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine at Thompson’s Point in Portland. Join us to inspire your students through the magic of storytelling and performance!

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, February 5, from 3:15- 4:15 p.m. via Zoom.

Join the webinar here. (There is no need to register in advance).

The Maine DOE Teacher Leader Fellow program is part of the Maine DOE Office of Teaching and Learning. For additional information, please contact Joshua Chard at joshua.chard@maine.gov.

Registration Open for 2025 Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) Winter Workshop

Maine educators are invited to register for the 2025 Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) Winter Workshop, hosted by Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG). This event will take place on February 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor and is appropriate for a range of backgrounds – from experienced ELO facilitators who are seeking to refine their approach to educators new to this innovative curriculum delivery method who are interested in learning more.

ELOs are recognized in Maine statute as an educational pathway offering students personalized and hands-on learning experiences that connect academic standards with real-world opportunities. The Winter Workshop is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools needed to create or enhance ELOs to better support student success.

Highlights of this workshop include:

  • Interactive Sessions: Dive into microlearning, application activities, and guided work sessions tailored to specific needs.
  • Peer Collaboration: Connect with fellow educators and ELO experts to share best practices and strategies.
  • Practical Takeaways: Learn how to align ELOs with state learning standards, integrate group-based approaches, and leverage the ELO Learning Management System on Canvas.
  • Student Voices: Hear firsthand from Maine students about the transformative impact of ELOs on their learning journeys.

Thanks to funding provided by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development’s Maine Career Exploration Program, registration and food costs for participants are fully covered by JMG. Attendees will also receive a certificate for five contact hours, applicable toward educator recertification.

With spaces filling quickly, now is the time for educators to secure a spot. Please register here.

For more information, check out the official event flyer. Please contact JMG’s ELO Coach Shayna Webber at swebber@jmg.org with any questions.

Maine DOE and DHHS to Host Annual Foster Care Points of Contact Training on January 30

The Annual Foster Care Points of Contact (POC) training for school administrative units (SAUs) is scheduled for Thursday, January 30, at 3:30 p.m. via Zoom. Hosted by the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS), this event will bring together the foster care POCs from individual SAUs, as well as regional foster care POCs from the OCFS.

The purpose of this yearly training is to review foster care provisions, to review the State of Maine Transportation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Maine DOE and DHHS, and to provide those working most closely with youth in foster care an opportunity to network with counterparts across the state who support students in foster care.

The training will include a formal presentation, followed by an opportunity for SAU foster care POCs to connect with OCFS foster care POCs (listed below) in small breakout groups where participants will engage in regional-level conversations to share updates, successes, and concerns.

DHHS POC Regions in Maine

OCFS Foster Care Points of Contact for Education​

More Information About Educational Protections for Children in Foster Care  

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed on December 10, 2015, and amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). ESSA contains provisions related to protections for children in foster care and requires the Maine DOE and SAUs to collaborate with the OCFS to ensure educational stability for children in foster care. The goal of ESSA’s provisions is for children in foster care to experience minimal disruption in their education as a result of being placed in foster care and to receive the same opportunities to develop the necessary skills to be successful as children who are not in foster care.

Under ESSA, the Maine DOE and OCFS must work together to ensure that:

  • A child in foster care will enroll or remain enrolled in the child’s school of origin, unless a determination is made that it is not in the child’s best interest to attend that school.
  • If a determination is made that is not in the child’s best interest to remain in the school of origin, the child will immediately be enrolled in a new school, even if the child and/or his or her guardians are unable to produce records normally required for enrollment.
  • The child’s new school must immediately contact the school of origin to obtain relevant records.

Please consider joining the Director of the Maine DOE Office of School and Student Supports, Julie Smyth, and DHHS Manager of Field Operations, Jill Hunter, for the ’24-’25 Foster Care Points of Contact Meeting on Thursday, January 30. You may register in advance for this meeting here. Upon registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For questions, please contact Julie Smyth at julie.a.smyth@maine.gov or 207-592-0949.

 

Registration Open for Maine Curriculum Leaders Association Conference

The Maine Curriculum Leaders Association (MCLA) is hosting a conference on Monday, April 7, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport. Registration is now open!

This conference, which has the theme of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for Leaders, is designed to provide curriculum leaders with meaningful opportunities for reflection and practical strategies for strategic planning. Participants will explore ways to strengthen systems and improve outcomes through a combination of engaging discussions, collaborative activities, and hands-on tools.

The conference keynote speaker is Katie Novak, Ed.D. Her biography is as follows:

“Katie Novak, Ed.D is an internationally renowned education consultant, author, graduate instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a former Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts. With 20 years of experience in teaching and administration, an earned doctorate in curriculum and teaching, and fifteen published books, with over 280K books sold worldwide, Katie designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on the implementation of inclusive practices, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and universally designed leadership. Novak’s work has impacted educators worldwide as her contributions and collaborations have built upon the foundation for an educational framework that is critical for student success.” (Novak Education, 2020)

For more information, please contact the Maine Curriculum Leaders Association at director@mainecla.org.

 

FREE Professional Learning Series: Building Linguistically-Responsive Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for Multilingual Learners

To support educators across Maine who work with multilingual learners with disabilities, the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE) and Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) are collaborating to facilitate a six-session professional learning series entitled, “The Intersection of English Language Acquisition and Individualized Education Programs”.

Designed for Special Education teachers, Case Managers, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, this professional learning community will foster collaboration and collective efficacy to address students’ linguistic, cultural, and academic strengths through the intersection of language acquisition and disability.

Participants will work toward developing linguistically-responsive Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) through the integration of Individual Language Acquisition Plans (ILAPs) for multilingual students.

Session topics include:

  • Foundational Knowledge: Legal Regulations, Civil Rights, and Data Overview
  • Collaboration and Integration of IEPs and Individual Language Acquisition Plans (ILAPs)
  • IEPs for Multilingual Learners: Section 3 Special Factors
  • Linguistically-Appropriate Goals, Services, and Accommodations
  • Test Participation Guidance and Accommodations

Each session will be artfully facilitated by Leora Byras, Education Specialist, Maine DOE OSSIE, and Melissa Frans, Teacher Leader Fellow for Multilingual Learners with Disabilities, Maine DOE OTL.

Two contact hours per session will be awarded to account for essential pre-work. Participants, including school and district teams, are encouraged to attend all six sessions and, upon completion, will receive a free anchor text: IEPs for ELs and Other Diverse Learners.

“With practical guidance and checklists, this book provides educators with research-based strategies and examples that empower them to write effective IEPs for K-12 EL learners.” (Corwin Publishers, 2017.)

Sessions will be held virtually from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on:

  • Tuesday, January 21, 2025
  • Thursday, February 27, 2025
  • Tuesday, March 18, 2025
  • Tuesday, April 29, 2025
  • Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • Tuesday, June 10, 2025

To register for this event, please use this registration link.

If you have any questions, please contact Leora Byras (Leora.Byras@maine.gov) or Jane Armstrong, Maine DOE ESOL State Specialist (Jane.Armstrong@maine.gov).

 

 

Save-the-Date for Maine School Safety & Transportation Conference

Please join the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Maine School Safety Center for the first School Safety & Transportation Conference from March 10-12, 2025 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine.

This event will bring together educators, transportation professionals, safety experts, and policymakers to discuss and explore innovative strategies, best practices, and emerging technologies to improve school safety and transportation systems.

Why Attend?

  • Learn from leaders: Gain insights from keynote speakers, panel discussions, and breakout sessions led by experts in school safety and transportation.
  • Network with peers: Connect with professionals and stakeholders from across Maine to share challenges, solutions, and success stories.

Who Should Attend?

This conference is designed for:

  • School and district administrators
  • School board members
  • Facility directors
  • Transportation directors and staff
  • School support staff (e.g., counselors, social workers, nurses, office staff, etc.)
  • Staff and team leadership
  • Safety and security personnel, including school safety specialists
  • Law enforcement and administrators
  • School resource officers
  • Juvenile community corrections officers
  • First responders and local/county EMAs

Please be on the lookout for upcoming communication regarding registration, which opens in mid-January. The first 150 attendees to register will receive a scholarship for registration, meals, and lodging. More information, including a full agenda, speaker lineup, and travel information, is also coming soon.

Let’s work together to create a culture of care and safety in our schools, as well as more efficient transportation systems for our students. We look forward to seeing you in March of 2025!

Rescheduled Webinar: Creative Connections – Showcasing Student Artwork in the Community

Discover practical strategies for displaying student art in public spaces to celebrate creativity and strengthen community ties. This engaging webinar, hosted by Maine Department of Education (DOE) Arts Integration Teacher Leader Fellow Joshua Chard, will explore ideas like partnering with local businesses, hosting gallery nights, creating murals, and using digital displays to highlight student talent.

Participants will benefit from:

  • Real-world examples and tips for successful implementation.
  • Interactive discussions to inspire innovative approaches.
  • A downloadable checklist for actionable insights.

This session is designed for educators, administrators, and community leaders seeking to promote youth creativity and engagement. Joshua Chard will be joined by special guest Emily Serway, a National Board Certified Art Educator, to share expertise and inspiration.

Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 Wednesday, February 27, 2025
Time: 3:15 p.m.
Location: Join online via Zoom here. (No preregistration is required.)

Bring student art into your community with confidence and creativity. Don’t miss this opportunity!

The Teacher Leader Fellow Program is part of the Maine DOE Office of Teaching and Learning. For further information, please contact Joshua Chard at joshua.chard@maine.gov.