The University of Maine Humanities Initiative will host a daylong Maine Humanities Summit at the Governor Hill Mansion in Augusta on Friday, May 17, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The summit convenes humanities, arts, and cultural professionals with academic administrators, legislators, and policymakers from across the state.
Continue reading “Calling cultural and arts professionals for Maine Humanities Summit”
The Maine Department of Education’s Literacy for ME initiative is partnering with the Barbara Bush Foundation as a co-sponsor of its annual Literacy Connections Conference, open to anyone with an interest in the initiative. This conference will allow attendees to learn more about a variety of aspects of the Literacy for ME initiative, community literacy planning, and general literacy topics across the birth-adult span.
Continue reading “Communities invited to annual Literacy for ME conference”
I had the chance last week to talk with five students at Lewiston High School who are taking advantage of an early college opportunity that will save them money, expose them to the college experience, and could lead them to future careers. I picked LHS for the second stop on my Promising Practices tour because the kids I talked to are among 68 juniors and seniors who are taking college classes for credit at institutions like the University of Southern Maine and Central Maine Community College. It’s encouraging to see students taking initiative when it comes to their futures, and it’s great to meet teachers and administrators who are making that happen.
Continue reading “Lewiston a model for early college program”
Lewiston High School’s school board has recently approved a plan to expand and formalize the work of College for ME by implementing a College Scholars program, set to begin this fall in collaboration with the University of Southern Maine.
Continue reading “Lewiston to launch College Scholars program this fall”
Tablets or laptops? For at least two years now we’ve been getting that question, similar to the way in which the focus once was: Mac or PC? As with the last time, Jeff Mao, our Director of Learning Technology, and I try to remind people that we don’t choose a device – we choose a learning solution that will enhance learning in the ways we demand in our request for proposals. It’s up to vendors to show us how their solution will do that, whether it’s a laptop, tablet, smartphone or something else.
The Bangor Daily News recently featured Hermon High School’s innovative Bridge Year Program as it nears the end of its successful pilot year. By June, 14 juniors will have earned up to 13.5 college credits and will be on their way to completing associate’s degrees in the year after high school graduation. Governor Paul R. LePage’s two-year budget plan calls for $1 million annually to replicate this five-year high school program in other areas of the state.
Continue reading “Hermon’s Bridge Year Program keeps earning praise”
The schools will share successful strategies with colleagues from across New England
AUGUSTA – Three Maine secondary schools—Falmouth High School, Sanford High School, and United Technologies Center (Bangor)—have been invited to represent the state at a regional conference on effective strategies for improving teaching and learning in the 21st century.
Continue reading “Innovative Maine Schools selected to present at conference”
Title 1, Chapter 5 §116, designates March 15 of each year as Statehood Day to “commemorate the admission of Maine as a state into the United States of America and the ideals and wisdom of those men and women who have formed Maine’s history and traditions.”
Continue reading “Classroom resources available to celebrate Maine Statehood Day”
CORRECTION: This corrects an earlier version. Rob Callahan is director of the Lewiston Regional Technical Center.
LEWISTON – Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen detailed targeted education supports in Governor Paul R. LePage’s proposed biennial budget Thursday at Lewiston Regional Technical Center. Those supports include funding to help districts implement the proficiency-based diploma and teacher evaluation systems enacted by the Legislature last year; the expansion of college opportunities through five-year high school/associate’s degree programs, dual credit, and Adult Ed transition programs; and making the kinds of supports and technical assistance that have been available only to Title I schools available to all schools.
Continue reading “Bowen visits Lewiston HS to explain targeted ed support, explore virtual classes”
Today I’ll be at Lewiston High School to talk about some of the targeted education support in Governor Paul R. LePage’s proposed two-year budget. These supports include funding to help districts implement the proficiency-based diploma and teacher evaluation systems; to expand access to college opportunities through five-year high school/associate’s degree programs, dual credit, and Adult Ed transition programs; and to make the kinds of supports and technical assistance that have been available only to Title I schools available to all schools.
