Click the image to view the fully formatted Commissioner's Update.We’re putting the final touches this week on the first release of our long-awaited strategic plan to create a learner-centered education system in Maine. The plan is the result of feedback I’ve received over the past nine months in conversations with students, parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, school board members, Maine DOE staff and others.
On Tuesday, we will release the plan to the public. At that point, it becomes a working, fluid document.
Over the next few months, the Department of Education will invite students, educators, parents and others to review the plan and share what they think. We’ll invite feedback online and in person, and incorporate that input as we prepare a final version of the plan.
I look forward to starting a conversation with this plan about the best ways to serve our learners, and prepare them to succeed in college, careers and civic life.
Six schools can now plan for construction or renovation
AUGUSTA – Six schools in critical need of renovation or replacement got the go-ahead to build new facilities or renovate existing ones today from the State Board of Education, which approved a proposal from Maine Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen.
The Maine Department of Education and the Taiwanese Ministry of Education have renewed a strategic partnership that will allow teachers and students in both places to participate in a variety of educational exchanges.
High school juniors interested in marine science have the chance to participate in an eight-week internship in Virginia this summer that will allow them to lead education programs for younger students and participate in research projects with college professors.
Click the image to view the fully formatted Commissioner's Update.Happy new year from all of us at Maine DOE!
Here in Augusta, the dawn of the new year means things are getting really busy.
Our Senators and Representatives are back in town, and they have numerous education issues on their plate, from online learning to sports-related head injuries to long-term planning.
At the DOE, we continue to work hard on a strategic plan. The members of the Legislature’s Education Committee saw a preview yesterday, and we’ll be sharing the full document with everyone later this month. The plan is a work in progress, and once we release a copy, we’ll seek feedback from the public that we hope will strengthen it.
Meanwhile, we’re also making progress on using all of your feedback to craft a request for Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility to submit to the federal government.
As if that weren’t enough, our most important work — the teaching and learning that happens each day in our schools — doesn’t stop.
Region II School of Applied Technology in Houlton is among the sites benefiting from more than $3 million in federal grants aimed at expanding access to distance learning so adults in rural areas can obtain marketable, technical skills that improve their chances of finding employment.
The National Association for Pupil Transportation and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools have teamed up to offer free training on effectively addressing bullying on the school bus and at bus stops.
