Two more public charter schools OK’d

The following is a news release from the Maine Charter School Commission.

AUGUSTA – The Maine Charter School Commission voted Tuesday to approve two more public charter schools. Members unanimously approved the Baxter Academy of Technology and Science to open in Portland in the fall of 2013, and reversed an earlier vote by approving the Cornville Regional Charter School to open this fall.

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Bowen statement on report showing Maine next to last in rate of student achievement growth

Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen issued the following statement in response to today’s release of “Achievement Growth:  International and U.S. State Trends in Student Performance” by Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance.

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Commissioner’s Update – July 12, 2012

Commissioner's Update--July 12, 2012
Click the image to view the fully formatted Commissioner’s Update.

The Maine Charter School Commission recently approved the state’s first public charter school: the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences. This authorization is a milestone for the state, and will support 40 at-risk students to achieve their potential as they enter the school this fall.

In March, the Legislature’s Education Committee voted unanimously to create a group to develop models for school choice—part of a larger effort to create an education environment with more pathways to engagement and success for students. Continue reading “Commissioner’s Update – July 12, 2012”

Leadership program for superintendents, principals welcomes applications

UPDATED: The program will launch on August 16 and 17 with an opening retreat and will conclude in late June 2013.

The Leadership Maine: Education Leaders Experience offers established educational leaders a truly unique learning opportunity over a span of 12 months.

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Priceless moments, both near and far

Alana Margeson, Maine's 2012 Teacher of the YearBy Alana Margeson

As an only child growing up surrounded by potato fields in beautiful Aroostook County, I dreamed of visiting faraway places. My mother subscribed to National Geographic, and PBS was one of the three channels that came in without adjusting the rabbit ears too much. These two resources fueled my imagination.

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Maine schools to implement new nutrition rule

The final rule, “Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs” was published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) on January 26, 2012. This final rule updates the meal patterns and nutrition standards for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs to align them with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Continue reading “Maine schools to implement new nutrition rule”