Creative approaches to nutrition focus of conference

Teachers and food service staff members from Maine schools are invited to a day-long, no-cost workshop focused on creative approaches to nutrition education. The workshop takes place April 30 at the Augusta Civic Center.

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World language teachers invited to summer institute

Summer institute will kick off initiative focused on standards-based instruction and assessment in world languages classes

World languages teachers are invited to apply to attend the 2012 World Languages in Maine Schools Summer Institute from June 27-30 at the University of Maine at Farmington.

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Summer institute focuses on customized, engaged learning

This summer’s Maine Middle Level Institute will bring together middle-school educators and others from across the state to focus on customizing learning for each student and implementing the rigorous Common Core State Standards in their classrooms.

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Commissioner’s Update – April 5, 2012

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If there’s one undisputed truth in education, it’s that the effectiveness of teachers and educational leaders is the most important school-based factor in influencing student success.

That’s why Gov. LePage this winter introduced legislation aimed at ensuring that all students are taught by effective teachers who have access to high-quality and constructive performance evaluations that help them grow as professionals. It’s also why our strategic plan released a few months ago devotes substantial attention to ensuring great teachers and leaders.

As part of that effort to ensure great school leadership, the Department of Education is sponsoring a weeklong leadership institute this summer at Sugarloaf. Rarely in Maine do current and aspiring school leaders have the chance to receive training not in day-to-day operations, but in the leadership skills necessary to leading a school through significant improvement.

The leadership institute from July 9-13, called “Building Capacity for Transformational Leadership,” will offer district teams a chance to hear from guest speakers with valuable insights, an opportunity to learn from other Maine educators about what has worked and what hasn’t in undertaking improvement efforts, and time to work with colleagues to start piecing together plans for implementing district-level improvements.

I hope to see many of you there.

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Aroostook teachers make classrooms inquiry-based

Two teachers work together in a science lab.
Melissa Perley, a Fort Fairfield Middle High School chemistry and physics teacher, works with Jennifer Morin, an agricultural science teacher at Central Aroostook Junior-Senior High School in Mars Hill, during a recent training on inquiry-based learning at Washburn District High School.

Science teachers, agricultural science teachers and student-teachers from the middle- and high-school levels used chemicals, metals and a motor to develop a functioning battery; creatively presented the steps of photosynthesis; and simulated antibiotic treatments, collecting data on their effectiveness in the process.

The activities were part of a training in inquiry-based instruction recently at Washburn District High School, and exercises the teachers could deploy in their classroom.

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