Curious about the legislative proposals unveiled by Gov. LePage on Wednesday?

If passed by the Legislature, they would:

• make it easier for students to get credit for career and technical education classes at their “sending” high schools and in the Maine Community College System;
• create a “Schools of Choice” program that allows public schools to open their doors to students interested in attending from other districts;
• makes private, religious schools that meet rigorous educational standards eligible to enroll publicly funded students;
• establish an inclusive process for creating standards that define effective teaching, and a timeline for local districts to implement locally developed teacher and principal evaluation systems; and
• allocate $5 million in competitive funds that groups of school districts can use to provide services regionally and implement innovative educational programs.

The Maine DOE’s website has more details on these proposals. It’s all part of the work outlined in our strategic plan: crafting an education system around the need for students to learn in ways that work best for them.

Continue reading “Commissioner’s Update – Feb. 9, 2012” →