News outlets share UMaine release on rural schools study
The Bangor Daily News, Daily Bulldog, Piscataquis Observer, Zipe Education, WGME (Channel 13 in Portland), WFVX (Fox 22/ABC 7 in Bangor) shared a new University of Maine study that shows educators in Maine’s rural schools are struggling to meet the mental and emotional needs of their students due to a lack of resources and institutional support. Catharine Biddle, associate professor of educational leadership in the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, led a study analyzing focus group discussions with 110 rural Maine educators from 12 schools at various grade levels. “I think one of the most surprising findings was how conflicted teachers felt about mandated reporting. Clearly, more research is needed here to understand why some rural educators may not want to report and how the dynamics of mandated reporting play out in small communities,” Biddle said. WPFO (Fox 23 in Portland) shared the WGME report.