Maine’s teacher shortages for the current year, reported by the U.S. Department of Education, include math, science, special education, world languages, English as a Second Language, gifted and talented, industrial arts, and school librarians. How can our schools meet the learning proficiency goals of our children if they cannot recruit fully qualified teachers?
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Research reports are now emerging that track the long-term effects of preschool learning. The early start that educationally disadvantaged children get in preschool appears to offset the long-standing patterns of educational inequality that have plagued our schools—a pattern where poorer children enter kindergarten one year behind their wealthier peers and often fall further behind as their schooling continues.
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With the new school year off and running, it’s a good time to take stock of trends in enrollment. Over the coming years, what decisions will districts face preparing for future cohorts of children entering—or leaving—their schools?
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“Maine Schools in Focus,” an informative, issue-oriented feature on the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development website, is taking a break until the new school year begins in the fall.
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We often hear that Mainers are “overtaxed.” Such arguments arise during school budget time. But are Mainers “overtaxed” when it comes to their schools?
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The Bangor Daily News published a column written by Professor Emeritus of Education Gordon Donaldson.
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As we celebrate the Class of 2016, how can we help graduating seniors and their families prepare for a world that matches the one we’ve promised? How can we explain the disconnect between raising academic requirements in the service of “proficiencies” and a world which doesn’t offer gainful employment requiring those proficiencies?
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The state of Maine sets the PreK-to-5 student-to-principal ratio at 305 students to one principal. In doing so, it ignores the numbers of staff our principals actually need to lead and supervise. When all the responsibilities of principalship are considered, local districts often surpass state recommendations. What is an appropriate “leadership load” for our principals?
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Parents make a difference when they talk with their kids regularly about school, engage with them over homework, and make their homes “literacy rich.” But as Maine schools seek to increase parents’ engagement in learning activities, more parents are working than ever before.
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Editor: Gordon Donaldson Maine’s one-room schoolhouse heritage disappeared with the advent of roads, buses, and consolidated schools. But the image of that past teacher lives on—that teacher who “did it all” for her students. The last 35 years have witnessed the greatest transformation in this respect: teaching is now performed by an array of professionals […]
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