Maine Department of Education

The Building Assets and Reducing Risk (BARR) program is helping Maine build better schools across the state and increasing the job quality of educators along the way. Follow The Portland Press Herald link below to read all about it!

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has welcomed its 2024/25 Teacher Leader Fellows. The new class of six extraordinary educators are from across the state and bring expertise in civics, personal finance, integrated arts, and multilingual learning, specifically with newcomers, as well as multilingual learners with disabilities. https://lnkd.in/erVSJFdn

Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) are playing a vital role in Maine's educational landscape! These programs bridge classroom learning with real-world application, offering students comprehensive experiences that help them discover their strengths, explore potential careers, and build lasting connections in their communities. ELOs go beyond traditional internships or field trips. They're integrated learning experiences that often result in increased student engagement and provide practical preparation for Maine's future workforce needs. One of the strengths of ELOs is their adaptability. High schools across Maine can implement these programs, tailoring them to local needs and opportunities. It's a collaborative effort that benefits multiple stakeholders – students gain invaluable experience, schools enhance their offerings, businesses cultivate local talent, and communities grow stronger. Visit https://lnkd.in/e29dzNaK to learn how you can start an ELO program at your school!

Transformational Leaders’ Network (TLN) Facilitator and long-time Maine educator/administrator Ann Dooling recently interviewed three Western Maine administrators about why they participate in the TLN network for Maine principals. "The TLN offers me time to meet with other people who know what it is to be a building leader. It provides an atmosphere in which you feel much less isolated in your job as a school leader and know you have people who can empathize with you and who care about you!" Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eZdKnyHR

Maine DOE is excited to host community meetings across Maine to bring educators, parents, students, and business leaders together to discuss a shared vision for our schools. This week, we had great conversations in Augusta, Westbrook, Topsham, and York, but we still have many more planned, and we need your voice! Find more information here: https://lnkd.in/ejB-spx4

Maine DOE is a proud partner in this work! “Not only do we need to attract new teachers to Maine, of course, but we also need to celebrate our teachers because they are preparing our students, our future workforce of tomorrow,” said Katie Shorey, Live and Work in Maine. https://lnkd.in/gTez3X8U

We will be in York tonight, at Penquis Valley HS on Monday, Maranacook on Tue., CMCC on Wed., Skowhegan on Thurs., and the list goes on! The Maine DOE is hosting community meetings across the state for educators, parents, students, and business leaders to come together and discuss a shared vision for Maine schools. Join a conversation near you and share what you value in the schools in your community and how we celebrate school success in Maine. Your thoughts and ideas will be used to develop a portrait of a great school in Maine based on what the people of Maine value for our schools. Register here: https://lnkd.in/g7AkM3HK

Have you completed the scavenger hunt yet? Make sure to drop your completed slips off at the registration table for a chance to win one of the beautiful Zinnia plants from Longfellows in Manchester!

Starting off the day strong with Jared Cooney Horvath, PhD, MEd teaching us about how the brain works! If you miss him this morning you can catch him at his other breakout sessions throughout the day.

What a great first day! Thank you to everyone who came out for day one of the Maine DOE’s Annual Summit. We still have so much in store for tomorrow, like neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath, PhD, MEd, break-out sessions on some of our most popular Personal Learning programs, like the Regulated Classroom, and hundreds of Maine educators ready to share their stories.