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Agora School students at work. Photo credit: Medium article

IMAGINE a Maine where students and educators thrive together.

Maine Education Highlights

Our hearts are with the children, families, educators, and community members in Uvalde, Texas. We also want to recognize the impact of these events on us right here in Maine. Educators enter their classrooms every day processing the latest information on this event and their own feelings about it, as well as, for many, helping their students process in real time. Principals and superintendents are expected to have just the right words to assure parents their children are safe at school. School board members, many of them parents, carry the feeling of responsibility to put policy in place that would protect their most vulnerable community members, even though the actual responsibility goes well beyond their purview. We don't offer any answers here; we simply want to acknowledge that our education professionals and volunteers are once again carrying a heavy burden for all of us, in a time when we thought it could not get harder. Please show your support for these folks, and let them know you care.

Watch the Recording of the Educator and Student Thriving Event


You won't want to miss Megan Gordon and Katrina Hatt, students from

Coastal Washington County Technical Institute, discuss education with

Rob Houben, education leader from the Netherlands.

You'll also enjoy hearing insights from Krystal Williams,

Julie Meltzer, and Patrick Breeding. 


Rob Houben will remind you what education is all about, why we should treat student unequally, and how we can get back to the basics of preparing students for thriving futures.

Education Innovators Series Highlights


Thank you to Rob Houben for a deeply personal and inspiring presentation, full of rich images and narratives. Clearly Rob is an exceptional educator!


Thank you to Krystal Williams, Julie Meltzer, Patrick Breeding, Meghan Gordon, and Katrina Hatt for your insight, enthusiasm, and willingness to be vulnerable and share your personal stories in education. This is what Ed Forum is all about — we can be courageous together!


And thanks to our co-sponsors: Educate Maine, Thomas College, and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.


Here are some quotes we hope will inspire you to watch the recording:



  • Rob Houben:
  • "Everyone deserves to be treated unequally. No two students are the same."
  • "If you are a learner, you ARE a professional, and we should treat you like one."


  • Krystal Williams: "I hope policy makers and funders will feel inspired, yes, but also challenged. How can we support and fund education that supports and nurtures lifelong learning?"


  • Patrick Breeding: "In the chemistry lab, I was treated like a competent professional, and because I was treated like that, I became that identity, and I could affirm it because now I had a purpose, a passion, that I could apply to these things I was doing with my hands."


  • Julie Meltzer: "We have not yet had substantive discussion around the purpose of education....We can improve a lot if we are courageous enough to do so."


  • Meghan Gordon and Katrina Hatt: "The CTE instructors treat us like professionals, and so we take the classes seriously....It is so great to be learning through something I am really interested in, hands on."

Social Media


Follow along as we uplift nuggets of wisdom from the event on our social media platforms:

Facebook  Instagram  YouTube
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Exciting progress!


We have new partners! Maine Department of Education is partnering with us on the Education Innovation Summit in Fall 2022.

Maine School Management Association is helping districts to participate and will join us at the Summit too.


We have new team members!

Luke Suttmeier, previously the Director of Alternative Education at Lincoln Academy, has joined our team to focus on Maine ED 2050. He'll be making sure we achieve our goal of 150+ conversations around the state with educators, youth, community members, and industry leaders.


SIGN UP HERE


We have had conversations in Aroostook, Cumberland, Kennebec, Oxford, and Washington Counties!


Participants have included adult educators, preK to higher ed educators, preservice teachers, librarians, community members, and nonprofit and industry leaders.


Stay tuned:

Platform launch next month. You'll be able to listen in and learn from the conversations!

Want to get involved?


Ed Forum is now holding monthly What School Could Be in Maine 

Zoom gatherings.


This is a fun group with serious intentions! Network, be inspired, and leave energized. Our conversations range from micro to macro with the goal of understanding how we can each take action to make change from within our own sphere of influence.


ALL ARE WELCOME:

Wednesday, June 29, 4 - 5:30pm


REGISTER HERE

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What School Could Be in Maine Network


Join the

What School Could Be in Maine Group on Mighty Networks.


Connect with other education professionals to share challenges and ideas.


Learn from the WSCB coaches how to transform teaching and learning at your school and even mobilize your community. 


Check out all the options for What School Could Be in Maine on our website HERE.

State Board of Education Takes Action on Educator Credentialing


Maine has been experiencing a statewide educator shortage in almost every content area. Issues such as low pay (recently increased to start at $40,000), lack of autonomy and professional regard, and the nonstop demand to process cultural, political, and medical information at a stunning pace — while also navigating how to help their students process these same things — have all contributed to educators leaving their roles early or not starting off on the path at all. In Maine, we have also had regulations that unfortunately prevented some well-qualified education professionals from advancing in their careers or joining the workforce. 


The latter issue has largely been addressed by new regulations recently adopted by the State Board of Education and set to go into effect on June 10.


After more than two years of work, including engaging with stakeholders, the State Board of Education voted to adopt Rule Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education Personnel. The changes are meant to remove unnecessary barriers and promote a flexible yet rigorous approach to educator certification. Key elements include the removal of the requirement for Praxis testing and inclusion of portfolios as way to show competency. Other topics addressed include more flexibility for international educators, administrator renewal, and required courses in human development and diversity-centered content.


MDOE is offering webinars this month to ensure understanding of the new regulations. Click here to learn more on MDOE's website, where you can find a powerpoint, webinar dates and times, and more.

Let us know if your school or organization has something to share! Thank you for engaging with us to create the best future for Maine through education.


Jennifer Chace

Executive Director

Learn more
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