Education Commons^™

Without A Map: An Examination Of District Leadership During The Covid-19 Crisis, Megan E. Welter Phd

Muskie School Dissertations

Achieving coherence and coordination in a complex system like a school district is complicated by the nested layers of the organization. This structure allows for teachers in classrooms and schools in a district to operate autonomously, as their organizational layers insulate those in the center from external demands and mandates. The COVID-19 pandemic represented an external demand that led district leaders to implement a series of situational reforms that affected nearly every aspect of the educational organization.

This qualitative study examines how the experiences and decision-making processes of district, school, and teacher leaders from a single district in Maine during …

First-Year Computer Science Students: Pathways And Perceptions In Introductory Computer Science Courses, Christina A. Leblanc

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined student perceptions and experiences of an introductory Computer Science course at the University of Maine; COS 125: Introduction to Problem Solving Using Computer Programs. It also explored the pathways that students pursue after taking COS 125, depending on their success in the course, and their motivation to persist. Through characterizing student populations and their performance in their first semester in the Computer Science program, they can be placed into one of three categories that explain their path; a “continuer” (passed COS 125 and decided to stay in the major), a “persister” (did not pass COS 125 and …

Graduation Policies In A Public High School (A Case Study), Erika K. Stump, Erin Connor, Catherine Fallona, Bernadette Doykos

State of Education

This report shares research conducted in a case study of one higher performing high school to examine the practices, challenges and facilitators of implementing a standards-based curriculum and proficiency-based diploma systems.

An Examination Of Using Social Impact Bonds To Fund Education In Maine, Erika K. Stump Phd, Amy F. Johnson Phd

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

As resolved in H.P. 285 - L.D. 418 (Chapter 52) and requested by the Maine Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) has conducted a study with the purpose of examining current policies and investigating the feasibility of using Social Impact Bonds as a funding mechanism for public education programs in Maine.

Preparing For Changes In Teacher Preparation Program Accountability: Evaluating The Factors That Influence Job Placement Of Teacher Preparation Program Graduates, Amy F. Johnson Phd

All Student Scholarship

Teacher preparations programs are facing increased pressure to report on the outcomes of their graduates, including their job placement rates. Prior research on job placement for teachers establishes that a variety of factors are related to whether or not individuals apply for and receive jobs. This research study explored these factors through quantitative analysis of three cohorts of teacher preparation program completers within the University of Maine system, using logistic regression to identify the individual and contextual characteristics that are most predictive of job application and hiring.

Creating Flexibility In Teacher-Certification Policy To Ensure Quality And Equity, Flynn Ross

Flynn Ross

As do many states, Maine has requirements and standards aimed at having “well-qualified” teachers. While few dispute the need for such standards, Flynn Ross brings attention to one case in Portland where use of a standardized exam to certify new teachers was preventing well-qualified—but culturally and linguistically diverse—teachers from becoming certified. She chronicles the successful attempts of one group to petition the Maine State Board of Education to allow greater flexibility in the testing standards. In doing so, she points to a larger truth that well-intentioned policy goals may seek to achieve a greater good, but may at the same …

The Relationship Between School Poverty And Student Achievement In Maine., David L. Silvernail Phd, James E. Sloan, Chelsea R. Paul, Amy F. Johnson Phd, Erika K. Stump Phd

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

This Brief presents the findings from a series of analyses designed to explore the connections between poverty and student achievement in Maine schools. It explores how poverty and performance are related, and examines other school and student characteristics that may be connected to student performance.

College Participation Rates Of Maine’S Recent High School Graduates: Examining The Claims (Updated Report), David L. Silvernail Phd, James E. Sloan, Amy F. Johnson Phd

Higher Education and College Readiness

What follows are the findings from a preliminary analysis of the performance and characteristics of a recent class of Maine high school graduates who have enrolled in college the fall after high school graduation. To examine Claims 1 and 2, we used data provided by the National Student Clearinghouse (NCS) on the cohort of students who graduated high school in Spring 2010 (2010 NCSC). The NCS tracks approximately 90% of high school graduates who enroll in a United States college or university each year. However, the data available from NCS is limited. Thus, to examine Claims 3‐6 we limited our …

Increasing Maine’S High School Graduation Rate: Necessary But Not Sufficient, David L. Silvernail Phd, Leanne C. Walker, Ida A. Batista

Higher Education and College Readiness

This study was designed to determine how many Maine 9th graders graduate in four years proficient in reading and mathematics. Unfortunately the evidence reveals that the chances are not great. While more than eight of 10 Maine students graduate from high school in four years, only one in three graduates ready for work or college.

High School Achievement In Maine: Where You Come From Matters More Than School Size And Expenditures, Fern Desjardins, Gordon A. Donaldson Jr.

Maine Policy Review

Fern Desjardins and Gordon Donaldson report on their research examining the relationship between academic achievement in Maine’s public high schools and school size, per-pupil operating costs, and socioeconomic status. Using aggregated Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) scores, their study confirmed previous research that socioeconomic status (using both family and community measures) is the most important factor associated with achievement, while school size is not a critical factor. Additionally, the authors found that per-pupil operating costs are higher in the state’s largest and smallest high schools. The authors suggest that the creation of larger districts and larger schools, as supported by recent …

You Don’T Always Get What You Want: Lessons To Be Learned From The Demise Of Maine’S Local Assessment System, Rebecca H. Berger

Maine Policy Review

The recent repeal of Maine’s local education assessment requirement was met with mixed reactions ranging from relief to outrage. That there were such differing responses points to the fact that “assessment” in education is understood in diverse and sometimes contradictory ways. In this article, Rebecca Berger looks retrospectively at how the problems associated with implementing Maine’s local assessment system (LAS) were caused by a lack of understanding of important aspects of assessment as it relates to standards-based reform in education. Using examples from her case study of one Maine school district, Berger notes three areas of ongoing concern: lack of …

Creating Flexibility In Teacher-Certification Policy To Ensure Quality And Equity, Flynn Ross

Maine Policy Review

As do many states, Maine has requirements and standards aimed at having “well-qualified” teachers. While few dispute the need for such standards, Flynn Ross brings attention to one case in Portland where use of a standardized exam to certify new teachers was preventing well-qualified—but culturally and linguistically diverse—teachers from becoming certified. She chronicles the successful attempts of one group to petition the Maine State Board of Education to allow greater flexibility in the testing standards. In doing so, she points to a larger truth that well-intentioned policy goals may seek to achieve a greater good, but may at the same …

The Maine Learning Technology Initiative: Teacher, Student, And School Perspectives, Mid-Year Evaluation Report, David L. Silvernail Phd, Walter J. Harris Phd, Dawn M.M. Lane, Janet C. Fairman Phd, Paula B. Gravelle, Lori Smith, Katherine I. Sargent, Walter Mcintire

Education Technology

This report presents some early evaluation evidence on the effectiveness and impact of the implementation of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI). The goal of the Year One evaluation, which is being conducted by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI), is to provide policymakers and practitioners with information that will assist them in determining whether or not, and to what degree, the vision and goals of the MLTI are being achieved. The Year One design is focusing primarily on the students who entered seventh grade in September 2002, and their teachers and schools.

The MEPRI evaluation team has focused …

School Size Choices: Comparing Small And Large School Strengths, Janet C. Fairman

Maine Policy Review

Janet Fairman discusses the thorny issue of school quality, suggesting that small schools have certain strengths compared to larger schools. Data from her study of small high schools in Maine, as well as research literature, suggest that compared to large schools, small schools allow for greater personal attention to students, have greater flexibility in scheduling, programming and instructional decisions, and often have stronger school-community connections that support student achievement and serve important community needs. Using quantitative measures of quality, Fairman notes that school size alone explains very little of the variation in 11th grade Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) scores, while …

Barriers To Postsecondary Education In Maine: Making College The Obvious And Attainable Next Step For More Maine Students, Colleen J. Quint, Lisa Plimpton

Maine Policy Review

The question of why more high school students do not go on to college has been the focus of recent research at the Mitchell Institute. Quint and Plimpton summarize this research, which involved more than 2,500 Maine students, educators and parents. They find that financial barriers are only one piece of a complicated puzzle. Other barriers include parental attitudes, whether any family members have attended college, the high school experience (i.e., what track the student is placed in), the quality of career planning in school and at home, and the level of active planning for college (while many students say …

Social Impact Summary : Dickey-Lincoln School Lakes Project / Prepared For The Department Of The Army, Corps Of Engineers, New England Division, Edward C. Jordan Company, Inc.

Dickey-Lincoln School Lakes Project

The Dickey-Lincoln Hydroelectric Dam is a water resources project proposed by the Federal Government (U. S. Army Corps of Engineers). Therefore, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Corps of Engineers is required to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the project. A federal plan or project such as Dickey-Lincoln should take into account its effect upon man's health, safety, welfare and economic well-being, as well as effects upon the surrounding environment. More importantly, project plans should be evaluated in a "manner calculated to encourage harmony between man and his environment." In other words, project plans or …

Social And Economic Consequences Of The Dickey-Lincoln School Hydro-Electric Power Development On The Upper St. John Valley, Maine -- : Phase 1, Preconstruction, Louis A. Ploch, Nelson L. Leray

Dickey-Lincoln School Lakes Project

The intention of this report is to present a still picture of the selected area as of the summer of 1966. The emphasis is on empirical relationships. The data contained herein will provide a base for subsequent analysis. Thus little attempt is made to cast the findings of the study in a theoretical framework. Later publications will utilize relevant theory and research to analyze the social and economic changes in an area related to the building of the Dickey and Lincoln School Dams. It is presumed that this particular report and its statistical sup-plement will be of particular interest to …