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Full-Text Articles in Education
Attracting, Training, And Retaining A Skilled And Ready Workforce To Support Maine’S Seafood Economy, Keri Kaczor, Anne Langston Noll
Attracting, Training, And Retaining A Skilled And Ready Workforce To Support Maine’S Seafood Economy, Keri Kaczor, Anne Langston Noll
Maine Policy Review
Despite the many challenges, the entirety of Maine’s seafood economy—from harvesting, transportation and logistics, marketing, and food service—still offers valuable employment and career opportunities. Understanding training needs and career aspirations, as well as how they align to available training and career opportunities is key to addressing the challenges of recruiting, training and retaining a skilled and ready workforce. Findings from recent projects assessing workforce training needs, preferred training formats, existing workforce barriers, and incentives will be shared as well as input from educators and others who support the industry. Recommendations for investment and new programs to support the industry include: …
The Fabulous Promise And Practical Need For The Humanities In The Twenty-First Century, Liam Riordan
The Fabulous Promise And Practical Need For The Humanities In The Twenty-First Century, Liam Riordan
Maine Policy Review
Guest editor Liam Riordan in this overview article explores the relationship between the humanities and policy in general terms, identifying the recurring themes in the other articles in this special issue of Maine Policy Review. He contends that the humanities offer fabulous promise to enrich the quality of civic life in Maine and that this promise is firmly rooted in how the humanities address our practical need for meaningful human experiences.
Homeschoolers And Public Libraries: A Synergistic Relationship, Cynthia Jennings
Homeschoolers And Public Libraries: A Synergistic Relationship, Cynthia Jennings
Maine Policy Review
Homeschoolers are commonly heavy users of their local libraries. this article discusses how libraries can become educational “hubs” for for homeschoolers by developing programs and services to support this burgeoning population.
Sustainability And Workforce Development In Maine, Catherine S. Renault, Linda Silka, James (Jake) S. Ward
Sustainability And Workforce Development In Maine, Catherine S. Renault, Linda Silka, James (Jake) S. Ward
Maine Policy Review
Maine is facing challenges in terms of its workforce: education levels lag behind those in the other New England states; population growth is slow; and the economy is undergoing a change that has shifted from manufacturing to more knowledge-based jobs. Catherine Renault, Linda Silka and Jake Ward discuss these challenges, looking at what employers want in their employees and at the kinds of jobs the state is likely to see in the future. They point out that the Sustainability Solutions Initiative, with its emphasis on a boundary-crossing approach to education, is an example of a way to train today’s students …
Improving Maine’S Future Through Education: Overcoming Challenges And Learning To “Row” Together, Linda Silka, Karen Hutchins, Meredith Jones, Chris Rector
Improving Maine’S Future Through Education: Overcoming Challenges And Learning To “Row” Together, Linda Silka, Karen Hutchins, Meredith Jones, Chris Rector
Maine Policy Review
Although people agree that education is a crucial ingredient in the mix of factors that will improve Maine’s economic prospects, we often come at the problem from different angles and develop different methods to improve educational outcomes. In this article, Linda Silka, Karen Hutchins, Meredith Jones, and Chris Rector assert that progress in securing a bright future for Maine requires working together across disciplines and areas of expertise to support education. The authors present nine recommendations for strengthening Maine’s educational systems.
Education On Food, Fisheries And Agriculture, Molly Anderson
Education On Food, Fisheries And Agriculture, Molly Anderson
Maine Policy Review
This article describes the important role of education in helping the growing workforce in food-related industries, as well as the general population. The author notes that education in Maine about food, fisheries, and agriculture is provided in a wide variety of venues: formal degrees at colleges and universities; Cooperative Extension; farm-to-school programs; the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA); and even educational farms. A sidebar by John Rebar discusses the work of University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Educare: A Catalyst For Change, Lauren Sterling, Sheryl Peavey, Michael Burke
Educare: A Catalyst For Change, Lauren Sterling, Sheryl Peavey, Michael Burke
Maine Policy Review
Educare is a national model for providing center-based early childhood care and education, focused on improving student achievement for children growing up in poverty. The authors of this commentary describe development of Educare Central Maine in Waterville, scheduled to open in September 2010.
High School Achievement In Maine: Where You Come From Matters More Than School Size And Expenditures, Fern Desjardins, Gordon A. Donaldson Jr.
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
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 …
A New Look At Senior Education, Harry Sky
A New Look At Senior Education, Harry Sky
Maine Policy Review
Rabbi Harry Sky, founder of the senior college movement in Maine, provides his insights on the increasing desire by older adults for lifelong learning. He writes that older adults are seeking experiences to counteract the profound sense of loneliness and “disconnectedness” that often accompany retirement. Institutions such as Maine’s senior colleges provide one such kind of experience, though they are not the only answer. Rabbi Sky reflects that in this country, we have not afforded the honor to seniors seen in other parts of the world, and that we should take a page from other civilizations.
School Size Choices: Comparing Small And Large School Strengths, Janet C. Fairman
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
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 …
Fusing Educational Reform Policy And Action: Assuring The Development Of Local Leaders, George F. Marnik, Gordon A. Donaldson Jr.
Fusing Educational Reform Policy And Action: Assuring The Development Of Local Leaders, George F. Marnik, Gordon A. Donaldson Jr.
Maine Policy Review
School change does not happen in a vacuum. It requires initiative and leadership. Because Maine's educational system features a strong local control component, successful educational change requires development of local leadership. George Marnik and Gordon Donaldson report on the Maine Academyfor School Leaders, an educational leadership development project in which they were involved. Among other things, the researchers learned that successful educational change is not likely to result from a one-size-fits-all state policy. Rather, successful reform occurs "one individual at a time, one school at a time."