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Full-Text Articles in Education

A Legal Analysis Of The University Of Maine’S Ban On Firearms Following District Of Columbia V. Heller, Abigail Macdonald Feb 2015

A Legal Analysis Of The University Of Maine’S Ban On Firearms Following District Of Columbia V. Heller, Abigail Macdonald

The Cohen Journal

On April 16, 2007, the deadliest shooting by a single gunman took place on the college campus of Virginia Tech, taking the lives of 33 individuals (Johnson 2007). This event shook America, and yet the next year it was followed by six more shooting deaths at Northern Illinois University (Northern Illinois University 2008) and three more at Louisiana Technical College (BBC News 2008). Many universities around the country have responded to these events by either establishing firearm bans or strengthening and clinging to their existing policies, and the University of Maine is no exception (University of Maine 2004). Yet in …


Improving Maine’S Future Through Education: Overcoming Challenges And Learning To “Row” Together, Linda Silka, Karen Hutchins, Meredith Jones, Chris Rector Jan 2012

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.


You Don’T Always Get What You Want: Lessons To Be Learned From The Demise Of Maine’S Local Assessment System, Rebecca H. Berger Jan 2007

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 …


Potential Efficiency Gains From Consolidation Of Maine’S Educational Resources, Philip A. Trostel Jan 2003

Potential Efficiency Gains From Consolidation Of Maine’S Educational Resources, Philip A. Trostel

Maine Policy Review

Economist Philip Trostel analyzes the size of Maine’s schools and school districts and the costs and quality of education. He argues that some schools and districts may be too small to be cost-efficient; that on average education in Maine costs more per student than in the rest of the country; and that education quality may not be as high in smaller schools as in larger ones, at least based on some measures. While there may be some less-measurable benefits to small schools, Trostel suggests that declining school-age populations and increasing costs should lead policymakers to seriously consider consolidating schools and …


School Size Choices: Comparing Small And Large School Strengths, Janet C. Fairman Jan 2003

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 Jan 2002

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 …


Higher Education In Maine: A Conversation With Sally Vamvakias, Sally Vamvakias Jan 2000

Higher Education In Maine: A Conversation With Sally Vamvakias, Sally Vamvakias

Maine Policy Review

This conversation between Sally Vamvakias, former chair of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees took place on October 5, 1999. At the time, Vamvakias had just completed her ten-year tenure as a trustee, the last four as chair. In this forward-looking conversation, Vamvakias talks about the change that electronic forms of knowledge transmission are bringing to higher education, and lays out the challenges to the University of Maine System as we begin the new millennium. This interview was conducted for Maine Policy Review by Luisa S. Deprez of the University of Southern Maine.


Educational Reform: An Interview With Commissioner J. Duke Albanese, J. Duke Albanese Jan 1997

Educational Reform: An Interview With Commissioner J. Duke Albanese, J. Duke Albanese

Maine Policy Review

Few issues touch the hearts, minds, and lives of Mainers more than education. Learning Results, budgetary concerns, violence in schools, and school choice are among the issues that occupy much of the public policy focus of educators, administrators, taxpayers, and lawmakers alike. In this interview, Commissioner J. Duke Albanese addresses some of these education issues, most notably Learning Results and their potential impact on education in Maine.


Fusing Educational Reform Policy And Action: Assuring The Development Of Local Leaders, George F. Marnik, Gordon A. Donaldson Jr. Jan 1994

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."


A Business Perspective On Education: Launching A Revolution Of Participation, James F. Orr Iii Jan 1992

A Business Perspective On Education: Launching A Revolution Of Participation, James F. Orr Iii

Maine Policy Review

Business has been increasingly concerned about the reform of education in the U.S. in recent years, according to James F. Orr III, chief executive officer of UNUM. Although financial resources have been contributed to the reform efforts, Orr admits, business has not taken the larger step of actually participating in the process of education reform. Participation, he argues, is central to changing schools to respond to the realities of the 21st century. Business must retake ownership of American schools, along with other stakeholders and citizens in general. In this article, based on an address made earlier this year at a …