Condition of K-12 Public Education in Maine 2009

This twelfth edition of The Condition of K-12 Public Education in Maine is designed to provide Maine citizens, legislators, and educators a yearly report on the state of Maine public schools and education. This new edition updates educational information which appeared in earlier editions, and also provides information on several new topics. Education Indicators are facts and statistics that help to describe a public education system. They are tools which are useful in examining and measuring the effectiveness of the system. Examples include information such as the amount of local funds raised to support local schools, per pupil expenditures, pupil-teacher ratios, and student achievement results. This publication contains a series of indicators which will help interested citizens, policymakers, and legislators understand the many components of the K-12 Maine public education system. This edition is comprised of six categories of indicators: (1) Background Demographics; (2) Enrollment; (3) Staff; (4) Program; (5) Student Performance; and (6) Finance. While the categories have been changed recently from previous editions, the report still contains the same indicators. The Background Demographics section provides information on community and societal characteristics of the education environment which may have an impact on student learning. The Enrollment section highlights enrollment trends statewide and in some cases by county. The Staff section provides characteristics of Teachers and Administrators in schools statewide. The Program section provides information on the school district organizational structure and other specific programs within schools that enhance education in Maine. The Student Performance section provides a tool to assess the productivity and accomplishments of education in Maine. And finally, the Finance section provides financial information relevant to education in Maine. Appended are: (1) Statutory Language for the Maine Education Policy Research Institute Title 20-A Chapter 1 Section 10, MRSA; and (2) Recent Publications. (Contains 55 tables and 39 figures.

School District Reorganization in Maine: Lessons Learned for Policy and Process

In 2007, Maine’s legislature enacted a law mandating school district consolidation with the goal of reducing the state’s 290 districts to approximately 80. Five years later the success of this policy is open to debate. Janet Fairman and Christine Donis-Keller examine what worked and what didn’t work in this effort to consolidate school districts and provide a list of “lessons learned,” with clear implications for the design and implementation of state educational policy

Improving Educational Opportunity and Equity through School District Consolidation in Maine

In 2007 Maine passed sweeping school district consolidation legislation mandating a reduction in the number of Maine school districts from 290 to approximately 80. The primary goals of the policy were to improve the educational opportunities for all students in the state; and to reduce costs through increased efficiency in the delivery of education programs and services. Based primarily on interviews with district leaders, this article describes the impacts of Maine’s school district consolidation policy on educational opportunities and equity within 24 regional school districts, one year after their mergers. Findings illustrate the different choices districts made when consolidating their educational programs, the outcomes of these efforts, and the strategies and structures districts used to implement change

The Condition of K-12 Public Education in Maine 2011

This book is designed to provide Maine citizens, legislators, and educators a bi-annual report on the state of Maine public schools and education. This new edition updates educational information which appeared in earlier editions, and also provides information on several new topics

Comparative Genomic Hybridization of Human Malignant Gliomas Reveals Multiple Amplification Sites and Nonrandom Chromosomal Gains and Losses

Nine human malignant gliomas (2 astrocytomas grade III and 7 glioblastomas) were analyzed using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). In addition to the amplification of the EGFR gene at 7p12 in 4 of 9 cases, six new amplification sites were mapped to 1q32, 4q12, 7q21.1, 7q21.2-3, 12p, and 22q12. Nonrandom chromosomal gains and losses were identified with overrepresentation of chromosome 7 and underrepresentation of chromosome 10 as the most frequent events (1 of 2 astrocytomas, 7 of 7 glioblastomas). Gain of a part or the whole chromosome 19 and losses of chromosome bands 9pter-23 and 22q13 were detected each in five cases. Loss of chromosome band 17p13 and gain of chromosome 20 were revealed each in three cases. The validity of the CGH data was confirmed using interphase cytogenetics with YAC clones, chromosome painting in tumor metaphase spreads, and DNA fingerprinting. A comparison of CGH data with the results of chromosome banding analyses indicates that metaphase spreads accessible in primary tumor cell cultures may not represent the clones predominant in the tumor tissu