On Maine’s First Charter Schools: Promises and Pitfalls

In the last two years, Maine has begun the process of developing public charter schools throughout the state. As Maine moves forward into this new educational realm, questions need to be raised about what the implementation of charter schools might mean for the state on many levels. This commentary article contextualizes the state’s charter movement by outlining the national debate on charter schools. The article discusses the political, organizational, and educational challenges that these new schools may face as they break new ground. The author calls for evaluative review of each of the charter schools in the state in order to better-determine their effects on students and communities

Math Pathways Reforms in Maine

This study of the math pathways movement is designed as a mini-case study to document the status of the reform in progress

Math Pathways Reforms in Maine

For the past several years, attention has turned toward reviewing and reframing the curricular pathways in math for students, particularly at the postsecondary level. Focus has shifted not only to math preparedness, but also to redefining the curricular pathways that lead to academic and career success. In higher education, the central principle involves redefining and reorganizing coursework around defined pathways, based on academic and career interests of students. For K-12 institutions, the math pathways reforms have less clear implications. One key organization working in this area--both nationally and in Maine--is the Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The Dana Center has been partnering with the Maine Community College System (MCCS) for several years now, and has supported their progress toward implementing math pathways reforms. For this project, Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) researchers in the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE) were asked to describe and summarize the mathematics pathways movement which is currently underway in the state of Maine, as well as in other states across the country. This study of the math pathways movement is designed as a mini-case study to document the status of the reform in progress. Findings review math pathways as a potential means of promoting individualized student learning and career readiness, of clarifying math expectations, and of reducing the need for remedial coursework at the post-secondary level. The successes of and challenges facing individual institutions--from MCCS, to the state universities, to K-12 institutions--are also reviewed. Other challenges, including mitigating issues with tracking and ownership of the reforms, are discussed. The report concludes with recommendations for policymakers

Mehrsprachigkeit in der Schule – aus der Sicht migrationsbedingt mehrsprachiger Jugendlicher

Wie erleben und empfinden migrationsbedingt mehrsprachige Schüler*innen (im Folgenden: S*S) den Umgang mit ihrer Mehrsprachigkeit in der Schule? Wie schätzen sie die Einstellungen von ihren einsprachig aufgewachsenen MitS*S und Lehrkräften gegenüber ihrer Mehrsprachigkeit ein? Inwiefern wünschen sie sich eine Berücksichtigung ihrer Erstsprachen als Schulsprache oder Unterrichtsgegenstand? Der vorliegende Beitrag geht diesen Fragen nach. Um zu ergründen, welcher schulische Umgang mit migrationsbedingter Mehrsprachigkeit aus der Sicht der betroffenen S*S gepflegt bzw. gewünscht wird und welche Wertschätzung bzw. Berücksichtigung sog. ,Migrantensprachen‘ in der Schule aus ihrer Sicht erfahren, haben wir 308 S*S (Sek II) im Alter von 15–20 Jahren mittels eines standardisierten Fragebogens befragt. Neben mehrsprachig aufgewachsenen S*S (N=141) nahmen zum Vergleich auch einsprachig aufgewachsene S*S (N=167) an der Studie teil.How do multilingual students who grew up with a heritage language and acquired German as a second language think about the handling of migration related multilingualism in German schools? How do they perceive the attitudes of monolingual students and teachers towards their multilingualism? Would they like a stronger consideration of their heritage languages as a school subject or as school language, and how should this be achieved? The present study focuses on such questions, particularly from the perspective of heritage language speakers, and presents the results of a questionnaire-based survey which was conducted with 308 students between the ages of 15 and 20. The language attitudes of 141 heritage speakers is compared to the language attitudes of 167 L1 German speakers

Mehrsprachigkeit in der Schule – aus der Sicht migrationsbedingt mehrsprachiger Jugendlicher

Wie erleben und empfinden migrationsbedingt mehrsprachige Schüler*innen (im Folgenden: S*S) den Umgang mit ihrer Mehrsprachigkeit in der Schule? Wie schätzen sie die Einstellungen von ihren einsprachig aufgewachsenen MitS*S und Lehrkräften gegenüber ihrer Mehrsprachigkeit ein? Inwiefern wünschen sie sich eine Berücksichtigung ihrer Erstsprachen als Schulsprache oder Unterrichtsgegenstand? Der vorliegende Beitrag geht diesen Fragen nach. Um zu ergründen, welcher schulische Umgang mit migrationsbedingter Mehrsprachigkeit aus der Sicht der betroffenen S*S gepflegt bzw. gewünscht wird und welche Wertschätzung bzw. Berücksichtigung sog. ,Migrantensprachen‘ in der Schule aus ihrer Sicht erfahren, haben wir 308 S*S (Sek II) im Alter von 15–20 Jahren mittels eines standardisierten Fragebogens befragt. Neben mehrsprachig aufgewachsenen S*S (N=141) nahmen zum Vergleich auch einsprachig aufgewachsene S*S (N=167) an der Studie teil

Considering Grow Your Own Models Examining Existing Teacher Preparation Models in Maine

This study was conducted in order to examine Grow-Your-Own teacher preparation programs in Maine

The yeast S phase checkpoint enables replicating chromosomes to bi-orient and restrain spindle extension during S phase distress

The budding yeast S phase checkpoint responds to hydroxyurea-induced nucleotide depletion by preventing replication fork collapse and the segregation of unreplicated chromosomes. Although the block to chromosome segregation has been thought to occur by inhibiting anaphase, we show checkpoint-defective rad53 mutants undergo cycles of spindle extension and collapse after hydroxyurea treatment that are distinct from anaphase cells. Furthermore, chromatid cohesion, whose dissolution triggers anaphase, is dispensable for S phase checkpoint arrest. Kinetochore–spindle attachments are required to prevent spindle extension during replication blocks, and chromosomes with two centromeres or an origin of replication juxtaposed to a centromere rescue the rad53 checkpoint defect. These observations suggest that checkpoint signaling is required to generate an inward force involved in maintaining preanaphase spindle integrity during DNA replication distress. We propose that by promoting replication fork integrity under these conditions Rad53 ensures centromere duplication. Replicating chromosomes can then bi-orient in a cohesin-independent manner to restrain untimely spindle extension