More Efficient High Schools in Maine: Emerging Student-Centered Learning Communities

American K-12 public education all across the nation is at a difficult and critical crossroads. We are at a time when keen global competition underscores the need for exceptional performance in our primary and secondary schools. Yet, state and federal governments face unprecedented budget deficits and limited resources for the foreseeable future. Additionally, our schools are being called upon to do an even better job of preparing students for the 21st century. There is growing evidence that success in the 21st Century requires more than what has traditionally been the content of schooling. It requires more and different types of knowledge, skills, and learning. To help students acquire this knowledge base and skills, many educators and leaders are calling for transformative changes in our schools and changes in how we help students learn. This transformative change is called by many names: performance-based learning, standards-based learning, and student-centered learning. The Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) describes this transformation to more student-centered learning as the need for:... growing a greater variety of higher quality educational opportunities that enable all learners -- especially and essentially underserved learners -- to obtain the skills, knowledge and supports necessary to become civically engaged, economically self-sufficient lifelong learners. (2011) Can our schools be transformed to meet these challenges? More importantly, can they be high performing, efficient, and student-centered at the same time? To explore these questions, the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine conducted a study in 2010-2011 of a sample of Maine high schools. Funded in part by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the study examined the degree to which these More Efficient high schools were also student-centered. In 2010, NMEF identified some of the key principles and attributes of studentcentered learning. The principles are that: Student-centered education systems provide all students equal access to the skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness in today's world. Student-centered education systems align with current research on the learning process and motivation. Student-centered education systems focus on mastery of skills and knowledge. Student-centered education systems build student's identities through a positive culture with a foundation of strong relationships and high expectations. Student-centered education systems empower and support parents, teachers, administrators, and other community members to encourage and guide learners through their educational journey. The key attributes are that: Curriculum, instruction and assessment embrace the skills and knowledge needed for success. Community assets are harnessed to support and deepen learning experiences. Time is used flexibly and includes learning opportunities outside the traditional school day and year. Mastery-based strategies are employed to allow for pacing based on proficiency in skills and knowledge. The goal of the study reported here was to determine to what extent these principles and attributes may be found in the high schools. To that end, once a sample of More Efficient high schools was identified, the beliefs, strategies, and practices found in these schools were examined in light of the 2010 NMEF key principles and attributes

Identification of Higher and Lower Performing Maine Schools-School Profiles and Characteristics

Identifying Maine\u27s higher and lower performing schools may be useful for many purposes, but two are particularly important. Identifying these schools is important for developing and refining Maine\u27s new funding formula. Maine\u27s Essential Programs and Services (EPS) school funding formula is what is known nationally as a cost-based adequacy model. The underlying premise of the formula is that all schools should have adequate resources to ensure that all children may achieve high standards of learning. In the case of Maine, these high standards are the Learning Results. What are adequate levels of resources needed to achieve the Learning Results? From the very beginning of the development of the new funding model, the goal has been to define adequate levels of resources as those resources found in higher achieving Maine schools. To that end, and for the last two years, the Maine Education Policy Research Institute, at the request of the Joint Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs of the Maine Legislature, has been analyzing achievement results for Maine\u27s schools. The Joint Committee has received and reviewed these analyses, and has requested that the findings be more widely disseminated for a second purpose; that is, to help schools begin to examine themselves more closely and learn from each other strategies for improving student achievement. Appended are (1) Higher Performing Maine Public Schools; and (2) instructions on how to access individual school performance profiles at the CEPARE website. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.

Increasing Postsecondary Enrollments in Maine: Changes Needed in Higher Education Policies

Why does Maine rank so low in higher education participation? What factors may be influencing whether Maine citizens pursue education beyond high school? Much of the debate to answer these questions has focused on students and described the problem as a lack of aspirations. David Silvernail provides another look at this issue. While student aspirations are important, Silvernail suggests that factors related to Maine\u27s higher education system also may contribute to the problem of low enrollment. He compares Maine to six peer states and finds that for a number of factors such as cost and program accessibility, Maine ranks poorly. He concludes that a part of the solution lies in changes to higher education, and offers his perspective on what changes might make a difference

Financial Characteristics of High and Low Performing Schools in a Predominantly Rural State

Do high performing schools use resources differently than low performing schools? What are the connections between K-12 school funding and academic performance? Today several states (e.g., Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, etc.) are exploring answers to these questions as they attempt to fund schools adequately and in more efficient ways. The research literature from early production function studies (e.g., Brown & Saks, 1975; Hanushak, 1979, 1989; Harnisch, 1987) provides some partial answers, but some of the most recent studies have unearthed some conflicting results (e.g., Baum, 1986; Hedges, Laine, & Greenwald, 1994; Monk, 1994; Wenglinsky, 1997). In addition, few of the studies have examined rural schools. The purpose of the series of research studies described in this symposium was to address the questions above by examining the characteristics of high and low performing elementary, middle and high schools in a predominantly rural northeastern state

Condition of K-12 Public Education in Maine 2008

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 paper 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. Two appendices are included: (1) Statutory Language for the Maine Education Policy Research Institute; and (2) Related Publications. (Contains 55 tables and 39 figures.