From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Attendance, Behavior, Bullying, and Truancy reports for Quarter 2 (October, November, and December) are open as of January 1, 2023. These reports will close on Sunday, January 15th. |  More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Nominations are now open for the 2023 County Teachers of the Year and 2024 State Teacher of the Year. Members of the public are encouraged to nominate educators who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and who inspire the achievement of all students. |  More

In an effort to be responsive to the feedback we’re receiving about the Computer Science Integration (CSI) Initiative, the Maine Department of Education has redesigned the CSI Initiative to better meet the needs of Maine’s education field. Please find the new design and expectations below. We hope that this will help to alleviate concerns that folks had in participation. |  More

As part of the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, Governor Mills allocated $10 million of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds appropriated for Maine for public pre-k infrastructure to increase the number of 4-year-olds enrolled in public pre-k across the state. For 2022-24 school years, 28 School Administrative Units (SAUs) were awarded funding to expand or start new Pre-K programs. |  More

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is currently accepting nominations and applications for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). PAEMST is the highest recognition that a Kindergarten through 12th grade science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science educator may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Since 1983, more than 5,100 teachers have been recognized for their contributions to mathematics and science education. Up to 108 awardees may be recognized each year. Maine is proud to have honored over 80 exceptional educators for their contributions! |  More

We are excited to share the launch of Help Me Grow Maine, a resource developed by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services. This is a free, easy-to-access resource that connects children up to 8 years of age and their families, as well as pregnant people, with information and services related to child development and other family needs. Please share this resource with your school support staff, families, and school communities. |  More

Registration is open for the annual Maine Department of Education, Child Nutrition Farm to School Cook-off! The event will be held in the Spring of 2023. The cook-off is a statewide culinary competition for teams of school nutrition professionals and students to promote local foods in school meals. This voluntary competition is made available to all school districts in Maine. |  More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

Any inquiry starts with a question. In this case, Suzen Polk-Hoffses, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Milbridge Elementary School, wondered how she could break down the four walls of her classroom and build a bridge between her community and her students. She noticed that teaching and schooling had become so isolated between teachers and students and their community. But how could she build a bridge between the two? |  More

Approximately 20 Windham High School (WHS) students participated in three separate day-long retreats entitled the “Can We? Project”. Building up to the third retreat, students learned the skills of ‘listening to understand’ through a series of story exchanges. Then, using what they learned in the first retreat, students practiced their listening skills by discussing divisive topics at the second retreat where students chose political and social issues they deemed essential. |  More

Putting Head, Heart, and Hand together can seem overwhelming. This video is of an art teacher from Madison who has built a 7th-grade project-based unit that uses the ideas of Head, Heart, and Hand to engage students with authentic learning. |  More

School Union 76 was awarded funding for a Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) pilot project last year to create outdoor learning spaces for students across the district. With those funds, the district has created an ADA-accessible boardwalk with an adjacent ADA Outdoor Classroom that is part of a nature trail, both are designed to be inclusive for all students to be able to engage, connect, and explore and significantly boost their student learning proficiencies across all subjects – and even the students are pitching in to make improvements to the new spaces. |  More

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

The National Center for Community Schools is hosting the following virtual events this winter. For more information about these events email them at nccs@childrensaidnyc.org. |  More

Prioritize Your S.E.L.F. – Sleep. Eat. Laugh. Fitness. “Be the best you, so you can be your best for your school.” Join your colleagues from across the State to refill your wellness toolbox! This is a professional (and personal) learning event that will feature outstanding keynote speakers and engaging health promotion and wellness sessions. There will also be opportunities to learn about state programs and local school district wellness teams, successful wellness strategies, resources, and programs to can help build an action plan for healthier staff, students, school community, and learning environments. |  More

Please join Maine Department of Education (DOE) Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Specialist Sarah Norsworthy for the following SEL Implementation Professional Learning Opportunities being offered this winter and spring. Professional learning about SEL Implementation will occur in 4 strands, read & discuss, thinking routines, picture books and EdTech. |  More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities:

View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here