For a stronger economy, better jobs and a brighter future for Maine. 

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Do You Want Maine to be a Place Where....

1.  STUDENTS LEARN MORE AND EVERY STUDENT GETS THE SAME
CHANCE TO SUCCEED?

2.  EDUCATORS HAVE THE SKILLS AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO
ENSURE ALL STUDENTS REACH THEIR POTENTIAL?

3.  HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL
MAINERS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFETIME?

4. BETTER JOBS AND A STRONGER ECONOMY ARE IN OUR FUTURE?

WHY IS THIS CAMPAIGN NECESSARY?

• PREPARING Maine for the Future

  Maine’s future depends on how well we prepare our people for the 21st century.  We have to equip all Mainers with the knowledge and skills they need for success in college, career, citizenship and life.  

  Over the next decade, 90% of high-growth jobs will require education beyond high school.  Preparing for these new challenges means providing a quality education for all of our people, from early childhood through lifelong learning.

  Specifically, Maine needs to ensure that:

  • All young children have access to quality programs that advance their development
  • All students graduate from high school prepared for college, career, citizenship and life
  • Many more Mainers complete a college degree or occupational certificate

Go to the Prepare Maine website for more information...

www.preparemaine.org

MCEE has a vision for a high-quality 21st century education system that spans early childhood through lifelong learning and offers opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills that will make this and future generations successful in life.  As Maine’s only business-education coalition, MCEE is building an organized, engaged, statewide alliance of advocates to recommit Maine to a system where:

• All children have access to the early learning experiences and family supports they need to enter kindergarten ready to learn;
• Student-centered learning, high expectations and expanded learning time in and out of school allow every student to meet high standards and to graduate from high school prepared for productive citizenship and pursuit of college or a credential for an occupational trade;
• Excellence in teaching and leadership are recognized, supported and rewarded;
• All citizens have access to high-quality, affordable postsecondary education and training opportunities, including the necessary supports;
• Resources are spent wisely and equitably, with an understanding of hechallenges that low-income communities face and of the unique costs of providing a quality education to low-income people, English language learners and other disadvantaged populations;
• Comprehensive information systems allow data-driven decision-making to improve educational equity, opportunity and achievement, in a system that removes institutional barriers between early childhood development, K-12 and postsecondary opportunities; and
• Students, parents and the entire community become more engaged in creating and realizing a vision for learning at the local and state levels.

To achieve our vision we will:

• Educate – Frame the issues so they are easily understood, create a sense of urgency, and move people to action.
• Organize – Build a dynamic “early childhood through lifelong learning” advocacy network at the state and local level and engage candidates with innovative business-, parent- and student-driven events.
• Mobilize – Equip Mainers with the tools and information they need to take action to demand quality, opportunity and success in our schools.
• Achieve – Promote, enact and implement the best-practices and -policies that prepare this and future generations of Mainers for continuing education, career and life.

REQUEST

 We need your help to strengthen equity, opportunity,and access to quality education for all Maine citizens.  What can you do?

• Lend your business or association name / logo for campaign ads / printed materials
• Help us reach out to your associates in the workplace and community
• Volunteer!  Contact Dolly Sullivan at 469-3231, mcee99@aol.com.

ABOUT THE MAINE COALITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

 MCEE is an alliance of business and education leaders that for nearly two decades has been a vocal advocate for standards-based education – the idea that students need to demonstrate they’ve mastered what matters and schools need to demonstrate they’ve improved learning.  This simple, but profound concept was put into law in 1997 as Maine’s Learning Results.  For the second time since passage of Learning Results, we are in a new decade and we’ve barely begun to reach for these goals.  Let’s make this a decade of leadership, commitment, action and results.

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MCEE will be the champion for education.  We will communicate with our targeted audiences the value and importance of education as the underpinning if Maine is to eet its economic and demographic challenges now and future.

The Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education remains committed to the full implementation of MAINE'S LEARNING RESULTS as a way to achieve the above mentioned goals. 

We have identified a need to rally the people of the State of Maine to take action to support our in preparing to meet the rigorous standards for graduation.

As accountability becomes part of the graduation equation, the purpose and benefits of meeting Maine’s Learning Results must be clearly articulated. Classroom teachers, administrators, and school boards around the state have been working diligently to align curricula, design local assessment systems and put into place the necessary support systems. But, there is still much work to do across the state to make sure our students graduate ready college, career and citizenship.

Why is the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education embarking on this initiative?

The Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education, by virtue of our long-standing mission and our historical commitment to education reform, believes we have a responsibility to assist and reinforce the hard work of our educators.

The Coalition’s work continues to focus on the achievement of Maine’s Learning Results. Our organization was instrumental in getting the Learning Results legislation passed back in 1997 and we intend to remain committed to support educators in their work to realize the promise of Learning Results for each Maine student.

As one of our Board members recently stated, “Learning Results are the DNA of the Coalition”. We will continue to work diligently to see that all Maine students have the opportunity to achieve Maine’s Learning Results.

Why These Changes?

The world is changing – and Maine is changing. There has been considerable transformation in our state’s economy over the past decade. The majority of jobs and career choices in what is being referred to as the “knowledge economy” require higher levels of knowledge and more continued learning than in the past.

In order to ensure that all students have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to be successful after high school, Maine adopted the Learning Results. These standards, developed by Maine educators, are rigorous and require hard work.

It has been nearly a decade since the acceptance of Learning Results in Maine. As we move forward, the relevance of all the work done in school districts around the state becomes evident. Maine’s business community must continue to be a part of this process by supporting and reinforcing the message that SUCCESS BEGINS WITH EDUCATION and Maine’s plan to ensure success for all students is a good one.

For more information or to convey your thoughts on this Campaign, please contact the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education.

We need to work together to Prepare Maine. 

What Students Can Do

• Take your school work seriously
• Take challenging courses
• Set personal and academic goals
• Ask for help if you are struggling
• Arrive at school on time, ready to learn
• Take responsibility for your academics
• Take care of yourself – be healthy, avoid drugs and alcohol
• Know that what you do in school will impact your post-secondary plans – whatever they are.
• Get involved in extracurricular activities

What Parents Can Do

• Use your child’s report cards and test scores as a starting point for working with teachers,
• If you believe your child needs extra help, ask for it
• Make sure your child takes challenging courses, particularly in English, math and science
• Get your child to school on time every day, ready to learn
• Know the requirements and your child’s progress in meeting them
• Stay informed – get involved in your child’s education
• Establish a routine for doing homework
• Support professional development for teachers

What Educators Can Do

• Commit to ongoing communication with students and parents about the progress of their students
• Implement a variety of support systems that will ensure the success of our students – classroom based; school based assessment support and essential skills support
• Use data to inform our instructional practices
• Continue to have high expectations for our students and ourselves
• Use innovative practices to ensure the success of our students
• Make decisions based on what is best for students
• Offer rigorous classes
• Support professional development

What Businesses Can Do

• Require high school transcripts – show students that what they do in school matters
• Get involved in the schools
• Encourage your employees to get involved in their child’s education by attending parent teacher conferences, volunteering in schools, mentoring, etc.
• Encourage your employees to continue their education
• Offer tuition reimbursement
• Host career exploration meetings with high school students
• Share your hiring criteria with students, parents, educators - explain what you are looking for in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
• Support professional development for educators