Maine Readiness Campaign

Graduating Ready for COLLEGE, CAREER and CITIZENSHIP........

Maine Readiness Campaign

The Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education Board of Directors is partnering with other education stakeholder groups to design and deliver a statewide public engagement campaign that we are characterizing as a ‘call to action’.  The overarching goal is to create a shared commitment across the State that all Maine high school students graduate ready for post secondary education, work and citizenship in the 21st century global economy and society.

Each group involved will take responsibility for a certain segment of the overall plan.  From the research already done, it is clear that there is a high degree of resonance to the message of “graduating ready””.  However, we must go further to encourage students, parents and educators to think critically about what readiness means and what it requires of them.  Key to the success is renewing the grassroots support and understanding of a standards based education.  Our membership, other business and community leaders, parents and students to will carry the message and data to support the importance of a meaningful high school  diploma and the value of a quality education. 

MCEE needs to be the champion for education.  Demographics tell us that there is truly a “perfect storm” brewing and that it will come in the form of limited funds to support education versus health care.  We intend to communicate with our targeted audiences the value and importance of education as the underpinning if Maine is to meet its economic and demographic challenges now and future.

THE MAINE READINESS CAMPAIGN

ME Readiness Campaign 

In 2005, the State Department of Education received a grant from the National Governor’s Association (www.nga.org) to support initiatives aimed as insuring that all students will graduate from high school ready for college, career and citizenship. Part of the grant is for the Maine Readiness Campaign. The Department appointed a steering committee to design and implement the Campaign, and a manager was engaged to coordinate and drive the effort.

The purpose of this 18-month Campaign is twofold: to create a shared commitment that all Maine high school students graduate ready for college, career and citizenship; and to support our high schools as they make the necessary changes to accomplish this result.

The goal is to increase the number of students, especially first generation and male students, who:

graduate from high school; are ready for college, citizenship and career; and go to college, embark on a satisfying career, and become engaged citizens.

The Campaign has four components: media, leadership development, community engagement, and partnership organizations. 

Leadership Development and Community Engagement Program. 

The objective of this program is that 1000 leaders and 50 community organizations will undertake local actions to achieve the goals.  These actions will range from tactical or project specific initiatives in communities (e.g. mentoring programs, scholarships), to strategic initiatives aimed at long-term systemic change in high schools (e.g. elimination of tracking, starting an Early College program). To achieve this objective, we will provide leaders and organizations with information, best practices, training to refine their skills, and networking to learn from each other.

The primary audience is educators, policymakers, and existing community leaders who may or may not be engaged in education-related initiatives. The program will work with leadership organizations to recruit local leaders. Our approach will be to work with and build the capacity of existing local organizations, e.g. chambers of commerce, education groups, etc. For purposes of this program, ‘communities’ are inclusive of the municipalities served by one or more high schools. We recognize that communities are at various stages of ‘readiness’.  Some communities have few initiatives underway, while others have several significant programs.

The program: All Maine high schools will be invited to participate, and 25 will be selected based on their commitment to the goals of the Campaign, the strength of their partnership, and geographic diversity.  A statewide organization meeting will be held in May for the co-chairs (high school principal and community leader) of the communities.  Regional workshops in the summer will help each community’s 10-person team identify barriers and set goals.  Community-wide forums will be held in the fall to generate enthusiasm, commitment and ideas for local actions.  Each local team will commit to a 2007 action plan and present their plan at a statewide conference in November.  Following an evaluation and refinements, this process will be repeated in the spring of 2007 for 25 more communities.

Support materials will include a tool kit, descriptions of best practices, and a website to keep participants connected and informed.

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 high school students in preparing to meet the new 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.

The Maine Readiness Campaign’s Community Partnerships Program

Fact Sheet

The purpose of each Community Partnership is to take actions to ensure that all their students graduate from high school ready for college, career and citizenship.  Statewide, 87% of Maine’s 9th grade students will graduate from high school; 65% intend to enroll in college; 53% actually enroll; only 30% will earn a college degree within 6 years.

Community Partnerships are teams composed of local educators, business people, parents and community leaders; about half the team members are non-educators.  Each team is co- chaired by the high school principal and a community leader. Team members have a shared commitment to the goal of all students graduating ready, and a willingness to work together to take actions to achieve that goal.  Team members are appointed by the co-chairs.

Community Partnerships should plan to meet 2-3 times per month in the fall to:

• Understand student readiness issues in their community.
• Examine what’s working now in the community, and promising practices elsewhere.
• Build broad community understanding and support by conducting a community forum.
• Set priorities, and make a decision to act.

 By January, each Community Partnership will decide what actions it will take to help all their students graduate ready. These actions will range from tactical initiatives in communities (such as mentoring programs or service-learning projects), to strategic initiatives requiring systemic change in high schools (such as elimination of tracking or starting an Early College program).  It could be the expansion or modification of an existing program, or a new initiative. The intent is to integrate the action into existing organizations in order to sustain the initiative.

 Community Partnerships will receive help in making these decisions: information on promising practices in Maine and elsewhere; data on student readiness; and, help setting priorities, and organizing the community. This help will be provided through a new website, and workshops, including a September 22nd Partnership Workshop for all teams.

 In addition, community teams will:  meet mid-January to report on progress and share results; attend regional workshops in the fall and spring to receive assistance; and participate in a final statewide workshop mid-summer 2007 to evaluate results. Each Partnership will be provided $2,000 to support their participation in the Program. 

Community Partnerships will be part of a network, and will probably find that the most valuable part of the program is the opportunity to learn from other schools and communities who face similar problems.  To facilitate this networking at workshops, each Community Partnership will ‘team-up” with two other Partnerships to work on issues in triads.

The Maine Department of Education sponsors the Community Partnership Program and the overall Maine Readiness Campaign of which it is a component.  Numerous statewide partner organizations are also supportive.  The Campaign is financed by a grant from the National Governors Association, with additional support from the Great Maine Schools Project at the Mitchell Institute and the Coalition for Excellence in Education.

 For more information, contact:

Sue Bell, Senior Project Manager, sbell@bernsteinshur.com                      

Dolly Sullivan, MCEE, mcee99@aol.com            

Henry Bourgeois, Maine Compact for Higher Education, henryb@mdf.org

Maine Readiness Campaign’s Community Readiness Partnerships Program

 Community Partnerships to date

Ashland- Ashland Community High School (SAD # 32)

Augusta - Cony High School                                                                   

Baileyville - Woodland Jr./Sr. High School

Calais - Calais High School                                                                  

Fort Kent - Fort Kent Community High School (SAD # 27)   

Gorham -Gorham High School                                                               

Guilford- Piscataquis High School

Howland -Penobscot Valley High School (SAD # 31)                    

Jackman  - Forest Hills Consolidated High School 

Kennebunk  - Kennebunk High School (SAD # 71)                                  

Lewiston - Lewiston High School                                                          

Livermore Falls - Livermore Falls High School (SAD # 36)                                

Madawaska  -   Madawaska Middle/High School                                             

Madison - Madison Area Memorial High School (SAD # 59)               

Paris  - Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (SAD #17)          

Poland -   Poland Regional High School                                                 

Portland   - Casco Bay High School                                                         

Presque Isle  -  Presque Isle High School (SAD #1)                                      

Rangeley -   Rangeley Lakes Regional High School (Union #36) 

Skowhegan - Skowhegan Area High School (SAD # 54)                           

Standish  - Bonny Eagle High School (SAD # 6)                                     

South Portland  -   South Portland High School                                                   

Topsham  -  Mt Ararat High School (SAD # 75)                                        

Turner -    Leavitt Area High School             

Winthrop    Winthrop High School    

Why is the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education participating in 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, not just the college bound, 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 help our students plan for the changes in this “new way to graduate ”.

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 8 th grade MEA 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.
• 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