In the heat of budget travails, as well as in more tranquil times, school board members and school administrators should remember that it is on the backs of teachers that the quality of an education system truly rests. Creating conditions that encourage teachers to do their finest work, and retaining the best teachers, should therefore […]
School boards make decisions that greatly influence the education students receive, yet some school board members know very little about curriculum, brain research, child development, or what is going on state-wide, nationally, or internationally in schools. In Maine we value local control of our schools and we are reluctant to cede decision-making authority to bureaucrats. […]
School district leaders and school boards who invite stakeholders in their district to engage in open discussions about important decisions contribute to a culture that brings out the best in everyone. Some school district leaders and boards recognize the importance of openness. A recent example is Elaine Nutter, the superintendent of a local Maine school […]
Dysfunction on a school board or in a superintendent’s office or at the state level impacts what goes on in the classroom, but the quality of teachers is what matters most, and the principal of a school is charged with ensuring that quality. Sometimes it seems that a principal’s load is simply too great to […]
What is the best way to organize decision-making in relation to schools and school districts? Does our system of local school boards work well? Most countries do not have school boards. Decisions are made at the national and local levels by educators. In our country decisions about schools are made by elected boards of taxpayers […]
The current public school system in Maine rewards teachers and administrators for working in schools with students from advantaged families. These professionals are paid more than their counterparts working in poorer districts. This is a result of our outdated funding system, which relies on local property taxes and sometimes philanthropy to cover much of the […]
The natural language of children is motion. This is truest of the very young but remains relevant through the middle school years (and should remain true throughout life if we are to stay healthy). Increasing numbers of schools demand that children remain physically inactive for long periods of time during the day. This goes against […]
For a lot of kids it’s not much fun going to school these days. Many schools have cut recess. Lunch lasts twenty minutes at best. The arts, languages, physical education, and social studies all occupy positions on the back burners. Teachers avoid project-based learning. Taking the fun out of school is a mistake. We lose […]
