Education
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Commissioner Makin briefs education committee on school reopenings, virus outbreaks
During a September 15 meeting of the legislature’s Committee on Education and Cultural...
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Families are fleeing government-run schools
This fall may be the biggest moment of truth for public education since...
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Students should learn more basic life skills in high school
The Maine Department of Education has certain requirements students must complete before they...
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What will school look like when Maine students return to the classroom this fall?
According to Maine Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner Pender Makin, ensuring every student...
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Maine-based school choice case headed for Supreme Court
The Court’s decision on Carson v. Makin could stop this kind of state-sanctioned...
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Supreme Court charts path to greater benefits for collegiate athletes
On June 21, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision...
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Maine schools to be freed of pandemic mandates starting July 1
On June 9, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) updated its PreK-12 and...
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Maine families deserve school choice, and the pandemic underscores its necessity
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new light and perspectives to many issues we...
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Mask rules persist for children in Maine schools. Why?
On Monday, May 24, nearly eight months after it was first ordered, Maine Gov....
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Should Mainers be fined $500 for recording their child’s virtual learning?
Lawmakers on Maine’s Judiciary Committee held a public hearing Wednesday on LD 864,...
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Data from around the country affirm schools are safe to reopen
Over the last few weeks, a central pillar of pandemic-era decision making crumbled....
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Woke classrooms show why parents should be free to choose on schools
Illinois legislators last week voted in favor of enacting new “Culturally Responsive Teaching...
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Teachers unions continue to block school reopenings across America
As district school closures enter their 11th month, many parents are frustrated and...
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School choice in Maine amid the pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic and our collective response to it has changed (for better...
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Pandemic reveals parents want more choice in their child’s education
The pandemic has revealed something many of us have believed for a long...
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Biden advisor notes incoming administration’s plan to neuter charter schools
Last year, the Maine Legislature and Governor Janet Mills enacted a pair of...
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Maine school choice lawsuit replicated in New Hampshire, Vermont
A pair of lawsuits that mirror a Maine-based legal challenge (currently pending in...
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Mills administration and MPA conclude football, volleyball cannot be played this fall
Bowing to pressure from the Mills administration, the Maine Principals’ Association announced Thursday...
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Reisman: See you in September?
Last week marked the beginning of my 37th year at the University of...
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School reopenings linked to union influence and politics, not safety
School closures have affected over 55 million K–12 students in the U.S. since March as...
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Mills administration appears destined to halt high school sports this fall
The Maine Principals’ Association’s (MPA) Interscholastic Management Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to...
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Waterville-area school district plans to bring students back to school full-time
In mid-August, the board of directors of Regional School Unit 18, a school...
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USM president’s BLM statement and ‘antiracism pledge’ troubling for many reasons
Last week, Reason covered a story about the new “Black Lives Matter Statement...
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Infectious disease experts at UVM says its safe for schools to reopen
A recent commentary published in the Journal of Pediatrics encourages schools to reopen,...
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Maine DOE’s school reopening guidance presents major challenges for working families
On Friday, Governor Janet Mills released guidelines for schools as they consider whether...
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Education savings accounts can give Maine families more flexibility as school year nears
As the school year fast approaches, only one item in the curriculum seems...
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Survey shows Maine parents and students hope for in-person return to school this Fall
A survey conducted by Rep. Justin Fecteau and Rep. Heidi Sampson indicates that...
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Fall is coming, and decisions on school reopenings should come sooner than later
Now that Governor Mills has signaled through her executive orders that the 2020...
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Teachers’ union quietly advancing ballot initiative that would strip power from school boards
A pending ballot initiative is quietly seeking to expand negotiable items for teachers’...
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Pediatric medical experts agree: Send kids back to school
These days, in states across the nation, public health officials are discovering more...
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Education savings accounts provide families more schooling options amid COVID-19
During periods of crisis, some of the most innovative solutions to problems have...
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SCOTUS ruling on religious school funding could pave way to victory for similar case in Maine
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to strike down a Montana...
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Will Maine’s DOE overstep its authority in coordinating school reopenings?
On June 11, Maine’s Department of Education (DOE) released a working draft listing...
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Homeschooling experts highlight the varied paths to gaining an education
On Thursday, April 9, Maine Policy Institute hosted a panel of veteran homeschoolers...
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Homeschooling in a crisis? We can help.
A few short weeks ago, could you have imagined what you’d be doing...
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Maine unions want to set education policy at your school
Who should be in charge of local education policy? Should it be parents...
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Lawmakers to address the grave emergency of electric school buses
Lawmakers on Maine’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee are holding a public hearing...
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Briefs submitted in Maine school choice lawsuit
The Maine Heritage Policy Center and EdChoice recently filed an amicus brief in Carson...
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Unity charter school approved to fill 10th and final spot available in Maine
Hundreds of bills failed to become law in the First Regular Session of...
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Does Maine spend too much on school administration?
There has been quite a bit of debate in recent years about whether...
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Lawsuit challenging exclusion of religious schools from town tuitioning program headed to higher court
On Wednesday, June 26, United States District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby issued...
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Don’t cap Maine’s charter schools
As we approach the ten-year anniversary of Maine’s historic public charter school system,...
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Maine House votes to gut bill providing free speech protections to college students
The Maine House of Representatives on Monday, June 3 voted 87-51 along party...
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Debt-free college bill ignores troubling realities of higher education in Maine
The Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business heard several bills last...
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Maine cannot afford ‘debt-free’ college
This session, lawmakers in the Maine Legislature are considering a pair of bills...
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Empower Maine families with school choice
Quite often we hear politicians and special interests say that the quality of...
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LD 665: Protect free speech on college campuses
I have sponsored LD 665, “An Act to Enact the Campus Free Expression...
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Efforts to undermine public charter schools only hurt Maine students
A lawmaker from Portland appears to have a personal vendetta against public charter...
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Maine needs more young people to skip four-year degrees and work in the trades
High school guidance counselors, parents and popular culture have spent decades telling young...
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Bill to improve teacher quality would do just the opposite
Senator Rebecca Millett, the chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, has...
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New bill creates unnecessary burden for special needs students and their families
On Thursday, Feb. 14 the legislature’s education committee held a public hearing on...
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Don’t close the book on virtual charter schools
State Representative Michael Brennan of Portland recently introduced a pair of bills concerning...
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Higher education reform can help Maine retain its youth
In 2009, I graduated from high school and left for college. I planned...
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The costs of universal pre-K are not worth the benefits
It is no secret that the Mills administration and legislative Democrats are planning...
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Lawsuit seeks to undo exclusion of religious schools from Maine’s school choice program
Maine’s town tuitioning program, first adopted in 1873, is the second oldest school choice...
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Education in Maine is worse than you think
It’s no secret that Maine’s public K-12 education system needs work. Bloated bureaucracies...
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The numbers tell the real story on education funding
It’s the political season and a lot of misinformation is flying around. I...
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Public funding for higher education fails students and taxpayers
Government meddling in competitive industry invariably hurts all citizens, and higher education is...
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School choice under attack in town of Alna
In 2010, The Maine Heritage Policy Center shared an article titled, “School Choice...
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Socializing higher education is not a viable solution to the student debt crisis
When it comes to the student loan debt crisis, government-oriented reforms are not...
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Scarborough residents successfully recall three sitting school board members
Something beautiful happened this week – something that should scare every elected official...
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It’s time to repeal proficiency-based diplomas
On Monday, April 9, at 1:30 p.m., Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Education...
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Traditional public schools suffer from educational paralysis
Education in Maine is captive to progressive administrative and structural stagnation. Our educational system...
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There is no ‘marketplace’ for ideas in higher education
James D. Herbert’s Feb. 11 column in the Portland Press Herald, “Are We Just Another...
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Wednesday’s nationwide walkout has no place in public schools
The nationwide school walkout scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 at 10 a.m. is...
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Proficiency-based education is failing Maine students
Maine’s experimental education model, proficiency-based learning, has received strong pushback in recent weeks...
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Maine can build on the success of its chartered schools
When conservatives in Augusta pushed to implement the law enabling charter schools in...
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Money will never end Maine’s education woes
Democrats can pretend to have made out like bandits in budget negotiations, but...
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Maine must restore local control over its schools
The Common Core State Standards, since their adoption in 2011, have been an...
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Education reforms should be part of state budget deal
Yes, I know, I know. This past November, voters narrowly passed a referendum...
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Maine students need more charter schools
During his first term in the legislature, Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, R-Androscoggin,...
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Teacher Pay? It’s Time to Reform the Underlying Structure and Driving Factors
I agree with Governor LePage. Teachers should be paid what they are worth....
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Our Teachers Should Be Paid What They Are Worth
Good teachers are critical to Maine’s future, so let’s pay them adequately. Our...
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Empty Analysis and Flawed Statistics: MPA Struggling to Grasp Impact of Question 2
He strikes again. Mike Tipping, the communications director of the Maine People’s Alliance...
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Regional Services Can Improve Funding for Education
Democrats say they want to reduce property taxes. But they don’t have the...
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LePage Offers Real Solution to Combat Rising School Costs
While liberals ridicule Gov. Paul LePage’s stance on school regionalization, the real issues...
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Legislature to Consider Removing Cap on Maine’s Charter Schools
There’s nothing more enjoyable as a constituent than seeing your elected officials keep...
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The Fallout of Question 2: Increased Taxes for All
Those who read the first half of my take on the aftermath of...
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Say Goodbye to Maine’s Job Creators
The debate around the destructive 3 percent surtax on Maine’s individual income has...
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Maine Can Fund Education Without Taxing High Earners Out of the State
We are going to miss Matt Gilman. Chances are you don’t know him,...
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Speaker Gideon Threatens House Republicans Over Tipping Scandal
Nearly two weeks after nixing a House Ethics Committee review of Rep. Ryan...
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Tipping Remains Co-Chair as Tax Committee Considers Modifying Question 2
Despite recent controversy surrounding its House Chair, the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation...
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Ethics Commision Debunks House Dems’ Defense of Ethics Scandal
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Someone should relay this...
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LePage: Union lobbyist Ryan Tipping should resign his House seat
Union lobbyist Ryan Tipping should resign his House seat. Legislators who line their...
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Madame Speaker Shuts Down Debate on School Choice
If it weren’t for double standards, Speaker of the House Sara Gideon (D-Freeport)...
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Gov. LePage Offers Common Sense Reform of Maine Public Schools
For those concerned about the education of Maine’s youth, Gov. Paul LePage has...
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We Must Support Innovative Approaches to Delivering Education in Maine
If we want to put more money in our classrooms, we need a...
