Maine ASCD Weblog

District Reorganization Back in the News

It has been several months since there was anything substantive to report in the School District Reorganization debate. Yes, there was a repeal attempt to collect signatures to put the issue out on a citizen's referendum. That apparently has not succeeded. Yes, there has been consternation as districts have gone through the process of who they want to "play with." But this week there was finally a bill presented by the Education Committee which speaks to some of the financial issues that have been raised in the debate.

According to a press release from the DOE:

A bill that removes financial and other barriers to school districts trying to reorganize administrative functions is poised for action in the Senate, perhaps as early as tomorrow. The legislation had received a favorable vote from the committee last month but was brought back last week for additional discussion and revisions.

Committee members agreed on all of the key elements of the bill but one.

The bill allows granting a waiver to some proposed RSUs of less than 1,200 students, gives school systems the choice of going to the new budget validation referendum process this year or next, and clarifies the responsibilities of RSU boards that cannot be turned over to local school committees.

To be continued...

~John Brandt

Free and Open Source Learning

If you are a geek like me, you are probably enamored with the concept of free and open source software (FOSS) for a number of reasons. I underscore the "free" part as like all folks working in education, there is never enough money to do the things you need to do. "Open source" is an more interesting concept. Sounding oh so socialistic in its intent, the idea of open source is that multitudes of people contribute to the common good by producing intellectual property that has no individual owner. Someone generates a kernel of an idea, this is added to and improved upon by the next person and the next person and the next person. Eventually you have a product that rivals the commercial application, costs nothing to produce (except individuals' time) and it costs the public nothing.

The free and open source software movement has a long history (starting in the early 1980s) and has grown to becoming a true force in the software development field.

But this is not about software, this is about curriculum.

According to e-News:

Tired of investing in expensive textbooks and proprietary software programs, Florida education officials are looking to an open online-learning platform to teach young students basic reading skills

FreeReading.net is a free, sequential, research-based reading intervention program designed for students in kindergarten through first grade. Educators are invited to participate in discussion boards; take part in the full, 40-week scope and sequence of lessons; or tailor materials to their students’ individual learning needs.

The site’s content is provided under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License, sometimes referred to as the “wiki” license. This license lets any site visitor copy, share, and distribute the content in any medium, as long as the visitor includes appropriate attribution.

I will be watching the development of FOSC with great interest.

~John Brandt

What Works In Schools

As you know, Maine ASCD and the Maine Support Network are jointly sponsoring a two-day retreat entitled  Huddling with your Professional Learning Community to Explore the Art & Science of What Works in Schools.

For those seeking more background information about the topic, I invite them to listen to a podcast interview with Bob Marzano where he discusses What Works in Schools and, in particular, his newest book The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction.

Listen to the podcast - and register today for this exciting program!

~John Brandt

Happy New Year from Maine ASCD

The New Year brings more exciting opportunities for high quality professional development including a special partnership with the Maine Support Network, Literacy Study Groups and our traditional day-long conferences.

Check out the list of exciting professional development activities

What Works in Schools - A Two-Day Retreat

In a special partnership with the Maine Support Network, Maine ASCD is co-sponsoring a two-day retreat featuring Mary McDonough on February 3-4, 2008. Entitled Huddling with your Professional Learning Community to Explore the Art & Science of What Works in Schools, the program will provide educators with specific, research-based strategies grounded in the extensive work of Robert J. Marzano. What Works in Schools is designed to offer participants research-based strategies to improve district, school and classroom practices. Strategies to support team learning during the conference will include the infusion of technology, visual learning cues, and cooperative and collaborative learning opportunities.

Mary McDonough is an educational consultant and ASCD faculty member who has worked with Robert J Marzano and Associates in a number of states. With more than a decade of educational experience in inner-city Mary is also a former president of Maine ASCD and curriculum director from the mid-coast region. Her sense of respect, awe, humor, and efficacy, regarding the challenges and opportunities facing educators today, is evident in her engaging presentation style.

The Retreat, taking place at the historic and picturesque Samoset Resort in Rockport, also features many unique learning and sharing opportunities including poster sessions where participants can showcase their own examples of "What Works in Maine Schools." Please visit the Maine Support Network website for complete details.