The Maine Heritage Policy Center » Education

Online Learning: Maximizing Results by Leveraging Technology

aclark — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:39:13 +0000

It’s time for Maine to embrace innovation in education through online learning – a method inherently customized to suit the needs of our individual students. Think about the technological progress we’ve made in different areas of life over the past few centuries. At one time, surgeons knew only large incisions and operated tirelessly, often experimentally, in hopes of saving their patients’ lives. Now, surgeons are successfully performing laparoscopic surgery and sending their patients home the following day, often even the same day. Telephones, which used to be affixed to the wall or a booth, migrated to your office desk to your car to your pocket! All the while our American education system has remained relatively the same – a teacher in a classroom with a chalkboard and her students in their chairs fixed neatly facing her, pencils and paper in hand.

Third grader Mason wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. He’s really motivated and by 10:00 a.m. he’s finished all three of his math worksheets and Mrs. Sucy resorts to giving him busy work while she finishes coaching his fellow classmates through their work. Third grader Sophia, however, is still stuck on math problem number one. She’s too embarrassed to ask Mrs. Sucy to slow down and repeat the lesson again.

Mrs. Sucy is a terrific teacher and she recognizes her students each learn in different ways – some by doing, some audibly, some visually. However, there’s just not enough time in a day to fully meet each of her students varying needs. Mrs. Sucy’s 25 students are akin to train cars all on the same track, all forced to go the same speed, run by one engine. If she as the engine slows the train down, Mason will be altogether bored and break away. If she speeds up to accommodate Mason, she’ll certainly lose students, and most definitely blast Sophia beyond her speed!

Technology is the key to revolutionizing education for all kids around the world. The term “online learning” embraces this very concept.

(Download the full report here)

What is online learning?

Online learning, often referred to as “anywhere, any time learning,” is an education model whereby a student completes his coursework through internet-based programs. Of course this model can take many different shapes. It is possible for a student to enroll in a full-time online learning program which is comprehensive of the entire subject matter for his grade level. Or, a student may take just one or a handful of courses online while he is enrolled in a traditional brick and mortar school.

Most popular models of online learning

Full Time:

Students enrolled in full time online learning perhaps have the most flexibility in their education. Rather than a traditional brick and mortar school setting, students “log on” to school with the click of a button on their computer from anywhere with internet … a home desktop, an airplane, a hospital bed, a hotel room, the list is endless.

Examples: K12, Inc. and Connections Academy – Both are widely popular across the U.S. and each were to be online learning providers for the two proposed virtual charter schools in Maine. Last year, the two proposed virtual charter schools were recommended by the Maine Charter School Commission to resubmit their applications in the next reviewing cycle and they did so in January of 2013. The Commission denied both applications and has not yet approved a virtual charter school in Maine.

Although Maine’s charter school law does allow provisions for a full time virtual charter school, use of this full time virtual school model currently exists in Maine only in a home school situation where parents pay for it out of pocket (in addition to their taxes which in part fund the local public school system).

Blended:

Students’ time is divided between online learning and teacher-led, hands on workshops where there is engaging discussion and activities which complement the individual learning taking place through the online programs. Traditional desks are replaced by mini cubicles containing personal computers. Students are with their fellow classmates in a brick and mortar school and are supervised by teachers. Students take the same online courses but may progress at each of their individual paces.

So for example, Mason and Sophia are taking the same third grade math curriculum. Mason is completing his long division unit after watching the virtual lesson on his computer earlier this morning; he looks forward to moving on to fractions next week! Sophia is feeling confident in her division skills as she was able to hit “pause” during the virtual lesson, while she takes some extra notes. She proceeds to start her exercises and realizes she forgets her first step. She goes back to the virtual lesson and clicks “repeat.” Meanwhile, Mrs. Sucy who has the ability to mill around the room and monitor the progress of her students as individuals, has her own computer and receives a red flag notification on her monitor indicating Sophia may need some encouragement or a bit of an explanation.

Examples: Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School in Yuma, Arizona

Carpe Diem’s expenditures per student are $4,000 less than the national average. ^{^[1]}

This model, in its purest form, does not yet exist in Maine. However, with state surplus funds, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, launched in 2001 by the Maine Department of Education and Apple, Inc., issued laptops to all middle school students and teachers. Through negotiations with Apple, Inc. in 2009, the MLTI expanded and supplied new laptops to all of Maine’s public high school students.^{^[2]} Given this laptop program and the widespread support of superintendents throughout the state, Maine has a nearly perfect foundation to implement the blended model of online learning.

Supplemental:

A student may enroll in an online class or two, in addition to his traditional education, for various reasons. Some students, especially those who live in rural areas, would not otherwise have opportunities to learn Mandarin Chinese or take an Advanced Placement course in preparation for college. Others need to catch up on a particular subject over the course of the summer; perhaps they were sick for an extended period of time or just simply succeeded in all but one subject. Those who don’t like to get their hands dirty, can even virtually dissect a frog in an online biology class!

Examples: PLATO Learning, Inc. and Virtual Learning Academy (with either of these providers, students may enroll in one or two courses or full time)

This model does exist in Maine. Founded in January 2012, the Maine Virtual Learning Consortium which was established by the Maine International Center for Digital Learning and RSU 19, offers eight courses including Latin, Anatomy and Physiology, and Art History. Schools which choose to participate are called “Partner Schools;” they pay an annual enrollment fee and must contribute two one-semester online courses to be distributed for use throughout the other Consortium Partner Schools. ^{^[3]}

Who provides online learning?

Just in the past year, the number of Maine state-approved online learning providers has increased from three to seven. These private providers, approved for use in the public school classrooms, are: Advanced Academics, Apex Learning, Connections Academy, K12, Inc., Lincoln National Academy, PLATO Learning, Inc., and Virtual Learning Academy.

Elluminate Live! Session

Teachers

Online learning teachers interact with their students through e-mail, electronic real time white boards, instant messaging, blogs, forums, phone, chat rooms, and more! The screenshots below give you an idea of the face to face class time and accountability that can take place even through cyberspace. Students interact and respond to questions through use of the chat box, private messaging, and through a microphone when called upon by their teacher. Teachers can use the whiteboard to type instructions, draw shapes and even graph mathematical equations. Class may meet once a week or multiple times per week. Extra tutoring can take place between the teacher and students as needed on their own time. Homework can be submitted via e-mail or posted on a forum with indications of whether or not students have met the set deadline.

Tutor Trove Lesson

Conclusion

Online learning embodies the greatest qualities of customized learning. Through online learning, classmates like Mason and Sophia can progress in courses at their own pace, according to their strengths and weaknesses in different subjects. Teachers like Mrs. Sucy, who tirelessly strive to meet the needs and interests of each of her students, can devote more time to tracking and encouraging the progress of her students as unique individuals. Online learning empowers her as just one teacher to have several “engines” running, with students each on their own tracks – slowing down, breaking, and accelerating according to their abilities. The bottom line is leveraging technology maximizes results. Given the laptop programs and online learning programs already in place throughout our state, Maine has the potential to revolutionize education to such a degree that every student can realize his full potential.

Notes and Sources

[1] Diana Moore and Oliver Leonard, iLearn Project, Freedom Foundation, 2011.

[2] Maine Learning Technology Initiative, “About MLTI,” Maine Department of Education. http://maine.gov/mlti/about/index.shtml

[3] Maine Virtual Learning Consortium, “Membership and Costs.” https://sites.google.com/a/mevlc.org/membership

Amanda Clark is the Education Policy Analyst at The Maine Heritage Policy Center. She may be reached at aclark@mainepolicy.org

Great Schools for ME is a series of publications by The Maine Heritage Policy Center which focus on improving Maine’s education system through customized learning opportunities for all Maine students. All information is from sources considered reliable, but may be subject to inaccuracies, omissions, and modifications.

The Past and Present of Customized Learning in Maine

aclark — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:30:52 +0000

Maine’s first academy, Berwick Academy in South Berwick, was founded in 1791.

This is the first of a three-part series on customized learning in Maine. Download the report here.

By Amanda Clark

MHPC Education Policy Analyst

Customized learning is a student-focused system where kids enroll in the curriculum which best meets their educational needs. Customized learning is not new and, in fact, is at the heart of Maine’s well-rooted educational history going back to the days of town academies. Unfortunately, this individualized method of education never fully flourished to its full potential where every Maine child could thrive in a customized learning environment.

More than ever, Maine needs creative solutions for today’s kids. Maine now faces a “Demographic Winter” where the shrinking number of children threatens the very sustainability of the current population level and economy. As a consequence, falling student enrollments will mean fewer educational opportunities for today’s children. Yet, specialized career interests, Gifted and Talented programs, apprenticeship opportunities, foreign language courses and more are all what make individual schools unique—almost as unique as the individual needs of our children.

For the sake of our kids and for the sake of Maine’s future, customized learning is the best way to grow our students and our economy. Already a few tentative steps have been taken toward building a greater customized learning environment with the recent introduction of charter schools and online learning. More still needs to be done.

This is the first study of a three-part series examining customized learning in Maine.

The second study will highlight successful examples of customized learning in Maine. The third study will lay out a policy roadmap to customized learning for all Maine children.

Early Customized Learning: Town Tuitioning

Throughout the late 1700s and the 1800s, many private insitutions of learning, known as Maine’s town academies or independent schools, sprouted with various purposes concerned with the needs of children. Some schools were founded on religious grounds, some

offered comprehensive boarding programs, and even one, the Carrabassett Valley Academy, originated as a tutoring establishment for those training in the arts of winter sports on Sugarloaf Mountain.

Berwick Academy was Maine’s first academy, founded in 1791, nearly thirty years before Maine became a state. The people of Berwick, York, Kittery, Rollinsford, Portsmouth and Wells got together and financed the founding of Berwick Academy, to educate the “deplorable youth in this part of the country.” To give you an idea of Berwick Academy’s historical timeline, recall that also in 1791, the United States Bill of Rights was passed, King Louis XVI swore an oath as a “constitutional king” during the French Revolution, and Congress created the United States Mint.

The other 11 academies which continue to serve Maine’s students today are:

Carrabassett Valley Academy (1982)
Erskine Academy (1883)
Foxcroft Academy (1823)
Fryeburg Academy (1792)
George Stevens Academy (1803)
Gould Academy (1835)
Hebron Academy (1804)
Lee Academy (1845)
Lincoln Academy (1801)
North Yarmouth Academy (1814)
Thornton Academy (1811)
Washington Academy (1792)

Following an 1873 law which provided for the receipt of state aid by public schools, Maine’s legislature mandated in 1903 the local towns’ responsibility for the education of their respective residing school-aged kids. Even with state aid, many of the towns, especially those in rural Maine, could not afford to build a local high school. The solution in these situations was the ability for the child’s town of residence to send a “tuition” payment with each child to the public or private, religious or non-religious school of his choice. Of course, many of the private schools at that time happened to be town academies. Although many of the academies initially did have religious grounding and affiliations, over time, they secularized their missions. Since 1980, due to a ruling by Maine’s highest court, religious schools may no longer obtain public funds.

Current Customized Learning: Traditional Public, Private, Charter, Online

Today, Maine’s tuitioning system continues. Towns without local public high schools have arrangements that vary in the degree to which they allow customized learning. These agreements range from contracts with a single nearby public or private school (leaving little room for customization per student), all the way to the other end of the spectrum where towns send “tuition” to any school that will accept the funds, in or outside the State of Maine.

Saco, Arundel and Dayton for example do not operate local public high schools. Saco contracted with Thornton Academy in 1889, and its students have enrolled there ever since. Arundel and Dayton also contract with Thornton; Arundel sends their sixth through eighth graders and Dayton sends their high school kids. For ninth through twelfth grade, Arundel allows its kids customized learning through enrollment at schools including Thornton Academy. Currently, Maine towns “tuition” well over 10,000 students a year to schools outside their residing localities.

The kids to the right, dressed in the uniforms of their respective “grown up” aspirations, for the purposes of this illustration are residents of Raymond, Maine. The town of Raymond has withstood reorganization and consolidation threats to school choice throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Therefore, kids who reside in Raymond are nevertheless privy to the opportunity of seven different schools in Maine. The bubble thoughts are true to their situation today. Their parents are able to offer them a customized education by evaluating a number of school options. All of the schools, by way of their geography, emphasis, tuition, online courses, may have remarkable qualities. However, there’s likely one school that will stand out as the best fit for their child, for the sake of foreign language courses or study abroad programs, their student’s talents or learning disabilities, transportation or ability to walk, career goals or current high school jobs, and more.

More than twenty-five of Maine’s private schools are approved to receive public funds in the form of “tuition” from towns without a local public school. These private schools include L’Ecole Française du Maine in South Freeport, Stillwater Montessori School in Old Town, The New School in Kennebunk, and the Watershed School in Camden. Of course those noted as options in the above thought bubble may also receive public funds.

John Bapst High School (Bangor), ranking first nationwide for the number of its students enrolled in college courses, has a body of which more than sixty percent of its students are tuitioned by towns throughout Maine. At least eleven other private schools collect town tuition for more than sixty percent of their student body.

Private schools outside of Maine which have been approved for the receipt of tuition payments from Maine’s towns include Montessori High School at University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio, Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Emma Willard School in Troy, New York. Town tuition payments to these schools may not exceed the cost of education for Maine’s state average public secondary student; that average is $8,873.46.

Maine’s newest additions to customized learning are charter schools, also recipients of tuition funds. Maine became the forty-first state to allow for the founding of charter schools when Governor LePage signed L.D. 1553 into law in June of 2011. Although this was a landmark victory for the world of customized learning, we still need to expand the charter school market. Maine’s law allows authorization, given by the Charter School Commission, of ten charter schools within a ten-year span. Local school boards, which are reputably less apt to push for the founding of neighborhood competition, may authorize an unlimited number of charter schools within that time frame.

The Commission, composed of seven members (three from the State School Board, and the other four nominated by the original three), was formed in the winter of 2011 and has since approved two schools for operation. Having both opened their doors in 2012, Maine Academy of Natural Sciences (frequently referred to as MeANS) currently serves 46 high school students, and Cornville Regional Charter School has enrolled sixty kindergarten through sixth grade students.

This month, the Charter School Commission received five applications for proposed charter schools, two of which were virtual and had been denied in a review last year but recommended to resubmit come this past review cycle. The Commission approved only one out of the five proposed charter schools to move on with the authorization process; both virtual schools, again, were denied the next step in authorization.

The Commission utterly fails to recognize the inherent accountability system set up within the charter school law. Charter schools are governed by a board independent of the local school system and, of course, rely on the enrollment of parents and students wanting customized learning. The degree to which a charter school does or does not succeed is a direct reflection of the learning experience it offers.

Perhaps the most universal style of customized learning around the world is online learning. Often referred to as “anywhere, any time learning,” online learning is an education model whereby a student completes his coursework through internet-based programs. Of course, this model can take many different shapes. It is possible for a student to enroll in a full-time online learning program which is comprehensive of all the subject matter for his grade level. Or a student may take just one or a handful of courses online while he is enrolled in a traditional brick-and-mortar school.

Although Maine’s charter school law does allow provisions for a full time virtual charter school, use of this full-time virtual school model currently exists in Maine only in a home school situation where parents pay for it out of pocket (in addition to their taxes which in part fund the local public school system).

Founded in January 2012, the Maine Virtual Learning Consortium which was established by the Maine International Center for Digital Learning and RSU 19, offers eight courses including Latin, Anatomy and Physiology, and Art History. Schools which choose to participate are called “Partner Schools;” they pay an annual enrollment fee and must contribute two one-semester online courses to be distributed for use throughout the other Consortium Partner Schools.

There are currently seven state-approved online learning providers for Maine. They are Advanced Academics, Apex Learning, Connections Academy, K12, Inc., Lincoln National Academy, PLATO, and Virtual Learning Academy. In recent years, Maine passed a multi-district online learning law by which districts can share online courses and therefore enroll their students in subject areas that they would not otherwise be able to offer due to school finances.

Demand for Customized Learning

Maine’s school enrollment trends, over a stretch of fifteen or more years, reveal to us the desire of parents and students for customized learning. The Maine Department of Education has listed as far back as 1995 the annual attending enrollment for each category of public schools, private schools, and homeschooling. As you can see in Chart 1, the public school enrollment in Maine has declined quite strikingly!

The primary reason behind the decline in public school enrollment is Maine’s “Demographic Winter” where Maine’s net natural population growth (births minus deaths) is negative. As a consequence, the younger cohort of Mainers is shrinking and, naturally, that translates into lower school enrollments.

Additionally, the level of private school enrollments and the popularity of homeschooling as depicted in Charts 2 and 3 have eroded public school enrollments. It’s safe to say that a large number of parents in Maine are searching for customized learning. Without customized learning available through their town, they are presumably pulling their kids out of the local public school. Parents are then enrolling their kids, at their own personal expense, in various private schools and homeschooling which often cater better toward the unique needs of students.

The volatility is the result of the most recent recession, which officially ran its course between December 2007 and June 2009 according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. The recession affected all three categories of school enrollment. Public school enrollment experienced a bump up during those years, but that increase was remarkably short-lived. Private school enrollment took a sharp dip during the recession, and quickly rebounded about the same time that public school enrollment continued to decrease again.

Home school enrollment has fluctuated throughout the years but, overall, has most certainly climbed. Note also the slight increase during the recession followed by a slight decrease following the recession. We conclude that in hard financial times, some parents were forced to default to the local public school and homeschooling and after getting back up on their feet, re-enrolled their students in the private schools that best met their kids’ needs.

Conclusion

Customized learning is nothing new to Maine. The seeds were planted with the founding of Maine’s academies and other private schools several hundred years ago. Unfortunately, customized learning has always been limited – offered only to those without a local public or contracted school and to those who are wealthy enough to afford a private school of their choice. Customized learning already exists in Maine – why not allow every Maine kid the opportunity?

Maine’s birth rate has been dropping off for years, and we just experienced for the first time a negative birth rate last year in 2012. This same year also marked a negative in-migration rate. Maine is experiencing a “Demographic Winter” with too few young people to support the current population level. Towns must find ways to provide a meaningful education when the traditional brick-and-mortar school model is becoming more difficult to sustain with ever-shrinking student enrollment.

We need creative solutions for today’s kids. Specialized career interests, Gifted and Talented programs, apprenticeship opportunities, foreign language courses and more are all what make individual public, private, charter, and online schools unique—almost as unique as the individual needs of our children. For the sake of our kids and for the sake of Maine’s future, expanded customized learning, as shown by Maine’s own history, is the best way to grow our economy and help our students succeed.

Friedman Legacy Luncheon Event – July 31, 2012

Steve Robinson — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:48:46 +0000

the spirit of Milton Friedman, we invite you to a luncheon celebrating freedom and education.

with

Ms. Lindsey Burke

Will Skillman Fellow in Education

The Heritage Foundation

Tuesday, July 31, 2012
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

DiMillo’s On the Water

25 Long Wharf, Portland

MHPC Member $20, Non-member $25

Lindsey M. Burke researches and writes on federal and state education issues as the Will Skillman fellow in education policy at The Heritage Foundation. Burke focuses on two critical areas of education policy: reducing the federal role in education and empowering families with school choice.

Her work and commentary have been cited or appeared in national magazines such as The Atlantic, Time and Newsweek; newspapers such as The Boston Herald, The Star-Ledger, The Washington Examiner and The Washington Times; and digital venues such as the Daily Caller and National Review Online.

Burke, who has spoken on education reform issues across the country and internationally, also has appeared on CNN and Fox News Channel as well as numerous national or regional radio and television programs.

Burke holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., and a master of teaching degree in foreign language education from the University of Virginia. Before joining Heritage in 2008 as a research assistant, she taught high school French.

She and her husband, Brian, currently reside in Alexandria, Va.

For more information, please contact Amanda Clark

by phone at 207-321-2550 or by e-mail at aclark@mainepolicy.org.

Friedman Legacy Luncheon Event – July 31, 2012

Steve Robinson — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:10:23 +0000

In the spirit of Milton Friedman, we invite you to a luncheon celebrating freedom and education.

with

Ms. Lindsey Burke

Will Skillman Fellow in Education

The Heritage Foundation

Tuesday, July 31, 2012
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

DiMillo’s On the Water

25 Long Wharf, Portland

MHPC Member $20, Non-member $25

She and her husband, Brian, currently reside in Alexandria, Va.

For more information, please contact Amanda Clark

by phone at 207-321-2550 or by e-mail at aclark@mainepolicy.org.

University of Maine Payroll and Spending Data Updated on MaineOpenGov.org

Steve Robinson — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:25:04 +0000

Increased broadband infrastructure would add a significant number of jobs to the economy

Today, MaineOpenGov.org has been updated and expanded to show eight years of salary, benefits, overtime, and stipend data for employees of the University of Maine, as well as five years of checkbook spending information. Prior UMaine payroll data on MaineOpenGov.org did not contain overtime and stipend data, and included just three years of spending information. The data shows that in eight years, total payroll and benefits costs of UMaine employees grew by 29%, from $258,433,559 in 2003 to $333,108,621 in 2010.

“Giving Mainers a chance to see how government is spending their hard-earned tax dollars is the number one objective of MaineOpenGov.org,” said Sam Adolphsen, Director of Open Government at the Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC). “The University of Maine is a major recipient of tax dollars and tuition dollars and a key public institution in our state. It’s important that the operations of the University are transparent and their finances are available for everyone to see.”

Other key findings from the updated UMaine data include:

The number of employees earning more than $100,000 in total compensation increased from 399 employees in 2003, to 1,018 in 2010.

Fringe Benefits as a percentage of total payroll increased from 34.6% in 2003 to 48.4% in 2010.

UMaine paid out $11.3 million in “stipends” in 2010.

Former UMaine President Robert Kennedy earned $188,043 in total compensation in 2004, which climbed to $308,368 by 2010.

$2,840,993 was spent on expense category “Travel” in 2010.

This updated data release comes after MHPC recently released a separate report regarding the University of Maine, and one of the findings was that the University struggled in the area of Cost and Effectiveness. The report noted that “from 2004 to 2009, in-state tuition and fees at UMS institutions increased by an average of 35 percent.” The tuition hikes during the same time period that the new data on MaineOpenGov.org shows an increase in payroll of nearly 30%.

“This data is important because it raises, and can answer, key questions that parents, students and taxpayers might have about UMaine operations,” said Adolphsen. “I think students will be interested to see where their 35% increase in tuition is being spent. Taxpayers and tuition payers deserve to know where their money is going.”

Think Tank Updates Education Web Site with Online Learning Research, Resource

Steve Robinson — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:43:30 +0000

The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) has updated its GreatSchoolsForME.org education Web site with new information relating to online and digital learning—a fast-growing movement to innovate and personalize student learning.

MHPC’s Center for Education Excellence launched GreatSchoolsForME.org in February 2010 as a one-stop Web tool to access new and existing school and education information in Maine. The site includes education spending facts, total district spending for various cost centers (in dollars and by percent), district comparisons to statewide averages, school performance data, parent reviews and information on education reform ideas including school choice, and now, online learning.

“We’re excited to make online learning information more widely available, and hope Maine students and parents will visit GreatSchoolsForME.org to get the facts about this cutting-edge education opportunity,” said MHPC Research Associate Amanda Clark.

The online learning updates to GreatSchoolsForME.org include a review of Maine’s current online learning laws and an expansive list of online learning providers that students and parents can consider while exploring the potential online learning offers for improved student outcomes. Updates also include original research discussing the proven success online learning has had for participants.

Benefits of online learning include a more individualized curriculum tailored specifically to a student’s pace and level of competency on topics, a flexible learning schedule, and additional support.

“As we seek ways to best prepare Maine kids for competition and success in the global economy, parents, students and policymakers should consider many of the new tools to supplement, or substitute traditional public education,” Clark explained. “Online learning represents the future of education, and can open new doors for students who may feel short-changed by a one-size-fits-all system of public education. The online learning information included on GreatSchoolsForME.org is a must-see for anyone looking to explore new ways to provide a quality education in Maine.”

______________________________________________________________

For more information, please contact MHPC’s Communications Director Chris Cinquemani at (207) 240-7090 or chris@mainepolicy.org

Luncheon Event – “Celebration of the Future: School Choice In Maine”

Steve Robinson — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:15:48 +0000

“Celebration of the Future: School Choice In Maine”

presented by

Ms. Amanda Clark

Development and Research Associate

The Maine Heritage Policy Center

and

Ms. Carol Weston

State Director

Americans for Prosperity

Luncheon Event

Friday, July 29, 2011

12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Cumberland Club

116 High Street

Portland, Maine

$10.00 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity

Dr. Milton Friedman’s 99th birthday would have been on July 31, 2011. Now, more than ever, we need his vision. To honor the impact he has had on our society, and to help clarify his moral framework for freedom and free enterprise, we will celebrate the Friedman Legacy for Freedom in partnership with The Foundation for Educational Choice.

Reception with Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen

Steve Robinson — Fri, 20 May 2011 20:12:29 +0000

The Board of Directors

The Maine Heritage Policy Center

cordially invites you to attend a

Cocktail Reception

honoring

The Honorable Stephen Bowen

Commissioner, Maine Department of Education

Thursday, June 2nd

6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Portland Country Club

11 Foreside Road, Falmouth

Tickets are $30 each

Please respond to Heather Noyes at (207) 321-2550 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (207) 321-2550 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

By Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Business Attire

University of Maine System Receives ‘F’ in Several Key Areas

Steve Robinson — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:11:26 +0000

If the taxpayer-supported University of Maine System were a student, it would be repeating the semester. According to a report released today by The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), the University of Maine System received failing grades in General Education, Intellectual Diversity, Board Governance, and Cost and Effectiveness.

CLICK HERE to download the full report (PDF)

The report, Made in Maine: A State Report Card on Public Higher Education, examined University System-generated reports and data, student surveys, and learning results and course offerings for the seven campuses comprising the University System to subscribe a Pass, Fail or Incomplete grade for the four areas. Specific categories within the four key areas were also graded.

“Our taxpayer-supported University of Maine System clearly needs improvement,” said MHPC Chief Executive Officer Tarren Bragdon. “From high tuition and low graduation rates to academic freedom to board governance, the UMaine System is failing Maine students and Maine taxpayers.”

Because of lax course requirements in several core areas at each campus, public higher education in Maine fails to provide students with a general understanding of seven core subject areas: composition, literature, language, U.S. government or history, economics, mathematics, and natural or physical science.

While every campus within the University of Maine System requires at least one course in English Composition and one in Natural or Physical Science, none require courses in more than three of the seven core subjects. Only Orono and Fort Kent require students to take a course in college-level mathematics, and only Augusta requires a literature course.

The report also explains that undergraduate tuition and fees in Maine have been growing rapidly in recent years, with an increasing percentage of spending going to administration. From 2004-2009, in-state tuition and fees increased an average of 35 percent. In fact, University of Maine tuition and fees are now well above the national average for four-year public institutions. At the same time, graduation rates remain very low, with less than a third of students graduating on time, and barely half finishing within six years.

With regard to Governance, grades are split. The University of Maine System earns a passing grade for Board Structure and Transparency of Operations, but fails in Board Accomplishments.

The report notes that the University of Maine Board of Directors operates, generally speaking, in a transparent manner, with easily accessible board minutes, advance notice of regular meetings, and bylaws and policies posted online.

The board fails in Board Accomplishments, however, with no specific actions taken in the last two years to improve academic quality. Further, throughout the 27 months of board activities studied, there is no record of any board-initiated activities to assess effectiveness or academic quality. The board has also served as a rubber stamp, unanimously approving every construction project, real estate transaction and purchasing contract put before it, and, in most cases, authorizing spending decisions made during sub-committee meetings less than 24 hours later.

“Our students aren’t being prepared for real world challenges after college. Taxpayers are funding failure in several important areas,” Bragdon said. “It is critical Maine enact major reforms to our UMaine System to end these unacceptable practices and once again provide high quality public higher education in Maine.”

CLICK HERE to download the full report (PDF), or view it below.

Portland Luncheon – Made In Maine: A State Report Card On Public Higher Education

Steve Robinson — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:32:42 +0000

The Maine Heritage Policy Center

invites you to attend

Made In Maine

A State Report Card On Public Higher Education

Dr. Michael Poliakoff

Policy Director

American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

DiMillo’s On the Water

25 Long Wharf, Portland

Made In Maine: A State Report Card On Public Higher Education takes a close look at the four-year public colleges and universities in Maine, offering a Pass or Fail grade in four key areas.

At this pivotal time for Maine’s taxpayers-supported universities, ACTA’s report card finds that while Maine’s universities are running in a generally transparent manner, they have real challenges to address in raising academic standards, increasing graduation rates, and controlling rising tuition costs.

MHPC Member: $17 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity.

Non-Member:$22