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Panel Proposes State Education Policy Changes Integrated School System Aims to Close Maine Academic Gaps

Posted on: Friday, 28 October 2005, 15:01 CDT

By RUTH-ELLEN COHEN; OF THE NEWS STAFF

BANGOR - Gov. John Baldacci's committee to create an integrated public education system from kindergarten through college has issued a new report that contains a host of bold, policy-changing recommendations to ensure that all students: are prepared to enter kindergarten, graduate from high school ready for college, and can afford to continue on to higher education.

Among other things, the report proposes offering early childhood education in every community, aligning the state's academic standards with college expectations to reduce the need for remediation, and providing scholarships for low-income students.

The report notes that the first years of life are critical for later academic success and that too many children enter kindergarten with physical, social, emotional and cognitive limitations that could have been minimized or eliminated through early attention.

It states that in Maine, actual college enrollment among recent high school graduates declined between 1998 and 2002 and points out that the state ranks last in New England for the number of residents with a postsecondary degree.

"By creating an integrated, systematic approach to PK-16 schooling, the state's educational institutions will close the academic gap that currently exists between high school and college," the report states.

Noting that money is the chief reason Maine students don't go on to college, the report also recommends launching a significant scholarship program to enable all capable high school students from low-income families to attend the college of their choice.

Lee Umphrey, a spokesman for the Baldacci administration, said Thursday that the governor, who was in France on a trade mission, was "looking forward to reviewing" the document.

"This report is a product of a committee process at the direction of the governor to create a seamless K-16 system and to strengthen the delivery of education here in Maine," Umphrey said.

Titled "Achieving Prosperity for All Maine Citizens," the report, which is not available to the general public yet, states that the number of citizens with either an associate or a baccalaureate degree must be "dramatically" increased to ensure the state's economic health.

"A post secondary education is imperative to break the cycle of poverty and elevate future incomes and quality of life," states the document, which recommends preparing a 10-year strategy so the state's higher education system can accommodate 40,000 additional students.

As the number of students who aspire to college rises, "our educational systems must be poised to prepare all students for the academic and social demands they will encounter along the way," the report continues. "In order to ensure that students gain access to and succeed in higher education, colleges and the PK-12 systems have to work together as partners to define areas of concern and make strategic interventions."

Other recommendations include:

. Developing an 11th-grade assessment that will determine college readiness.

. Expecting the senior year of high school to be a "Transition to Higher Education" year in which students take classes to prepare them for college-level courses and participate in "early college" experiences at the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System.

. Ensuring that parents, students and schools understand what it means to be ready for college, and disseminating the message of college readiness to the public.

. Increasing the capacity of the state's public higher education systems through additional funding.

. Enhancing teacher quality by encouraging PK-12 instructors to obtain a master's degree and by raising salaries of both public school and higher education faculties.

The report also proposes the creation of a PK-16 council to continue working on collaborations among educational levels in the state. The council will include representatives from the Maine Department of Education, the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, public schools and adult education institutions.

Baldacci created the 26-member committee last May and charged it with examining the pre-kindergarten through college systems and recommending ways to make them more efficient, accessible and collaborative.

Chaired by Commissioner Susan Gendron of the Maine Department of Education, the group aimed to change policies and practices so Maine has an integrated and seamless public education system from pre- kindergarten through grade 16.

Members, who included UMS Chancellor Joseph Westphal and MCCS President John Fitzsimmons, also wanted to promote college readiness and examine the educational aspirations of Maine students and the needs of students who are the first in their families to go to college.

The report points out that while Maine has a number of educational initiatives that each are important, "overall there is a lack of integration that results in not being able to realize the most gain from each effort."

"Maine needs a vision for an integrated and seamless system which, though it will take several years to achieve, will provide a context and direction for reforms," the report states.

Source: Bangor Daily News

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