education

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on students of all ages. We discuss the many ways in which high schools students have been affected, academically and emotionally. Remote learning and social distancing have altered their schooling and many have missed out on the landmark events that mark the high school experience. For juniors and seniors, the path to college or other post-secondary plans may be in limbo. We discuss how they are handling the changes during this critical period of their teenage years.

Now that Maine’s K-12 schools will continue with remote learning through the end of the school year, we talk with Maine’s Commissioner of Education, teachers, students and parents about how they have adapted to at-home learning so far.
 

This program has been edited for content accuracy.

The COVID-19 pandemic is posing a particular challenge for many families, as parents face the task of educating their children at home while, in some cases, trying to work at the same time. Other parents may have lost their jobs and are trying to put food on the table.

This is a rebroadcast of an earlier show (original air date October 22, 2019); no calls will be taken.

We discuss the growing efforts to integrate nature into the classroom at all levels of a young person's education, and how this practice might benefit children's physical mental and emotional well being. Richard Louv, author of the landmark book "Last Child in the Woods" and national expert on kids and nature, joins us to talk about the importance of connecting kids with the environment through the curricula. He is in Maine for the Maine Conservation Voters' Evening for the Environment event at the University of New England in Portland on Oct. 22nd.

Through many federal mandates, our country has long relied on test scores to objectively define school success. But what does “success” mean for students, teachers and families? Maine schools are working to shift away from emphasizing assessments and standardized tests as isolated measures of success, instead making way for a more holistic approach to learning and gauging students’ readiness as global citizens of the future.

We discuss the growing efforts to integrate nature into the classroom at all levels of a young person's education, and how this practice might benefit children's physical mental and emotional well being. Richard Louv, author of the landmark book "Last Child in the Woods" and national expert on kids and nature, joins us to talk about the importance of connecting kids with the environment through the curricula. He is in Maine for the Maine Conservation Voters' Evening for the Environment event at the University of New England in Portland on Oct. 22nd.

Maine’s new education commissioner steps into a position that has been in flux for 8 years. The former teacher, principal and superintendent joins us to talk about her priorities, including restoring faith in Maine’s public schools, addressing the teacher shortage, and determining the role of charter schools.

In the wake of the fatal school shooting in Parkland, Florida earlier this year, schools across Maine are taking steps to respond and increasing security measures.

U.S. Sen. Angus King has joined more than 40 Democratic senators to oppose a reported plan by the U.S. Department of Education to use some federal funds to pay for guns and firearms training in schools.

Across Maine, thousands of high school seniors are graduating and preparing for the next chapter in their lives. But for many, particularly students in rural Maine, the future is uncertain. Graduating seniors in the western Maine town of Rumford told Maine Public how they imagine their own futures, and whether that future might include returning to their hometown.