Editor’s note: This story was corrected and updated after the original ran on April 14. TURNER — More than 100 residents at town meeting Saturday approved a budget that will boost the rescue operations and keep the Town Office open five days a week. The municipal budget approved by 111 residents at Boofy Quimby Memorial […]
education
Posted inLetters
S. Mortimer: Bad future for some students
In a Sun Journal article about big schools (March 27), Farwell Elementary School Principal Althea Walker was quoted as saying, “The federal government decides on how many beds for prison in the future by the number of students reading below grade by the third grade.” That isn’t actually true. It is an urban legend that […]
advertisement
Posted inOp-Eds
Emily Talmage: Assessment tests won’t improve quality of education
As a teacher of 20 vibrant, curious and, yes, often challenging fourth graders at Montello Elementary School in Lewiston, I constantly search for ways to improve my students’ learning experiences and to understand what will best help them succeed. So, like many teachers around the state, as I began hearing about the new Smarter Balanced […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Joseph Makley: Maine schools need to change
Maine schools are working to improve, but recent Sun Journal correspondence has suffered from a misconception, which is to conflate the policies of the “accountability” movement (shame, blame, threats, punitive measures and privatization) with the policies of the broader reform movement (capacity building, standards, proficiency-based systems, personalized learning, charter schools, online and blended classes, etc.). […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Big school in Lewiston will deliver smaller classes
LEWISTON — In Lindsay Putney’s crowded kindergarten room Thursday at Farwell Elementary School, her 25 students worked on art. Experts say 25 kindergarten students in one class is too many. State regulations call for kindergarten classes to be no more than 20 students per teacher. A growing student population has created overcrowded schools with classes […]
Posted inLetters
In rebuttal, R. Sabine: Use testing to evaluate teachers
In his guest column of March 8, Lewiston School Superintendent Bill Webster praised the Smarter Balanced Assessment test and recommended that parents not opt-out. On those two points, the superintendent and I are in agreement and no one is more surprised, than I. For decades, annual state-mandated standardized testing revealed the unpleasant failure of public […]
Posted inMaine
Bill to keep younger students in school gets committee approval
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Education Committee on Tuesday agreed to change the state’s truancy laws in an effort to help school districts improve attendance for students under the age of 7. The bill, LD 311, offered by state Sen. Nathan Libby, D-Lewiston, was meant to address concerns from Lewiston Schools Superintendent Bill Webster […]
Posted inLetters
B. LaRoche: Put an end to student hunger
Sen. Nate Libby proposed LD 311 to lower the mandatory school attendance age from age 7 to age 5 to help improve attendance. A Sun Journal article about school attendance problems (March 13) cited research confirming children who have chronic attendance problems are less likely to meet proficiency standards and/or graduate. In the same article, […]
Posted inLetters
J. Tierney: School attendance problems
In response to the Sun Journal story printed Friday, March 13, with the headline, “Missing when it matters most”: Do you suppose the attitude of the LePage administration toward welfare mothers has anything to do with their ability to get their first-graders off to school? Jim Tierney, Auburn
Posted inLetters
J. Boyd: An inauthentic assessment
Superintendent Bill Webster’s guest column (March 8) embodies the writing we want for Lewiston graduates. Every choice in Webster’s piece displayed a clear purpose and audience. He supports each well-plotted point with details tailored to his desired effect. He rebuts the opposing side of the issue. His word choice was calculated and his grammar and […]