In light of Maine’s recent results in the Race to the Top education reform competition, please read or listen to this piece from MPBN. I need your help to ensure that every Maine child has an equal opportunity to succeed.
“We failed in the first round — we didn’t even make the cut off, and in the second round, we were 33rd out of 36 states. We’re not measuring up,” he says.
Cutler says Maine’s approach to K-12 and higher education is in need of reform. [Cutler] is recommending a number of proposals — including some that have been explored before. Among them are plans to lengthen the school year, create charter schools to create new opportunities for high-performing students and — one of the most controversial — merging the community college and university systems…
At the local level, Cutler would would like to see a merit pay system for teachers that would be awarded through a peer review process. He says teachers need to be rewarded for doing a good job and that their work should be able to be measured by their students’ performance.
You can read a transcript of the piece here.