Staff Writer
Maine Commissioner of Education, Susan Gendron was the guest speaker at the Houlton Rotary Club on Monday.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Karen Donato
ROTARY GUEST — Maine Commissioner of Education, Susan Gendron was guest speaker at the Houlton Rotary on Monday. Pictured with Gendron on left is Michael Howard, director of Region Two School of Applied Technology and Fred Grant, president of the Houlton Rotary Club.
Commissioner Gendron skirted the consolidation topic that most Rotarians and guests were interested in and instead highlighted the future expectations and goals of the Department of Education.
Gendron said, “We want Maine to measure up or exceed every state in the United States.” In order to do that we must provide a variety of pathways to earn that high school diploma and accommodate the learning style of each student.”
She noted the importance for all Maine high schools to offer a diploma with common meaning and that expectations should be the same for all students no matter where they attend school.
High schools that offer the basic curriculum need to work closely with alternative programs that may focus on health, science, robotics, agriculture, technology or automotive education. School officials must incorporate required skills in all programs. The regular high schools and technical schools must assure a crossover of basic skills in order for students to have a well-rounded education. Students in technical programs need to meet the necessary English, reading, math, and science requirements, but those subjects may need to be taught in a different way.
Earlier in the day, Gendron had toured the Region Two, School of Applied Technology adjacent to Houlton High School with Director Mike Howard. She was able to see students working in a variety of career-oriented subjects including culinary arts, automotive and others.
Gendron said that every year there are 2,500 male students dropping out of the regular high school program.
“How can we change that statistic?” she asked, “How can we make learning exciting for these at-risk students?” “We need to intervene early to direct those students into a successful program that meets their needs,” she said.
Gendron also noted that even though the University of Maine campuses operate under one system their admission standards are different for each campus. There is a need for more unification and in community colleges, too.
The commissioner wants to move more technology programs into the high schools to keep up with local business needs in the community, the state and beyond.
Early childhood education was another topic highlighted. “This program is extremely important,” she said.
“Children not exposed to reading, language and vocabulary development at an early age, never catch up,” said Gendron.
There are also plans to design a longitudinal data system that will link graduates from pre-school to the Department of Labor.
“We will be able to track students from an early age through their public education, post secondary years to their working careers,” said Gendron, “Then we can assess that data and ask ourselves, “Are we doing a good job? Do these graduates have the skills they need for a good quality of life and for the work force? We can then evaluate how successful the programs have been and if the policies put in place are working.”
Of course the biggest obstacle facing the educational system today is funding and in the next 18 months that could mean a major adjustment to every aspect of education statewide. Gendron said that all of these programs require funding and at the current time are holding their own, but that may change soon.
