Latest News

Biolab Teams Up With 7 Lakes Alliance to Sample Maine Waters

Maine’s Mobile Biolab is getting around!  Recently lab educators Heather Carlisle and Anna Stehlik teamed up with scientists Matt Farragher and Josie Miller from the 7 Lakes Alliance in Belgrade to collect water samples from Salmon Lake and McGrath Pond. These samples were preserved and will be used to help teach students across the state about algal blooms and the crucial role balance plays in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Students will use FlowCam technology available aboard the BIOLAB… READ MORE

From Trustees to Teachers in Training, Biolab Thrills at UMF

She’s been from Fort Kent to South Portland, from the Midcoast to the mountains of Western Maine, bringing life science and STEM learning to teachers and students around the state. But Maine’s Mobile Biolab had not yet rolled onto the leafy campus of University of Maine at Farmington, which graduates dozens of teachers each year from its much-lauded education programs.  This week Educate Maine finally got to bring its rolling life-sciences lab and classroom to Farmington, where we were… READ MORE

New Report Cites Aging Workforce, Low Pay and Support in Teacher Shortage

A new analysis of education workforce data shows that Maine’s looming teacher shortage—a crisis that could seriously affect the future Maine economy—is here. There aren’t enough new educators in the pipeline to make up for an aging workforce in the state, according to the report by Educate Maine. Comparatively low pay, uneven professional support and narrow pathways to teacher qualification cause both an exodus from the teaching profession and a reluctance of young people to become… READ MORE

Teachers' Best Advice for Back-to-School

There’s plenty of back-to-school advice out there! What supplies to get, what to pack for lunch, even what to wear. But how do you prepare yourself personally to have the best year ever? At Educate Maine, we asked some of our amazing County Teachers of the Year (and this year’s Maine teacher of the year) for their best out-of-the box tips for a successful year. Our CTOYs spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve their practice and support other teachers, so you won’t be surprised… READ MORE

Longtime advocate, policy expert joins Educate Maine

Kim Russell joins Educate Maine this month as Director of Special Projects. With more than 25 years of experience in state and federal policy issues, Kim’s focus will been early childhood care and education. She brings with her three advocacy organizations: Fight Crime: Invest In Kids (law enforcement leaders), ReadyNation (business leaders), and Mission: Readiness (retired military leaders).  Kim currently co-leads Maine's Right from the Start Coalition, is a member of the Maine Children's… READ MORE

Rockets and Landers and Slime, Oh My!

Dozens of Maine's future scientists turned out for space exploration, engineering and life-science learning last week in Bangor, as Educate Maine, the  Maine Discovery Museum and the Challenger Learning Center partnered for a Summer STEM evening. “As the school year approaches, it’s fun to take stock of all the science that happens year round—including in the summer—in Maine,” said Kate Howell, director of workforce partnerships for Educate Maine. “It was great to see these STEM… READ MORE

Recipe for a Summer of Fun

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Education Leaders Experience Launches the "Nu" Class

What's "Nu"? We're welcoming the newest class of the Education Leaders Experience, which is also the "Nu-est"--say hello to ELE's Nu Cohort, who this week launched their year of professional development at Sugarloaf. ELE is an annual program offering educators a unique professional development opportunity to engage with employers, community, business, and policy leaders from across Maine. Participants learn about Maine's workforce challenges and opportunities, the economy and the critical role… READ MORE

CS Summer of Fun Kicks Off July 29

More than 100 Maine educators will go “back to class” July 29  to study computer science and learn skills to bring to their students in the fall.  Educate Maine and our partner, the Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance (MMSA) have a full roster (and a wait list!) for the fourth annual “CS Summer of Fun,” this year at the University of Maine’s flagship campus. In all, 137 educators from 81 Maine communities will participate.  A collective 2,760 students will benefit. “Access to… READ MORE

Project Login Director Honored With 2nd Microsoft TechSpark Fellowship

Angela Oechslie, whose leadership of Educate Maine’s Project>Login has helped widen tech learning across Maine and close the equity gap in STEM, was honored for the second year in a row as Microsoft TechSpark fellow.  The fellowship is awarded to leaders from each state whose organizations focus on creating economic opportunities through digital inclusion, digital skilling, digital transformation, and ecosystem building.  “I’m honored to be able to continue this collaboration with… READ MORE