Lyn Mikel Brown and Jenny Flaumenhaft describe the use of student-centered principles to engage in curricular reform in an under-resourced rural elementary school. With a specific focus on student empowerment and self-determination, and in collaboration with students and teachers, Transforming Rural Experience in Education (TREE) integrated…

Citizens need to be college prepared in higher numbers and with greater urgency than in the past. This growing need for a college-prepared workforce places increased demand on schools to create college-ready students. The Career and College Readiness Standards for much of public education foster the skills and dispositions for academic excellence,…

On the surface, learning and leading may appear to be opposites. Learners are commonly thought to be na?ve and innocent. Leaders are expected to possess special skills and knowledge. However, these apparent opposites may be like two sides of the same coin, a dynamic combination that generates powerful results. A Maine nonprofit has created a…

Sophia Njaa, a senior at Maine's Portland High and a student representative on the district's school board, is one of a growing contingent of students across the country who are becoming more involved in school decision making through youth-empowerment programs. Her school board seat was established in 2004 through a collaborative effort between…

Across the U.S., more than 24 million students begin and end their school days on buses. In most cases, the driver is the only adult on board. To transport students safely, the driver must watch the road, not the riders, during most of the trip. Although bus drivers have mirrors and usually see fights, they can easily miss pushing, shoving, and…

The Gulf of Maine Institute (GOMI) is striving to empower youth to take on stewardship roles in their communities. Through its Community Based Initiative (CBI) program, GOMI addresses environmental degradation by working with teams of students, teachers, and community members from around the Gulf of Maine to inspire youth to be stewards of the…