The benefits of postsecondary degrees are striking for populations who have experienced incarceration, yet little is understood about how this population succeeds with educational attainment upon release from incarceration. This qualitative collective case study examined to what extent and how six formerly incarcerated individuals who started…

A high-poverty, previously low-performing elementary school in Maine shifted its from looking mainly at achievement and test scores to focusing on ways to create motivated, confident, engaged students. They created Rise and Shine, through which all 3rd-5th graders start each day with a fun, challenging activity chosen from a big menu--from…

This interpretative phenomenological study was conducted to understand how a nursing college's organizational structure may affect a returning nursing student's sense of empowerment and motivation to succeed. A returning student is a student who previously failed in a nursing program and was reaccepted to the Maine College of Health Professions's…

First-generation, female college students often face an uphill battle in their quest for degree attainment. Literature suggests several areas in which first-generation college students struggle, but there are programs designed to help this demographic of student; specifically the TRiO program, a federally-funded operation that specializes in…

When Texas' Technology Immersion Project began in the spring of 2004, a grant from the US Department of Education allowed a parallel project to launch--eTxTIP--to evaluate and measure the success of the program, which equips middle school students in high-risk, high-need areas with laptops. Data is beginning to come in on several of the first…

Artists and writers from Maine were asked to develop creative activities for a sixth-grade class. Students were encouraged to observe nature, investigate their ancestors, design logos, and think about the impossible. Several of the activities that could be adopted to relate to other states are presented. (DF)

A survey examined educational aspirations and perceptions of school climate among gifted students at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, a state-funded rural magnet school serving grades 11 and 12. Students at the magnet school completed the 84-item Grades 6-12 Aspirations Survey, returning 97 usable forms. The instrument has 12 scales: 2…

The Maine Aspirations Compact was formed in 1988 as an education/business partnership to build the capacity of families, schools, businesses, and communities to work together in helping students expand their aspirations. The Compact has defined its work in the form of three goals discussed in this report. The goals are to help students to: (1)…

Perspectives regarding education for the gifted and talented and excellence in education are addressed in this second volume of a 1982 public hearing. In addition to reports from Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, and New York, education of the gifted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is discussed, along with a study about programs for…

Perspectives regarding education for the gifted and talented and excellence in education are addressed in this third volume of a 1982 public hearing. Statements from professional associations and from the public concerning education for the gifted are provided. The following positions are taken: there must be increased development of fully-funded…

Evidence suggests that tracking of students on the secondary level may not only be discriminatory, but also counterproductive to the personal, educational, and economic potential of all students. The English and Social Studies department of Oak Hill High School, in Wales, Maine, developed an intervention program concerning heterogeneous grouping…

A project ascertained needs and interests of adults in the community in the area of life coping skills by conducting an evaluation of former students at H.O.M.E. Learning Center in Orland, Maine. Forty completers and forty drop-outs from a low income, rural sample were interviewed using a non-directive interview approach that focused on past needs…

For many, the library is the literal information bridge to the future. Organizations dedicate themselves to building and re-imagining school library spaces around the world by filling shelves with books and making library spaces relevant for our youngest readers. At the same time, with a fast-moving revolution of technology hitting campuses around…

A study examined the current actual demand and potential future demand for continuing educational programs in Maine. A 143-question survey instrument (containing questions on respondent social and economic characteristics and the demand for continuing education) was administered to 1,715 adult residents of five Maine regions. Survey responses from…

Personalized learning: Everyone knows it needs to happen, but how? It is one thing to believe in the importance of high school reform. It is quite another to embrace a system that helps every student leave high school with a diploma and plans for postsecondary education or training that lead to productive and self-sufficient adulthoods. This…