Promising+Future+S2


 * 1) Click on edit this page.
 * 2) Use the down arrow on your keyboard to get the cursor underneath the horizontal bar.toc
 * 3) Type your name, highlight your name and then select Heading 3 at the top.
 * 4) Copy and paste your reflection underneath your name.
 * 5) Insert a horizontal bar under your reflection.
 * 6) Click save

// Promising Futures: A Call to Improve Learning for Maine’s Secondary Students // is a comprehensive report put together by the Department of Education and the Maine Commission on Secondary Education. Originally published in September 1998, the document reviews the effectiveness of Maine high schools by looking at schools that were doing well and schools that were struggling. In order to provide a better chance for all schools, this document highlights six Core Principles and fifteen Core Practices that all schools should embrace. In order to reach these goals, they are encouraged to follow the fifteen core practices highlighted in this document. There are, however, other certain practices that are getting in the way of the core fifteen (confining schedules, teachers being responsible for too many students, ineffective study halls, etc). The fist step to fixing our schools might be to eliminate some of these older practices and start embracing change.
 * Abstract**

Overall, the three of us who responded to this article found it to be helpful and interesting, but also obvious and something we've been exposed to at our time here at UMF. We agreed that it is important to treat students as individuals. It is also important to meet the needs of all students. In order to do this, it is important to understand that all students are going to be at different stages of development both in middle and high school. We also agreed that it is important for teachers and administrators to take the practices seriously.
 * Reflection**

Stephanie Lennon
Abstract // Promising Futures: A Call to Improve Learning for Maine’s Secondary Students // is a comprehensive report put together by the Department of Education and the Maine Commission on Secondary Education. Originally published in September 1998, the document reviews the effectiveness of Maine high schools by looking at schools that were doing well and schools that were struggling. In order to provide a better chance for all schools, this document highlights six Core Principles and fifteen Core Practices that all schools should embrace. The six core principles include the following:
 * 1) A safe, respectful and caring environment
 * 2) High universal expectations with a variety of learning opportunities
 * 3) Understanding and actions based on assessment data
 * 4) Teacher practice which values and builds upon the contributions and needs of the learner
 * 5) Equitable and democratic practices
 * 6) Coherence among mission, goals, actions, and outcomes

These six core principles create a list of goals for schools to reach for. In order to reach these goals, they can follow the fifteen core practices highlighted in this document. They break the practices down even further: statement, rationale, essential elements and a snapshot from within the classroom. The first eight focus on learning and teaching practices. The final seven focus on school practices that support learning and teaching. There are, however, other certain practices that are getting in the way of the core fifteen. These include, but are not limited to, the following: confining schedules, teachers being responsible for too many students, ineffective study halls, etc. The fist step to fixing our schools might be to eliminate some of these older practices and start embracing change. The document closes with the belief that schools can’t necessarily do this on their own. It provides a number of helpful tips for involving other people and groups in the process. The document also opens and closes with a profile of a high school student as positive changes are taking place within the school.

Reflection I found this document to be both interesting and encouraging. There may be some schools in Maine that still haven’t reached the proper level, but I believe this document does a good job determining what changes need to be made. I particularly enjoyed the section with the fifteen core practices. I like how the practices highlight the importance of individuality and that all students learn differently. Teachers need to understand that different students will make sense of the material in a different way. It is important to embrace this in the classroom as much as possible. Of the fifteen practices, I believe I connected with practice 12 the most. As a student who never really felt like I was academically on the same level as other students, being aware of developmental stages plays a strong role in my philosophy. Core Practice 12 stresses the importance that “Every staff member understands adolescent learning and developmental needs, possesses diverse instructional skills, and is a constructive model for youth.” I agree with this completely. It is important to meet the needs of all students. In order to do this, it is important to understand that all students are going to be at different stages of development.

Becca LaRose
Abstract In September 1998, he Department of Education and the Main Commission on Secondary Education put out Promising Futures: A Call to Improve Learning for Maine’s Secondary Students. This was a report done in order to examine the effectiveness of Maine high schools. After looking at what schools were succeeding and those that weren’t, they outlined six Core Principles and fifteen Core Practices that need to be met in order to succeed for students. The Principles focus on what should already be in place. The Practices focus on what should be done from here on out. These are basically categorized into students being valuable in the education process, as well as how we should help students grow as an individual and life long learner. The article states that in order to succeed in implementing these Practices, we must rearrange what is important in our system and change for the future.

Reflection: I think that this document does a great job of looking at where we need to go from here. I think that if teachers and administrators take each of the practices seriously, the Maine educational system will be headed in the proper direction. I firmly believe that teachers should always be striving to make sure that students are treated as individuals and not lumped as a whole. =

=

Sara Cole
I read “Promising Futures.” This document strives to set high and common achievement goals while taking students’ personal needs and environment into consideration. The documents encourages the use of Mi’s and differentiated instruction to achieve these goals, always keeping the students’ personal educational needs in the forefront of their mind. This document seeks to engage students in school and decisions about their educational future. It contains 15 core practices that range from student support to teacher resources and continuing education. Educational issues do not stop at the school level and changes need to be made at the state level and national level as well.

I feel this document was a “no duh” moment for me, having gone through UMF’s education program. Many of the core practices we explicitly cover in our teacher education courses and our student teaching/practicum experiences. The idea of a classroom family is one that appeals to me, a home base for the 4 years of high school, however an hour a day, as demonstrated in the story in the document, seems a bit excessive. I realize not all learning should be curriculum-centric, however I feel an hour of hand-holding and “conflict-resolution” takes away from valuable class time. I feel the upshot of this entire EIGHTY PAGE document is that teachers need to take an active role in students’ education being careful to teach to their intelligences and foster a safe learning environment while holding the students to high and common achievement goals.