“How did we go from first to last?”
This is the question some Maine educators — and Mainers more broadly — are now asking.
It was reported this year that children in Maine were found to have some of the worst education outcomes in the nation, according to the latest edition of the Kids Count Data Book. Approximately three-quarters of fourth graders were found to be not proficient in reading, and the same share of eighth graders were not proficient in math. Additionally, academic outcomes for Maine students are poor not only in comparison to other states, but also in relation to Maine children just a few years ago, experiencing one of the most dramatic drops in the country since 2019.
“I’ve seen over my career is Maine’s public education has gone from being one of the top in the nation to being near the bottom,” said Dr. Jonathan Reisman, associate professor of economics and public policy emeritus at the UMaine Machias.
Now, in the wake of this troubling news, Maine Policy Institute and our Maine Education Initiative are releasing our latest documentary, Inside The Classroom: Understanding Maine’s Education Challenges.
The 22-minute film explores the daily hardships Maine educators face, with some saying that teachers are now essentially expected to become therapists instead of educators. According to some of the educators featured in the documentary, academic rigor has been diminished; focus on emotions and well-being has taken precedence. Furthermore, technology in some instances has rendered teachers into academic coaches rather than hands-on educators.
All of this has made teaching significantly more challenging than it once was, and some Maine educators have decided to abandon the profession altogether as a result.
“I always, always was so happy to go to school every single day. I always called it my happy place,” one teacher said. “And I still love to teach, but it has never been harder.”