Leaders and Laggards

Of the states mentioned in this report I am posting the results for only one: Maine. I welcome your comments and concerns on this subject.

A State-by-State Report Card on

Educational Innovation

 

Two years ago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Center for American Progress, and Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute came together to grade the states on school performance.

 

In this follow-up report, we turn our attention to the future, looking not at how states are performing today, but at what they are doing to prepare themselves for the challenges that lie ahead.

 

 

Maine

School Management D

Finance C

Staffing: Hiring & Evaluation B

Staffing: Removing Ineffective Teachers C

Data D

Pipeline to Postsecondary B

Technology D

State Reform Environment ?

Gold Stars

School Management. Maine does a poor job managing its schools in a way that encourages thoughtful innovation. Ninety-three percent of teachers report that routine duties and paperwork interfere with their teaching, and the state does not have a charter school law.

Finance. Overall, Maine earns a mediocre grade in this category. While the state gets a good mark for the simplicity of its state funding mechanism, it receives a below-average score for the online accessibility of its financial data. Maine also does not have a performance pay program for teachers.

Staffing: Hiring & Evaluation. Maine receives an above-average mark for its teacher hiring and evaluation system. Sixteen percent of teachers enter the profession through an alternative certification program, compared with the national average of 13%. In addition, Maine requires incoming teachers to pass basic skills and subject-knowledge tests.

Staffing: Removing Ineffective Teachers. Maine receives an average score on the ability to remove poor-performing teachers from the classroom. Seventy-four percent of principals say that teacher unions or associations are a barrier to the removal of ineffective teachers, 13 percentage points above the national average of 61%. However, only 23% of principals report that tight deadlines for completing documentation are a barrier to removing poor-performing teachers, which is 12 percentage points below the national average of 35%.

Data. Maine gets a below-average mark for its state data system. The state does not have a teacher-identifier system with the ability to match teachers to students, and it does not have a P-20 longitudinal data system.

Pipeline to Postsecondary. Maine receives a solid mark for its efforts to improve college and career readiness. Sixty percent of its schools report offering dual-enrollment programs, which allow students to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. That is 5 percentage points below the national average of 65%. However, the state has high school exams that gauge college and career readiness, and Maine offers a standard high school diploma with a career specialization.

Technology. Maine receives a low grade in this category. The state does not offer a computer-based assessment and does not require technology testing for teachers. Maine also needs to significantly improve how it evaluates its return on investments in technology.

State Reform Environment. There are few reliable state-by-state data on local education advocacy and research efforts—a reflection of the lack of overall commitment to this issue. As a result, we are unable to issue a meaningful grade. However, the Maine Heritage Foundation is a member of the forward-thinking Policy Innovators in Education Network, and the state supports common academic standards.