The fall 2016 head count of 29,465 students is 1.6 percent higher than last year’s, according to figures released by the system Thursday.
Noel K. Gallagher
Noel Gallagher covers K-12 and higher education issues statewide. Her stories are a mix of breaking news and trend stories. In recent years, theyโve ranged from why college costs so much, the launch of the stateโs first charter schools, how a school welcomed a transgender student and why Maine schools have a hard time finding teachers. Sheโs enough of a news nerd to enjoy sitting through legislative education committee meetings and hours-long school board meetings so you donโt have to.
The Maine Press Association has honored Noelโs work, but she says she writes for the readers, in the firm belief that an informed citizenry is key to a healthy democracy.
Noel is a California native who has worked at wire services, online websites and newspapers across the country. She was in Washington D.C. during the early Clinton years, covering AIDS activism in 1990s San Francisco, documenting the business of wine in Sonoma County and riding out the boom and bust cycle of the early Internet era in early 2000s Silicon Valley. She arrived in Maine at the beginning of the recession and wrote quite a bit about the downturn here.
In her free time, Noel writes the occasional cookbook review, spends an inordinate amount of time at the Portland Public Library and hangs out with her three fabulous kids and wonderful husband. She is not a former member of the band Oasis.
Graffiti of Crusades’ rallying cry investigated as possible hate crime at USM
School officials say they will refer their findings to the state Attorney General’s Office after a Latin phrase used by the alt-right was written on a desk and wall in a student Senate office.
UMaine System panel OKs plan for off-campus USM housing in Portland
The move is intended to provide temporary but affordable dorm space in the Bayside Village complex.
Panel urged to boost state funding for school districts with disadvantaged students
Former Education Commissioner Jim Rier also tells the education finance reform commission that schools that add pre-K programs need to get state money faster.
At Bates College, students feel the heat of presidential campaign
A class on campaign rhetoric puts them in front of cameras as politicians, just as the real U.S. election reaches a high level of incivility.
Millions pouring into campaigns for and against Maine ballot questions
Among the major donors seeking to influence voters are the National Education Association, the National Rifle Association and a Virginia health policy group.
In science, students in Maine outshine national average
The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress data examines fourth- and eighth-graders on knowledge of several fields of science.
University trustees support ambitious Maine graduate center
Plans call for creating the new graduate center for business, law and public policy at an as-yet unidentified site in Portland.
Are your school’s employees qualified? The state doesn’t know
A Telegram investigation following a recent criminal case reveals how inadequate Maine’s system is in ensuring that teachers are properly certified or that mandatory background checks have been done.
Some Maine schools with polling stations opt to close on Election Day
Long lines of voters, parking problems and safety are among school officials’ chief concerns.