Maine ranks in the bottom 10 states for K–12 education, according to the 2025 Kids Count Data Book. Its special education identification rate is 21%, far above the national average of 15%. COVID is cited as a leading factor. While Maine schools were technically “open” in 2020–2021, masking, distancing and other restrictions made normal learning […]

I read with great enjoyment the Sept. 11 article about growing interest in the Common Ground Fair. This fair is the backdrop of many of my cherished childhood memories — from perusing the fine art and craft market with my grandmother, to raising dust clouds sliding down the amphitheater hill on a cardboard sled. Since […]

The press conference following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis concluded with a reporter asking, “How can the public help?” The question hung in the air, unanswered. But there is something the public can do to help: Vote “Yes” on Question 2 this November so Maine can enact an Extreme Risk Protection […]

Despite all of the marketing money targeting school districts, schools shouldn’t waste time and money figuring out how to integrate “AI” into classrooms (How Maine teachers are using AI in the classroom, Sept. 7). There isn’t an ethical way for schools to use AI tools, which are built on stolen words and images, use an immense amount of water and electricity to […]