Holding out hope

It wasn't a political gathering, but Education Commissioner Susan Gendron this morning decided to use a speaking opportunity to push two initiatives that haven't gotten the traction she'd like to see in the Maine Legislature.

At a Blaine House ceremony meant to honor seven teachers and administrators for their work in helping students at risk of dropping out of high school, Gendron devoted many of her remarks to discussing charter schools and new graduation requirements. And she connected the initiatives to the work the honored teachers are undertaking: preventing dropouts and boosting graduation rates.

"It's about, how do we create options," she said. "Sometimes, the solutions we need to create look different."

A bill the Legislature's Education Committee is considering would reshape what it takes to earn a high school diploma in Maine.

One of the proposal's cornerstones is allowing students with different learning styles to earn their diplomas in different ways. A student could earn credit toward graduation for learning he or she has done outside the classroom, say, training to become an Emergency Medical Technician.

Members of the education panel last week were less than enthusiastic about passing legislation to reshape graduation requirements. The proposal lacks definition, they said, since it doesn't define what students would have to do in order to meet standards. The bill's fate is stilll unclear. Legislators discussed taking it up again when they return to Augusta in January 2010.

Gendron this morning also touched on charter schools. While the Education Committee rejected a bill Wednesday that would allow the independently run, public schools in Maine, Gendron held out hope that Maine would end its distinction as one of 10 states that do not permit charter schools. The committee vote on Wednesday, she said, "had a much stronger vote than it's ever had before."

Perhaps she's holding out hope that the committee might reconsider the charter school vote -- after all, states that do not allow the schools could be ineligible for $4.35 billion in federal education reform funds. Short of that, she could be holding out hope for a favorable debate on the Senate floor.