09/12/12Maine Department of Education Rolls Out Initiative to Help Improve Literacy
Kennebec Journal (ME) (09/12/12) McMillan, SusanOn Sept. 11, Maine Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen rolled out Literacy for ME, an initiative that aims to raise literacy levels statewide. He said that rather than depend only on public schools, communities must create plans to boost literacy rates from birth to adulthood, and he called on early-childhood education providers, public schools, adult education programs, higher education institutions, charitable foundations, and other organizations to collaborate to identify and close gaps. On the state level, the initiative calls for coordination among the Education, Labor, Corrections, and Health and Human Services departments. Bowen said, "It's not about creating something new. It's about taking what we're doing and building it into a coherent sort of vision, a coherent sort of plan." The first of six workshops to be held across the state by the Department of Education is slated for Sept. 25 in Augusta. Communities are asked to establish teams comprised of educators, librarians, health care providers, parents, business and civic organization representatives, and others to work on local literacy plans, with schools taking the lead.
