Social Studies Standards Review

Winter 2024 — Public comment sought, and public hearing held, on current standards

• On March 28, 2024, as part of the scheduled periodic review of the Maine Learning Results, the Maine Department of Education sought public comments regarding the current social studies standards. These comments will be used to inform the work of the standards revision teams. The public comment period ended on April 29, 2024. This was advertised through the Maine DOE newsroom, Maine DOE social media outlets, Maine Education Association listservs, and the Maine Council for the Social Studies. An invitation to submit public comment was also emailed to all K-12 social studies teachers in Maine DOE's NEO system.
• On March 29, 2024, from 3-5 p.m., in Room 103 of the Burton Cross Building, in Augusta, Maine DOE held a public hearing.

Spring 2024 — Steering Committee is formed and convened

• On May 3, the Department of Education convened the Steering Committee to begin the revision process for the state's social studies standards. This committee was composed of various individuals with a vested interest from across Maine, including classroom teachers, district administrators, university faculty, and representatives from the Wabanaki nations. Given that the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee did not provide substantive feedback on the 2023 revision when asking the Department to restart the social studies standards review process, the 2024 Steering Committee determined that, because they did not know what specific issues members of the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs wanted amended, they decided to support resubmitting the proposed 2023 Social Studies revised standards in the 132nd legislative session.

Since the Steering Committee decided to resubmit the 2023 revision to the 132nd legislative session, there is no need to convene a writing team for this revision.

Melanie Brown

Nicole Chan

Terri Cooper

Dolores Crofton MacDonald is a Wolastoqiyik Maliseet Elder with the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and Welamuktuk (Oromocto First Nations, Canada). She has a Bachelor's in Education from the University of New Brunswick. As a Wolastoqewi Latuwewakon teacher, she has taught in an outdoor kindergarten classroom in a K-5 school with a Montessori/Wabanaki approach introducing body systems to grades four and five at the Kingsclear Bilick First Nations School. She is an advisor for the Maine Department of Education Moose Project, a contributor to the American Friends Service Committee, a not-for-profit organization in Wabanaki Education, and works with the local Houlton schools providing Wabanaki activities for grades K-5. Dolores is active in her Wolastoqey communities and a lifelong learner of Wabanaki worldviews, stories, and culture.

John Dennis

Samantha Drost

James Ford

Angela Hardy was a member of a critical review committee of the original set of Maine Learning Results, while earning her undergraduate degree in elementary education with a focus on international studies at the UMF. Considering standards and their direct implication to curriculum and instruction has been part of her professional practice across her entire career, spanning PK-16. As the Assistant Superintendent in MSAD 11, she has shepherded a significant revision process across the curriculum and, in the last two years, has engaged in a collaborative learning series with social studies educators focused on best practices and Wabanaki studies. This district-level perspective, supported by her background in experiential learning and interdisciplinary studies, will enable her to engage critically in the writing process. Additionally, Angela brings extensive leadership experience in developing a cohesive and aligned system.

Tomasz Herzog holds a Ph.D. in Education, a graduate degree in Sociology, 33 years of experience that includes teaching social studies in high school and teaching social studies methods courses for elementary and secondary Education majors (both in the US and abroad). Tomasz has the content and pedagogical background knowledge necessary to understand the pedagogy needed to implement the knowledge, skills, and dispositions embedded in the standards. He has served as a member of the ETS (Educational Testing Service) National Advisory Board for Social Studies, collaborated with the Maryland Center for Civic Education and civic education organizations in Europe (Poland, Germany). Over the last few years, he has been a Review Board member of a peer-reviewed "The Journal of Social Studies Research". Currently Tomasz serves on the Board of the Maine Council for the Social Studies.

Kaya Lolar is a Panawahpskek citizen and a third-year at Harvard College, studying Anthropology, English, and Educational Studies. In 2019, she served on the LD291 task force, working to amplify the inclusion of Wabanaki Studies in the classroom, and she has experience as a substitute teacher, long term ed tech, and regular classroom volunteer within her local school district, RSU #34. Last year, she was an instructional designer, working with educators and other Wabanaki citizens to create Wabanaki Studies-centered MOOSE modules to be used across what is now called Maine. Currently, she continues to work alongside the DOE in efforts to expand Wabanaki Studies resources and provide guidance for educators on how best to weave this into their own teaching, in both an instructional design and advisory capacity. Her time spent in the classroom in an educator role, as well as her relatively recent experiences as a K-12 student, compliment her role as an involved Wabanaki citizen to give her a unique perspective on how to implement Wabanaki Studies into everyday teaching in ways that can be received most effectively by today's learners.

Brianne Lolar

Keith Mahoney

Gretchen McNulty serves as Superintendent of Falmouth Public Schools in Falmouth, Maine. Gretchen has worked in both public and private education, in both domestic and international settings. She has developed curriculum and taught history, government, contemporary issues, philosophy & ethics, and English at standard and Advanced Placement levels; and has served as department head, instructional coach and K-12 curriculum leader. Her focus on global understanding has inspired her to pursue a Fellowship in Korea, lead expeditionary travel with student groups throughout Asia, Europe, and the U.S., and to develop a High School World Affairs Council, a series of Model UN Teams, and a TedX Conference at ISKL Malaysia. Gretchen represents Maine on the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission for Public Schools (NEASC).

Erica Nadelhaft is the Education Coordinator for the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. Erica earned a B.A. Magna Cum Laude from Brandeis University; an M.A. Summa Cum Laude from the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and is A.B.D. from the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis. She reads and works in four languages: Hebrew, Yiddish, Polish and German. Professionally, she has taught courses on world history, the history of genocide, World War II, the history of the Middle East, women's history, introduction to Judaism, and Hebrew, among others, in the University of Maine system. She has also taught at the University of Moncton in Edmunston, New Brunswick. In her current role, Erica oversees the HHRC educators, coordinates school visits, develops new programs, and works with Maine school districts to address bias, prejudice, and hate speech in schools.

Nicole Rancourt is a former middle school humanities teacher and has the content background knowledge necessary to understand the pedagogy needed in Maine's educational standards. For five years, she participated in Teaching American History, a program supported by National Endowment for the Humanities and directed by the U.S. Department of Education, and was teacher leader for Maine Humanities Council's History Camps in Maine, before joining that organization's staff. Nicole is currently the Program Manager at the Maine Humanities Council where her background and work fosters a deep awareness of how the connections between the Social Studies content and the necessary disciplinary literacy skills of both reading and writing in the field of Social Studies, appear in schools statewide. This perspective aligns with the growing interest both nationally and in Maine to ensure disciplinary literacy is supported and highlighted in each of the specific content areas. Nicole currently serves on the board of the Maine Council for the Social Studies, helps coordinate and run the National History Day judging room for National History Day contests in Maine, and partners with the Civil Rights Team Project run through the Maine Office of the Attorney General.

Adam Schmidt

Earl Watts is a veteran of the US Army, having a total of 31 years in service, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. He has been an adjunct instructor at Thomas College for ten years and a high school social studies teacher at Waterville Alternative High School (WAHS) for 5 years. This year he has also assumed the administrative duties for WAHS. Earl has a Master of Arts in American History and a Master of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in American Government. He is a 2021 James Madison Fellow and has been selected to attend the 2023 Midway Institute for Teachers. Earl is also a member of the School Board for the Winslow Public Schools system, and he has had two sons go through the Winslow Public School system. As a military veteran, a parent, a college instructor, a high school teacher & administrator and a municipal government member, Earl brings a well-rounded point of view to the table and is uniquely positioned to understand the intersection of social studies in our society today and moving forward.

Shane Yardley has spent the past 17 years teaching and working in Maine schools. He began in Baileyville at Woodland Junior/Senior High School teaching middle school social studies before moving to Howland to join the team at Hichborn Middle School/Penobscot Valley High School. Shane spent the next 10 years teaching grades 6 through 12 social studies, including geography, U.S. History, world history, civics, and economics. During that time, Shane developed the geography courses and the world history courses that are currently taught at the school. He has served as a middle school teacher, high school teacher, president of the local union, assistant principal, and, for the past four years, as the principal of both the middle school and the high school. His experience in the classroom and the valuable lessons he has learned during this time in administration will provide the committee with a unique perspective as this important work is undertaken.

• Public Comments Received on Proposed Revised Standards
• Public Comments Received via Email on Current Social Studies Standards
• Public Comments Received via Online Survey on Current Social Studies Standards

Winter 2023 — Public comment sought, and public hearing held, on current standards

• On March 9, 2023, as part of the scheduled periodic review of the Maine Learning Results, the Maine Department of Education sought public comments regarding the current social studies standards. These comments were used to inform the work of the standards revision teams. The public comment period ended on April 6, 2023. This was advertised through the Maine DOE newsroom, Maine DOE social media outlets, and the Maine Council for the Social Studies.
• On March 21, 2023, from 3-5 p.m., in Room 103 of the Burton Cross Building, in Augusta, Maine DOE held a public hearing. No one provided public testimony regarding the social studies standards during the hearing.

Spring 2023 — Steering Committee is formed and convened

• On April 5, 2023, the Maine Department of Education sent out invitations to educational leaders to join the social studies steering committee.
• The Steering Committee convened on May 26, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 101 of the Deering Building in Augusta.
  • During the meeting the Maine Department of Education reviewed the steering committee's purpose and laid out the work ahead.
  • The work was divided into four areas for the committee to consider and provide guidance through the blueprint:
    • Current Standards – the committee was asked to consider the existing standards and provide guidance around areas where revision was necessary.
    • Public Comments – the committee was asked to consider the opinions shared through public comment and determine how they should be included in the guidance for the standards revision.
    • Relevant Statute – the committee was asked to provide guidance around how to implement the requirements of LD 1664, which expanded §4706. Instruction in American history, African American studies, Maine studies, Maine Native American history and the history of genocide.
    • Necessary Updates and Agreements – Each review cycle, based on feedback received over the previous five years, the Department determines some necessary updates and agreements regarding the standards revision that apply to all content areas. The Steering Committee was asked to provide guidance on how to best include the necessary updates and/or agreements in their specific content area. The necessary updates and/or agreements for this review cycle were:
      • Ensure that all content standards align to the common format and standardized language of: 1) strand: a body of knowledge in a content area identified by a simple title; 2) standard: enduring understandings and skills that students can apply and transfer to contexts that are new to the student; 3) performance expectation: building blocks to the standard and measurable articulations of what the student understands and can do.
      • Ensure that Wabanaki studies, African American studies, and the history of genocide, including the Holocaust, are incorporated in all content areas of the Maine Learning Results.
      • Incorporate conceptual understandings in each content area of the Maine Learning Results.
  • The committee worked throughout the day to come to consensus on guidance for each of these four areas. By the end of the day, the committee was able to come to consensus on the guidance for the writing teams.
  • View the Social Studies Standards Review Blueprint 2023.

Summer 2023 — Writing Teams convened, and standards revised

• On April 10, 2023, the Maine Department of Education invited, via email, all social studies teachers to be part of the standards review writing teams. Additionally, the Maine DOE posted the call in our newsroom and on our social media sites. Educators were able to volunteer through June 2023.
• Scheduling polls were sent out to all who responded and four days during the summer were selected: July 18, 19, 26, and 27.
• To support the work of incorporating Wabanaki studies, African American studies, and the history of genocide, including the Holocaust, the Department brought in several community experts to support the writing teams.
• The writing teams met and created a draft of the revised standards.
  • Working with members from tribes of the Wabanaki confederacy, Maine African American community members, and experts from the Holocaust and Human Rights Center, the social studies standards revision focused on incorporating these topics authentically throughout the standards.
  • The writing teams reviewed all the standards to include more higher order thinking throughout.
  • The writing team revised the civics and government section to better address civic discourse.
  • The writing team expanded the Economics and Personal Finance strand to include Jump$tart's national standards topics.
• The draft revision went through an internal DOE review and was approved to move forward.

Fall 2023

• Notice of the public comment period was filed with the Secretary of State's Office on October 4, 2023.
• The public comment period was open from October 11 through 5 p.m. on November 4, 2023, and included a virtual and in-person opportunity for the public to participate on October 30.
• PUBLIC COMMENT: Rule Chapter 132: Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Education; Science and Social Studies Standards

Winter 2024

• The Maine DOE prepared and submitted provisional adoption of standards revision to the Secretary of State and Legislative Council.
• The Legislature referred the rule as a legislative document to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee where it was given LD 2182.
• The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee held a public hearing and work session before sending the proposed rules on to the full legislature.

Spring 2024

• As a result of the democratic process of major substantive rulemaking in Maine State government, the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee declined to authorize the proposed social studies content standards of the Maine Learning Results. The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee directed the Department to reengage in the rulemaking process for the social studies standards. To this end, the Department reopened steering committee and writing team conversations for the social studies standards. The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee indicated that they would expect the new revision to be submitted the next year during the first session of the 132nd Legislature.
• Recordings of the public hearing and the submitted testimony can be found on the Education and Cultural Affairs website or through the State of Maine Bill Tracking site.

Laura Dwyer has taught gifted and talented education for the past 20 years in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine at the K-12 levels. She champions civic education and serves as Maine's state coordinator for We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution and Project Citizen. She also instructs both programs. Her Stearns Junior Senior High School Project Citizen team was recognized in 2021 at the National Showcase as Superior for their Drugs in Millinocket entry. She has a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership and Integrated Arts and has acquired her K-3 Early Childhood, K-12 Principal, and Maine Gifted Certifications. Her expertise includes designing successful middle school gifted programs. She served as the Enrichment Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator for the Nashoba Regional School district in Massachusetts, transforming the after-school program into a successful Extended Learning Program that provided enrichment opportunities in sports, foreign languages, STEM, language arts, theater, and music, increasing enrollment and revenue by 40% in four years. She received the Boston Society Civil Engineers Section Pre-College (BSCES) Educational Award 2021 and the UNSUNG HERO AWARD 2009. She was recently chosen to participate in the prestigious 2023 Supreme Court Institute in Washington.

Mary Dyer has worked in higher education for 30 years, assisting students and families with planning, paying, and saving for higher education. Currently, she serves as a Financial Education Program Manager at the Finance Authority of Maine, providing college access, financial education and debt management services and training to Maine students and families, as well as the professionals who support them. Mary also serves as President of the Maine Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, a nonprofit volunteer-based organization that is dedicated to improving the financial capability of Maine children and young adults. Under her leadership, the Coalition was named 2014 State Coalition of the Year by the National Jump$tart Coalition. Maine is the first state in New England to receive this important recognition. Before joining FAME, Mary worked as Assistant Director of Financial Aid at the University of Maine for seven years. Prior to that, she was Assistant Director of Financial Aid at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. She began her career at the University of Maine at Augusta. In addition to her professional experience, Mary served as training chair for the Maine Association of Financial Aid Administrators for four years. She has also presented at several state, regional, and national conferences and has served as a trainer for the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). In 2007, Mary was the recipient of the Candance Johnson Vinette Award for Distinguished Service to her profession. Mary received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maine at Augusta. She currently resides in Glenburn, Maine.

Dennis Edmondson

Lance Gibbs

Bob Green

Tomasz Herzog holds a Ph.D. in Education, a graduate degree in Sociology, 33 years of experience that includes teaching social studies in high school and teaching social studies methods courses for elementary and secondary Education majors (both in the US and abroad). Tomasz has the content and pedagogical background knowledge necessary to understand the pedagogy needed to implement the knowledge, skills, and dispositions embedded in the standards. He has served as a member of the ETS (Educational Testing Service) National Advisory Board for Social Studies, collaborated with the Maryland Center for Civic Education and civic education organizations in Europe (Poland, Germany). Over the last few years, he has been a Review Board member of a peer-reviewed "The Journal of Social Studies Research". Currently Tomasz serves on the Board of the Maine Council for the Social Studies.

Barry London

Jason Long

Dr. Larissa Malone is associate professor and chair of the Teacher Education Department at University of Southern Maine. Dr. Malone holds a Ph.D. from Kent State University in Cultural Foundations of Education, a M.A. in Education from Walsh University, and a B.A. in International Studies from Case Western Reserve University. A certified primary educator through the American Montessori Internationale, Dr. Malone taught early childhood and early elementary and served as an administrator in a bilingual community-based school. Dr. Malone has taught a variety of courses related to social studies education, including Social Studies Methods, Diversity in Schools, Equity in School and Society, Education in a Democratic Society, and Critical Race Studies in Education. Dr. Malone has shared her research through presentations at the Maine Council for the Social Studies, the Maine Department of Education, and numerous community libraries across the state of Maine. She serves on the board of Wayfinder Schools and Maine Humanities Council. Dr. Malone is the founder of Maine Black Educators Collective, an organization that aims to support Black Educators in the state of Maine through educational opportunities and socio-emotional connection and advocates for the teaching of African American studies. In 2022, Dr. Malone was the recipient of the Maine Education Association's Human and Civil Rights Award for her contribution to school success.

Erica Nadelhaft is the Education Coordinator for the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. Erica earned a B.A. Magna Cum Laude from Brandeis University; an M.A. Summa Cum Laude from the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and is A.B.D. from the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis. She reads and works in four languages: Hebrew, Yiddish, Polish and German. Professionally, she has taught courses on world history, the history of genocide, World War II, the history of the Middle East, women's history, introduction to Judaism, and Hebrew, among others, in the University of Maine system. She has also taught at the University of Moncton in Edmunston, New Brunswick. In her current role, Erica oversees the HHRC educators, coordinates school visits, develops new programs, and works with Maine school districts to address bias, prejudice, and hate speech in schools.

Nicole Rancourt

Adam Schmitt

Earl Watts is a veteran of the US Army, having a total of 31 years in service, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. He has been an adjunct instructor at Thomas College for ten years and a high school social studies teacher at Waterville Alternative High School (WAHS) for 5 years. This year he has also assumed the administrative duties for WAHS. Earl has a Master of Arts in American History and a Master of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in American Government. He is a 2021 James Madison Fellow and has been selected to attend the 2023 Midway Institute for Teachers. Earl is also a member of the School Board for the Winslow Public Schools system, and he has had two sons go through the Winslow Public School system. As a military veteran, a parent, a college instructor, a high school teacher & administrator and a municipal government member, Earl brings a well-rounded point of view to the table and is uniquely positioned to understand the intersection of social studies in our society today and moving forward.

• Public Comments Received on Current Social Studies Standards

Overall:

• Bring up to date with clear language
• Identify terms that need to be defined
• Be consistent with terms throughout the document
• Be aware of teacher capacity at all grade levels
• Update with technology as appropriate
• Thoughtfully thread the topics of Maine Native American History and Maine history into the standards and performance indicators as they currently seem to be add-ons.
• Reorganize document so that "Strand A" is not viewed as another part of content
  • B-E should become A-D and stand alone as content
  • Strand A should become an overarching piece that shows how it connects to teaching the content and the student application of their knowledge and skills

Strand E – History

• The use of primary & secondary sources need to be identified earlier in the standards
• Replace "multiple sources" with primary/secondary

Strand D – Geography

• Modernize to reflect: best practices, up-to-date terminology, and technology

Strand C – Economics

• Needs to be retitled Personal Finance and Economics
• The standard needs to be re-written to reflect "good" personal finance and not just have the term added into the standard.
• Focus should be given to make sure that the key topics from the PF definition are included – "The aspects of individuals or family life that involve earning and spending money; often includes making budget choices, savings and investing, the use of credit, and managing risk and insurance."
• Move C1 & C2 down to C2 & C3 and create a C1 for personal finance
• The new C1 should pull the personal finance out of the original C1 (which will help narrow it down a bit), and look at national standards to strengthen the new C1.

Strand B – Civics & Government

• B3 can't be a catch all for unity/diversity, global, Maine Native American, immigrants, etc.
  • Most likely will need to be split
  • Identify skills that can be used to find "common ground" with other content areas

Strand A – Application

• Reorganize document (see above) so that we "lead with A"
• Either combine A3 with A2 or use A3 to promote a variety of rigorous/authentic assessments that go behind a community service project

Intro/Key Idea:

• Put a greater emphasis on skills.
• Update the eras. Identify more "themes" than unity & diversity.
• Emphasize the idea of connecting and spiraling across K-12
• More specific information about Maine Native American and Maine history statutes.

• A list of potential steering committee members were approved by the commissioner's office on January 29, 2018 and they were invited to participate via email on January 31, 2018. The steering committee was comprised to represent different grade levels, different roles in education (teachers, administrators, higher education, and non-profit organizations), different areas of expertise across the content area, and different geographic representation.
• All members of the steering committee accepted the invitation to participate by February 2, 2018 and using a doodle poll created on February 5, 2018 to pick a meeting date. On February 6, 2018, the steering committee agreed upon a meeting date of April 16, 2018 with May 31, 2018 as a second meeting if necessary.
• Public comments were open from February 5, 2018 through March 16, 2018 with public hearings taking place in Augusta on February 27, Houlton on February 28, and Westbrook on March 1.
• On February 7, the Department of Education reached out to known social studies and education interested parties to let them know that a review of the Maine Learning Results in Social Studies was beginning with a public comments period.
• Via email on March 27, 2018 the steering committee was given the resources needed to prepare for their meeting. This included a copy of all of the submitted public comments including transcribed copies of public comments that were presented in person at one of the hearings. It also included a collection of current research and identified best practices in social studies education.
• On April 3, 2018 the steering committee was sent an email giving them the assignment to do a SWOT analysis on the following areas of the Maine Learning Results in Social Studies: Introduction/Key Ideas, Applications of Social Studies, Civics and Government, Economics, Geography, History.
• On April 16, 2018 the steering committee met and created guidance for the writing team. The day was spent reviewing the purpose of the team, relevant state statutes, the current standards, and public comments. The current state standards were reviewed using the SWOT analysis protocol. Each section that was identified for the committee to review on April 3 (Introduction/Key Ideas, Applications of Social Studies, Civics and Government, Economics, Geography, History) was discussed one section at a time. The group shared all of the strengths that they had identified and all suggested strengths were compiled. The group then reviewed the entire list and narrowed down the highlights of what they wanted to focus on. The process was repeated for the weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of each section. At the end of the SWOT analysis of the section, the group reviewed the highlighted ideas across the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to summarize what parts of the section needed to be maintained and what parts needed to be revised. For parts of the section that needed revision, the steering committee worked to reach a consensus of what the guidance should look like based on a combination of professional experience and researched best practices in the field of social studies. At the end of the SWOT analysis, time was spent reviewing the public comments to ensure that feedback that was provided was discussed during the analysis or taken into consideration when the guidance was being developed. At the end of the day, the team was given additional time to review the guidance that had been drafted during the day, to review the public comments to make sure that the guidance aligned with the feedback included in the public comments, and to provide another opportunity to provide any additional thoughts or feedback.
• From April 17 through May 4, every member of the steering committee reviewed the guidance and responded to questions about the work regarding possible still to be completed work and questions.
• From May 4 through May 7, the state Social Studies Specialist reviewed the feedback and deemed that the overall thoughts from the feedback from the steering committee was that they felt that the guidance reflected the best practices and research in social studies and that all public comments had been taken into account while crafting the guidance.
• On May 8, each member of the steering committee was emailed and asked to confirm that they had reviewed the final draft of the guidance, if they felt there were any additional edits to be made, if this is the guidance that they want to provide to the writing team, and to confirm that they feel the work of the steering committee had met its intended goal and that all of the work was complete.
• On May 16, the last member of the steering committee responded to give unanimous agreement that the initial work of the steering committee was complete and ready to share with the writing team.
• A call for educators to participate as a member of the writing team was publicly posted through the DOE Newsroom on May 22 and known social studies and education interested parties were contacted directly on May 23.

Mary Dyer – Maine Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy (Augusta): President

Mary serves as the president of the Maine Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. The mission of this group is to improve the financial knowledge of Maine citizens, with a special focus on Pre-K through college-aged students, including adult learners. Working collaboratively, the Coalition seeks to increase awareness and provide training and support to Maine educators while also promoting educational resources and fostering communication among agencies and individuals who provide financial education to Maine families. The Maine Jump$tart Coalition is also part of the National Jump$tart Coalition that serves as a national leader in the development of Personal Finance standards. The Maine Jump$tart Coalition also oversees the Maine LifeSmarts Program that is intended to develop the consumer and marketplace skills of teens. Although Mary is not an educator, her work is intended to help teachers, students, and young adults understand and develop some of the skills necessary to succeed in the world both during and after their schooling is complete.

Patrick Hartnett – RSU #17/Oxford Hills: Assistant Superintendent

With a Ph.D. in Public Policy and as a former social studies teacher in history and political science, Patrick has the content background knowledge necessary to understand the pedagogy needed in the standards. He also participated as a teacher in the 1996-97 writing of the original social studies learning results for Maine. RSU #17 is in the process of a review of their social studies curriculum and proficiency implementation which has led Patrick to research current best practices and develop an understanding of both state and national trends. This district level experience will give the committee insight into potential issues of district implementation that the writing committee will need to be aware of. As a former state principal of the year and a current assistant superintendent, Patrick brings a vision of standards implementation and how districts will need to be supported.

Kathleen Neumann – Maine Historical Society (Portland): Manager of Education & Interpretive Programs

In her position as Manager of Education and Interpretive Programs for the Maine Historical Society in Portland, the focus of Kathleen's job is to develop curriculum and programming for not only teachers and students in grades PK-16, but also adult learning and community opportunities. She is a former middle school and high school teacher with both a bachelor's and Master's degree in History and certificate in public history. Kathleen understands the essential critical thinking skills that are necessary for students of all ages to access education materials in order to make connections in learning throughout Maine's history and beyond its borders. With programs that focus on the analysis, research, and interpretation of primary and secondary sources, participants are able to take their learning beyond the typical classroom. Kathleen is an officer for the Maine Council for the Social Studies and she has also helped Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea develop online curriculum and learning communities for teachers and students.

Nicole Rancourt – Maine Humanities Council (Portland): Program Officer

As a former middle school humanities teacher, Nicole has the content background knowledge necessary to understand the pedagogy needed in the standards. While in the classroom, she also participated in the National Endowment for the Humanities Teaching American History program that was directed by the U.S. Department of Education. Nicole is currently the Program Officer at the Maine Humanities Council where her background makes her one of the state level experts in making connections between the content of social studies and the necessary disciplinary literacy skills of both reading and writing in the field of social studies. This background supports a growing interest both nationally and in Maine to make sure that disciplinary literacy is supported and highlighted in each of the specific content areas. Nicole currently serves on the board of the Maine Council for the Social Studies. She is also a former National History Day judge who currently coordinates and runs the National History Day judging room for the Maine state competition.

Kim Sebold – University of Maine at Presque Isle: Professor of History

Kimberly is one of the leaders in social studies education in the state of Maine. With a Ph.D. in History and her current position of History professor at the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI), she was selected to represent Maine as a reviewer for the National Council for the Social Studies C3 Framework before its release in 2013. Kimberly's research about the implementation of proficiency based education in history at UMPI led her to also incorporating the Thinking Like a Historian Framework in her approach to developing the core competencies that are needed in the field of social studies both inside and outside of the classroom. She is currently working on a competency based History curriculum that like the rest of the personalized learning programs at UMPI focuses on six key traits including preparation for a career, real-world application, and real-world problem solving. Kimberly has also worked with teachers around Aroostook County to develop best practices in social studies for their classroom while also serving as part of the Maine Geographic Alliance.

Mike Thurston – AOS 92/Winslow High School: Social Studies Teacher & Department Chair

Mike has spent the past 33 years teaching secondary social studies and brings the classroom experience necessary to understand the role of standards in teaching students and the content knowledge in social studies necessary to give guidance to the writing team. He has also served as an educational leader in both his role as the social studies department chair at Winslow High School and in his service on the National Education Association Board of Directors for seven years. Mike has been recognized by the Maine Department of Education for his expertise in education by being appointed to DOE task force groups that include topics such as graduation requirements, school choice, and standards based diplomas. His experience in these task force groups will provide valuable feedback and guidance around the creation of new social studies standards for Maine and their rollout around the state. The combination of social studies classroom experience and as an educational leader outside of the classroom makes Mike a leader in education in Maine.

Katrin Teel – Bangor Christian Schools: High School Government Teacher

As a current high school Government teacher and the former Business Studies Program Director at Beal College, Katrin has the experience in helping students prepare for the world around them in a variety of different venues. As a government teacher, she has the background knowledge and classroom experience to guide the development of social studies standards especially in the political science strand. In her previous role at Beal College, Katrin worked with both institutions of higher learning and with the business community to develop and maintain a Business Studies program that met the needs of students as they explored and entered various parts of the workforce. This understanding of the real world demands of employers combined with her experience in government both professionally and as an educator will allow Katrin to bring a perspective that covers the multiple avenues of college, career, and public service that a student may choose to pursue after college.

Patrick Womac – University of Maine at Orono: Assistant Professor of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction

With a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction and as a former teacher, Patrick has the content and pedagogical background knowledge necessary to understand how teachers will have to work to implement and assess the skills and content embedded in the standards. He currently teaches social studies methods classes for elementary and secondary teachers and is able to share the perspective of the unique challenges that they have in incorporating social studies into their curriculum. Patrick's research and teaching emphasize the importance of interconnecting the social sciences at the elementary level, and framing secondary instruction on an inquiry-based foundation. He has experience working with social studies standards in Tennessee, Washington, and South Carolina (all states that have recently revised their standards). He is a leader in the field of geographic literacy and has worked with Kathy Swan and other leaders in social studies education on the development and implementation of the National Council for the Social Studies C3 Framework for social studies.

Public Comment Videos

• Public Comment – Social Studies – Augusta | February 27, 2018
• Public Comment – Social Studies – Houlton | February 28, 2018
• Public Comment – Social Studies – Westbrook | March 1, 2018

Submitted Public Comments

• Connors, John – (PDF)
• Maine Curriculum Leaders Association – (PDF)
• Marshwood Middle School Social Studies Department – (PDF)
• Greene, Chad – (PDF)
• Cheever, David – (PDF)
• Clark, Kelly – (PDF)
• Griffith, Susan – (PDF)
• Dugovic, Susan – (PDF)
• Kane, Paula W. Roy – (PDF)
• Nokes, Eileen – (PDF)
• Hargrove, Jesse – (PDF)
• Ouelette, Cassandra – (PDF)
• Larson, Andres – (PDF)
• Cooper, Amanda – (PDF)
• Graffam, Holly – (PDF)
• Flynn, Bernie – (PDF)
• Olsen, Donna – (PDF)
• Ghiglieri, Nate – (PDF)
• Doughty, Karen – (PDF)
• Thibodeau, Bobbie – (PDF)