I am a product of a public school education, from kindergarten through graduate school, with the exception of one year of catholic high school. I strongly support public education. Unfortunately, our system of public education has failed many young people and and along with it, the nation. This is most glaringly obvious in the failure of many adults to think critically and to discern fact from fiction.
One very serious problem for Maine children is reading. Two different literacy tests are administered to children, one by the federal government , the other by Maine government. The federal test results show a lower rate of literacy than the state test results. Rather than looking for solutions to improve literacy, Maine state officials blame the federal test for the lower scores. https://www.pressherald.com/2025/03/21/opinion-maines-reading-scores-a-devastating-problem-with-a-practical-solution/
Three possible solutions to improving student literacy rates include:
- Provide better reading education training for teachers and prospective teachers.
- Require teachers to be trained in science based reading instructions.
- Eliminate the state reading proficiency test and use the federal test as the basis for measuring reading proficiency.
There will be more thoughts about improving Maine’s public education system in the future. In a nuthshell, I support higher standards and increased state spending and oversight of public education.
