Maine

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Maine
Soccer practice in Long Lake, N.Y., on Sept. 1, 2022.
Students participate in soccer practice in Long Lake, N.Y., on Sept. 1, 2022. The Long Lake Central School District merged some its sports teams with another district to have enough players to field teams.
Heather Ainsworth for Education Week
School & District Management How Rural Schools Share Services and Try to Stay Relevant in These 2 States
Even small fluctuations in student enrollment can create financial hardships for rural schools.
Ciara Meyer, August 8, 2025
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6 min read
Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, speaks in opposition to a heating assistance package, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine.
State Rep. Laurel D. Libby speaks at the State House in Augusta, Maine, on Jan. 4, 2023. Libby's February social media post about a transgender athlete ultimately led to a White House confrontation between President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet D. Mills that has escalated to the point of the U.S. Department of Education threatening the state's federal school funding.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Gives Relief to Maine Legislator in Transgender Sports Controversy
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily restored voting privileges to a Maine lawmaker whose social media post criticized a transgender athlete.
Mark Walsh, May 20, 2025
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3 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon accompanied by Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, accompanied by Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. The pair were announcing a lawsuit against the state of Maine over state policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Federal Inside Trump's Full-Force Approach to Ban Trans Athletes and DEI in Schools
Trump’s return to the White House has brought a new era of aggressive investigations of entities that flout the president's orders.
Brooke Schultz, April 16, 2025
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8 min read
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. McMahon said that the U.S. Department of Education would make a "revitalized effort" to pursue federal student privacy law violations for parents' rights, asserting that school "gender plans" that aren't available to parents violate the federal law.
Ben Curtis/AP
Federal McMahon Says Schools With 'Gender Plans' Could Be Violating Federal Privacy Law
The U.S. Department of Education opened investigations under FERPA into two states, alleging violations of parents' rights.
Brooke Schultz, March 28, 2025
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5 min read
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025, before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events. Two federal agencies have found Maine in violation of Title IX for its defiance of that executive order.
Alex Brandon/AP
States Trump Admin. Gives Maine 10 Days to Bar Trans Athletes—or Risk School Funding
The finding of a Title IX violation is a test case of the president's use of federal funds as a cudgel for compliance with executive orders.
Brooke Schultz, March 19, 2025
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6 min read
Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address on Jan. 30, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found Maine had violated Title IX just four days after Mills told President Donald Trump that she would see him in court over the state's refusal to comply with an executive order seeking to bar transgender girls from girls' sports.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
States Does Title IX Exclude Trans Girls? A State's Defiance of Trump Could Produce an Answer
Maine is the subject of three federal probes after its governor told Trump, "we'll see you in court," over transgender athletes.
Brooke Schultz, March 7, 2025
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7 min read
EdTech Megan Leddy holds up her laptop to show an Electoral College map to students Sabrina Conary and Asher Clark during a discussion in the Election Year course at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2024.
Teaching assistant Megan Leddy holds up her laptop to show an Electoral College map to students Sabrina Conary and Asher Clark during a discussion in the Election Year course at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2024.
Linda Coan O'Kresik for Education Week
Social Studies Inside the Class Where Students Talk About Abortion, Trump v. Harris, and More
A Maine high school has piloted a new class called Election Year, where students dive deep into campaign politics.
Olina Banerji, October 29, 2024
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8 min read
Collage illustration of faceless students with books and bookbags standing in a group talking with collage pieces of graph paper, the U.S. capitol and other political buildings around them.
Nadia Radic for Education Week
Personalized Learning All States Allow Competency-Based Learning. Will It Become a Reality in Schools?
School districts in every state have the flexibility to adopt competency-based learning, but implementation is easier said than done.
Libby Stanford, September 16, 2024
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9 min read
Close-up stock photograph showing a touchscreen monitor with a woman’s hand looking at responses being asked by an AI chatbot.
E+
Artificial Intelligence More Teachers Are Using AI-Detection Tools. Here's Why That Might Be a Problem
Students are increasingly getting disciplined for using generative AI, a new survey finds.
Arianna Prothero, April 5, 2024
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7 min read
Image of a staff meeting.
E+/Getty
School & District Management Teachers Hate All Those Meetings. Can Principals Find a Workaround?
Principals can't do away with every meeting, but they can reduce some and make others more effective.
Olina Banerji, March 15, 2024
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4 min read
Illustration concept of hands holding binoculars and looking through to see a graph and arrow with money in background.
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Learning Loss May Cost Students Billions in Future Earnings. How Districts Are Responding
The board that annually administers NAEP warns that recent research paints a "dire" picture of the future for America's children.
Mark Lieberman, March 15, 2024
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6 min read
Yellow electric school bus plugged in at a charging station.
Thomas W Farlow/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Electric Buses Hit Some Road Bumps, But They're Still Catching On
The number of electric school buses is rising—and there’s no shortage of growing pains involving funding, legal mandates, and operations.
Mark Lieberman, February 26, 2024
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8 min read
Teamwork and leadership.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management What a Principal Learned From Conflict With His Teachers
Scott Tombleson's first year as principal brought some critical insights on how to make changes.
Olina Banerji, January 5, 2024
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7 min read
School buses parked in Helena, Mont., ahead of the beginning of the school year on Aug. 20, 2021.
Some districts are pulling back on decisions to outsource bus services in an effort to save money and improve service.
Iris Samuels/AP
School & District Management Late Arrivals, Steep Costs: Why Some Districts Ditch Third-Party Bus Companies
Districts are facing a host of transportation challenges. Some have addressed them by deciding to bring buses back in house.
Mark Lieberman, November 30, 2023
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6 min read
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