Maine Department of Education enabling new ways of education innovation statewide

Maine (WABI) - The Maine Department of Education is enabling new ways of education innovation statewide.

The DOE announced 1.6 million dollars in Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures funding to 12 new districts Thursday.

Maine is one of 11 states that received RREV funding in 2020.

This round will support missions like online learning, outdoor education models, and pilot programs to ensure educational equity and innovation.

Schools in Old Town, Camden, Rockland, Fairfield, and Madison were among those to receive gifts today for projects including outdoor classrooms, a hands-on blacksmithing experience, and more.

Officials say it will help re-engage students.

”We’re now able to tailor a pathway for our students to succeed outside the traditional walls of our school allowing our students to learn in an environment that’s best suited for their needs, along with keeping them engaged socially with their peers is a win-win,” RSU 34/Old Town Bethany Gerrish said.

“Remember that you can teach anything outside. The kindergarten created this hardcover book, and we have the kids’ words on there, their quotations, about what it’s like to be outdoors,” Deer Isle-Stonington Science Teacher Mickie Flores said.

More than 35 districts have received a combined more than seven million dollars in funding over the past two years.

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