Newswise — Caught in the Middle " What in the world is a middle school anyway? It's not a miniature high school or an elementary school for oversized kids. University of Maine Professor Edward Brazee and editor of publications for the National Middle School Association, says it time to debunk the myth that middle schools are too soft and lack academic rigor. Middle school teachers are tough, and they are also caring," says Brazee. "And that is what gets them into trouble with a public who thinks you can't be both." In addition to coping with kids going through huge physical, social and emotional changes, parents are also facing unfamiliar educational territory and terminology such integrated curriculum, developmentally responsive instruction and learning-based projects. What are parents' concerns, fears and expectations as their budding and young adolescents enter an educational experience very different from their own? Brazee, who also authors the NMSA parents' newsletter, can set the record straight and allay anxieties.
Doing Sports Right " Poor sportsmanship, disrespectful behavior by parents and coaches, specialization in one sport at too early an age, selective cutting with no alternatives to play, and intense pressure on students to win at all costs are among the distributing trends and realities that generated the University of Maine's Sports Done Rightâ„¢ initiative, which is providing a statewide guide and national model for reforming interscholastic and youth sports. The federally report defines healthy interscholastic sports, promotes competition without conflict and makes recommendations for shaping the best possible learning environment for student-athletes at the community level. The report, which relies heavily on the suggestions of student-athletes, puts the onus on parents to demonstrate the best lessons of sport, for instance: Encourage and support your youngster regardless of the degree of success or level of skill; leave coaching to coaches; be realistic about your youngster's future in sports, recognizing that only a select few earn a college scholarship or sign a professional contract; and be there when your child looks to the sidelines for a positive role model. The project was conceived and founded by UMaine Education Robert A. Cobb and is co-directed by the state's former Education commissioner, J. Duke Albanese, both former outstanding scholar-athletics.
Building Integrity into Enterprise " How do institutions make decisions that yield the educational, social and economic benefits of a strong athletics program without costs to academic and moral integrity? That's the central dilemma explored in the book Who Calls the Shots? Sports and University Leadership, Culture, and Decision Making (Jossey-Bass, 2005). The way university leadership pursues and manages this dilemma can either place an institution and its leaders in the forefront of reform or sabotage their credibility, cautions author Suzanne E. Estler, associate professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Maine. As external forces such as commercialization, laws and regulations, and public obsession with sports escalate, the incentives to relax ethical and educational considerations also intensify. Too often, this arms race to compete and win leads to uninformed decisions and unintended consequences, says Estler, a scholar of colleges and universities as complex organizations. Among her recommendations to strengthen campus and athletics alignment with the institution's academic mission, campus leadership: must be clear and consistent in expectations and responses for the quality of the student-athlete experience, ethical conduct and behavioral standards at every level of intercollegiate athletics; involve athletics staff effectively in the every-day life of the institution, bringing members to see themselves as part of the institution as a whole; and apply learning from athletics, such as recruiting a diverse student population or raising graduation rates, to the entire institution.
Stepping Up to Technology " The University of Maine has taken the lead in ensuring that the teachers it graduates are ready to appropriately and creatively use technology as they take on their own classrooms and increasingly computer savvy young pupils. The UMaine College of Education and Human Development is the first teacher preparation program in the state to require that students working toward Maine teacher certification have a laptop computer and specific educational hardware as part of their tools for learning. The College's Teacher Education Faculty recently approved the new policy, effective with incoming Fall 2005 students. With Maine public schools wired for Internet access and laptops provided to seventh and eighth graders and their teachers through the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, the state has made the commitment to build technology-rich classroom environments and instruction for its public school students. "Clearly, it is essential that aspiring teachers understand and know how and when to use wireless laptop technology in the teaching and learning process," says College Dean Robert A. Cobb. The Teacher Education Faculty has chosen Apple iBook as the designated computer and software because of Macintosh's commitment to technology designed for educational use and innovation, and to align with the laptops available through the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. In addition, Education faculty members say the Macintosh package is less vulnerable to viruses.
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