Falmouth High School developed three “endorsements”—seals on a transcript indicating successfully completed extended learning opportunities—that we are making available to students in the areas of STEM, fine arts, and global citizenship. The STEM endorsement was rolled out this year, with fine arts planned for 2013–2014 and global citizenship for 2014–2015. Each endorsement area allows students to meet Falmouth’s graduation requirements. In this unique workshop, participants will engage in an open discussion of the foundational principles motivating the endorsements and of the different concerns and compromises that have been faced so far. Participants will also act as critical friends to the presenters, helping them work through ongoing concerns and refine plans that are already in place. The presenters will discuss strategies for connecting outside-of-class activities with the regular curriculum, attracting a heterogeneous student population (rather than appealing only to the top ten percent of students), and ensuring that students who enter the program are passionate about the area of study.

Imagine what can happen when a school system invites its community to engage in a visioning process. Imagine a systemic remodeling of the way education is delivered and imagine community members helping to make the new system a reality. Relationships change. Structures evolve. Solutions emerge. Sanford High School is working with our community to create a student-centered, proficiency-based learning system. With assistance from the Re-Inventing Schools Coalition, a collaborative professional development program is helping teachers integrate standards-based learning targets, 21st century skills, and new technologies into their instruction. Community partners provide learning spaces, internships, service-learning experiences, and extend-learning opportunities to students. Parents are taking active leadership roles in the civic life of the community and creating better opportunities for youth and families. In this session, participants will learn about the diverse strategies that Sanford High School has used to engage, inform, and partner with parents, community organizations, and local businesses—a process that has led to significant organizational, cultural, and educational change.

United Technologies Center launched a new pilot program that brings together the combined strengths of four educational institutions and gives students the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school. In partnership with Hermon High School, Eastern Maine Community College, and the University of Maine, the new program assists high school students in college and career assessment, exploration, and advisement. Students are engaged in an integrated, skill-based educational experience that connects academics to real-world careers through integrated CTE labs. Students can also choose to earn an associate’s degree within twelve months of graduation, with the option of transferring into a bachelor’s degree program. Participants in this session will learn how stakeholders from high schools, career and technical centers, and institutions of higher education can forge powerful partnerships and provide highly relevant learning pathways for students that also lead to an associate’s degree.