Newsroom

Pedagogy

Actionline

Why Do Our Classrooms Still Look Like the 20th Century?

Chad Pavlekovich, Ed.D, is a STEM science teacher at Salisbury Middle School in Wicomico County. He has been a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year and is a Maryland Master Teacher recognized for his work with STEM education from the Future of Education Technology in 2015 and STEMCON in 2017. It’s 2018, nearly 20 years […]

Actionline

Get $125 in Credit to Purchase Brand New Books for Students

Baltimore County teacher Heather McNeal’s class with their brand new books from First Book and MSEA. “I believe that books best serve as both windows and mirrors for children, yet my classroom library was lacking important mirrors for my African-American students,” said Heather McNeal, a fifth grade teacher at Halstead Academy in Baltimore County. “I took […]
Testing

Actionline

Maryland Wins Big on ESSA Thanks to the Protect Our Schools Act

Photo © Stephen Cherry In September, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) submitted our state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan for federal approval. The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) replied in December with a list of plan provisions that in their judgment did not comply with ESSA. The Protect Our Schools Act — passed last year […]
School Funding

Newsroom

Washington’s Dysfunction Impacting Maryland’s Budget and Economy

The federal government casts a long shadow on Maryland’s budget and economy. THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS Washington DC’s Shadow Over Annapolis From the federal tax bill to the federal shutdown, what happens in Congress has a direct impact on Maryland’s economy and budget. The Comptroller’s Office issued a detailed review of the effects of federal tax […]
School Funding

Actionline

Where’s All That Casino Money?

In 2011, casinos contributed $50 million to the Education Trust Fund; in 2013, $284 million; in 2015, $350 million. Projections for last year are $500 million — in total, $2 billion since 2011. If you’ve been wondering about the influx of casino cash lawmakers promised when casino gambling passed in Maryland, you’re not alone. Talk about school […]
Professional Practice

Actionline

10 Ways Public Education in Finland and Singapore Is Different Than in the U.S.

Photo: The Atlantic, October 1, 2015. 1. In Finland, law mandates that for every 45 minutes of instruction, students get 15 minutes of play. U.S. kids get less than 30 minutes per day. 2. College is free in Finland — even master’s and doctoral programs. 3. Teachers are highly respected and are paid better in Finland and Singapore. […]
School Funding

Actionline

OPPORTUNITY • EQUITY • PAY

Dramatic salary increases leading to parity between teachers and professionals with similar educational backgrounds. Living wages for ESP. Increased time for planning and collaboration. A locally-negotiated career ladder that gives educators an opportunity to make administrator-level pay without leaving classrooms. Expanded pre-kindergarten, career-technical education, and community schools. We could see these transformational changes in our […]
School Funding

Actionline

The Tipping Point: Solving the Staffing and Salary Crisis in Maryland Schools

What does $2.9 billion in annual underfunding in our schools look like? A slow-building — but now impossible to ignore — crisis of inadequate staffing levels and educator pay that has direct consequences on the quality of teaching and learning, especially in high-poverty schools. After major progress on both staffing and pay following the state’s last revision of the […]
School Funding

Actionline

Betty Weller: Kirwan Gives Us a Unique Opportunity to Face Pervasive Inequities

James Baldwin said that “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it’s faced.” We know that there are massive inequities in our schools — by socioeconomic status, by neighborhood, and by race. We see these gaps in opportunities result in gaps in achievement. In its review of Maryland school funding, […]
Join An Event
Member Awards & Grants