Maine schools are graduating the highest proportion of eligible students in the state's history. To continue to raise this proportion and to assure that all graduates can perform at adequate skill and knowledge levels as described by the Maine Learning Results Observation 2. Secondary school students exhibit more varied and complex learning, social, and emotional needs than in the past. To meet the needs of our increasingly diverse youth population without overtaxing the fiscal and human resources of our secondary schools Observation 3. Every Maine secondary student does not have equal access to learning in comparison to other students in his or her school.
Academic achievement is, on average, high but uneven from school to school.
To provide conditions for students, educators, and parents in all Maine communities that will give all students equal opportunities to meet Maine's learning standards and their own personal learning goals Observation 5. Students and, to a degree, staff in Maine secondary schools view educational experiences as irrelevant or disengaging for many students. To authentically engage students, teachers, and parents in learning experiences that are rigorous and that students find relevant to their current needs and future ambitions Observation 6. The highest percentage of graduates in Maine's history is accepted at higher education institutions but their rate of completion is no better than the national average and they have low confidence in the value of higher education. Maine high schools serve many diffuse purposes and struggle to succeed at them all.