A MAINE MODEL OF PUBLIC EDUCATION This column originally appeared on Wicked Local


When one thinks of Maine, the image of a lobster and perhaps a moose come to mind. With the work being done at the King Middle School, however, the city of Portland may very well deserve equal attention for its progressive, inclusive efforts with regard to public education.


In a city growing exponentially, the King Middle School continues to make the grade. “34% of the school is limited English proficiency,” says King Teaching Strategist, Peter Hill. Through its program of Expeditionary Learning with strong components of fieldwork and community service, King Middle requires high quality work displayed from every student and kids must also be able to engage in a meaningful conversation with an adult by the time the finish the 8th grade. Says Hill, “They must be able to defend their work to a stranger.” 


King Middle School has followed a program of Expeditionary Learning since 1992 with students engaging in two 12-15 week cohesive learning expeditions per year, one in the fall and one in the spring, that include the collaborative contributions of at least five teachers. Expeditions include fieldwork and service learning that take students beyond the classroom ending with a culminating event which includes the presentation of a product to a legitimate, authentic audience. With knowledge, high quality work, and character, King students are encouraged to take risks and challenge themselves staying true to the King belief that their ability and confidence will grow with effort and that all work has lasting value. 


King’s two seventh grade teams this year are currently completing expeditions called “Music for Change” and “Coming to America”. Music for Change raises the question “How can we use lyrics and music to address issues impacting the environment and society? Music is studied in a multidisciplinary way including its impact on emotions, its relationship to math, and how it affects the brain, along with the comprehensive study of poetry and song lyrics that have been used to create social change. Students then write and present music to create change for an environmental or social issue that they research with the help of professional musicians and writers from the local area that come to the school and mentor students. The culmination of this project includes live performances of student songs on local radio station, WMPG 90.9 FM. Coming to America raises questions regarding immigration. Students analyze immigration data mathematically, read literature that reflects upon the lives of local immigrants in the community, and spend time studying current immigration issues. As a culminating project, students go out into the community to interview and write biographical narratives about local immigrants. “How can you get more authentic than that? They are actually writing their biographies,” says Peter Hill. 


“Learning Expeditions should reflect the talents of the teachers on each team,” said former King leader Mike McCarthy at the King Site Seminar in 2014 who recently retired after 28 years as school principal.  Current King Teaching Strategist, Peter Hill, agrees. “It’s got to be teacher driven. At King, there are six teams with wildly different techniques. Every day includes 80 minutes of common planning time which is used creatively to work on expeditions. That creative time is totally sacred.” Teachers can’t be asked to do all of their creative work for school on their own time and be loaded up with other tasks during the work day. Said McCarthy, “Time, support, and autonomy create better teaching. Teachers need freedom to make their own creative decisions work.”


“King works because of the culture,” said Mike McCarthy. “The model is based on hiring good people and letting them do what they were hired to do.  Creative freedom is everything. People get into it, and that’s how you get kids to step up. King gets into your blood.” 


Although there are increasing challenges, King Middle School continues to adhere to a philosophy of productive accountability, complex craftsmanship, and authenticity. All practices at King lead back to student engagement and student achievement. “It is not a process that can be prescribed,” says Peter Hill. “It has to come from the teachers in the building. It is not sustainable if it is not generated by the teachers.”


Although students move on to three different high schools to complete their public education when they leave King Middle School, “you can always spot a King kid,” says Peter Hill. “They can work in a group and they can talk to adults,” which in my opinion is more than you can say about a moose or a lobster. 

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