Stephen Bowen has seen the future of education, and he’s seen what happens when we ignore it.
As Maine’s former Commissioner of Education and now Executive Director of the Hoover Education Success Initiative at Stanford, Stephen brings a rare perspective: deep local roots combined with a national, bird’s-eye view of what actually works.
In this episode, he lays out a bold, actionable vision for how Maine can rescue its schools, support its students, and rebuild its economy.
We cover:
- Why Maine’s education rankings have collapsed in the last decade
- The one metric that determines a student’s future (and a state’s future)
- What Mississippi and Louisiana got right and how Maine can follow
- The school choice model already working in parts of rural Maine
- How local districts are blocking students from accessing better programs
- The untapped potential of micro-schools, magnet academies, and virtual learning
- Why ignoring top-performing kids is a dangerous mistake for small towns
- What Maine’s next governor should do on day one to start the turnaround
This is one of the clearest, most strategic conversations we’ve had on Maine For Keeps about education.
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to Maine For Keeps for weekly conversations on how we build a stronger future for Maine.