Maine Schools Strengthen Global Connections in the Fall of 2025

As a new season of learning unfolds, Maine classrooms are building on the strength of global connections. Through community celebrations, exchanges, and new language resources, students and educators are experiencing how language and culture are assets for learning.

In Lewiston, Portuguese cultural brokers and educators are partnering with the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Portugal’s education leaders to bring free, high-quality resources into classrooms—work extending from Maine’s international agreement with Portugal. Teachers are accessing digital materials from Porto Editora that support Portuguese as a foreign, second, and heritage language. Additionally, local feedback has provided a reminder that implementation support matters: Since few classrooms in Maine have Portuguese-speaking teachers, educators may need guidance about how to use these materials effectively. The Maine DOE continues to coordinate practical “how-to” supports and warm introductions, so resources are usable in everyday instruction.

Maine educators are also connecting through events that celebrate language and culture. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston hosts Taiwan’s 114th National Day Celebration on October 3. A week later, teachers will gather at Husson University for the Maine Chinese Language Conference, an annual convening organized with the Bangor Chinese School/Chinese Language and Culture Center of Maine (CLCCM) that offers professional learning and continuing education units (CEUs).

Maine students continue to benefit from opportunities in German. At Cony High School—one of only 14 U.S. schools in PASCH (Schools: Partners for the Future), a global initiative of the German Federal Foreign Office via the Goethe-Institut—two students head to Estes Park, Colorado for an immersion weekend and competition with peers from across the Americas. Each summer, two Cony students also receive full scholarships for a three-week course in Germany, and this November, Goethe-Institut representatives will visit campus to share additional pathways, including study abroad.

“As a PASCH school, Cony has access to unique global connections, cutting-edge teaching resources, and annual teacher training that elevate German instruction,” Deb Backman, German teacher at Cony Middle and High School in Augusta, and 2025 Kennebec County Teacher of the Year, said. “Students build real language fluency and cross-cultural understanding, with many chances to use their skills inside and outside the classroom.”

Maine’s collaboration with the Académie de Nantes (France) supports classroom-to-classroom exchanges and educator partnerships that give students real audiences for their language skills. Those supports exist today but are underutilized; the Académie is actively seeking conversations with Maine educators about how to increase participation and make these opportunities easier to access.

“The supports are in place, and we want to hear directly from Maine educators about what would make participation easier and more impactful for their students,” Maine DOE Director of Strategic Partnerships Ayesha Hall said. “Districts can connect with partner contacts on the Global Partners Network webpage, and I’m glad to make a warm introduction, when helpful.”

Together, these stories show that Maine schools are not just teaching languages; they are building bridges. By investing in multilingual pathways and international partnerships—and by listening to local feedback that improves access and use—schools across the state foster the curiosity, respect, and collaboration skills students need to thrive in a connected world.

A next step for educators and administrators: On October 13, 2025, the Maine DOE hosts the next session of the Multilingual/Multicultural Connections Webinar Series—a virtual session for educators and district leaders who want practical ways to translate international partnerships into classroom learning and schoolwide engagement. Please register here, if you are interested in attending.

For more information, please contact Ayesha Hall, Maine DOE Director of Strategic Partnerships, at Ayesha.Hall@maine.gov. Additionally, if this work is of interest to you, consider visiting the Maine DOE Global Partners Network webpage.