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RSU 22 team reports takeaways from visit to Baldwin High School; recommends academies, AP Capstone and extended teacher onboarding
Summary
District staff who visited Baldwin High School described models for student-centered academies, AP Capstone courses, sustained teacher onboarding and stronger public relations; the team recommended piloting student shadowing and expanding AP/dual-enrollment options.
A team of RSU 22 teachers and administrators who visited Baldwin High School returned to the board with recommendations to expand student-driven learning and sustained professional development across the district.
Staff members described Baldwin’s academy model — a set of elective “deep-dive” experiences in areas such as medicine, business and technology — and said those academies operate as one school with elective specialized pathways rather than separate schools. The team reported that Baldwin uses a mix of rigorous AP coursework (including AP Seminar and AP Research) and industry-aligned academies to offer students both college-credit opportunities and workplace-ready skills.
District staff told the board they saw high student engagement in project-based learning spaces where students took ownership of long-term projects on topics such as climate change and community challenges. The visitors said Baldwin emphasizes the six “C” competencies (creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, character and citizenship) and pairs those competencies with public relations efforts to promote student work publicly.
Recommendations and next steps RSU 22 staff recommended several attainable steps for the district: pilot an observation or student-shadow program in May to map students’ daily experiences; pursue AP Seminar/AP Research (AP Capstone) offerings where feasible; expand opportunities for internships and off-site "leave to learn" experiences; and design a multi-year onboarding program for new teachers (the Baldwin team described a four-year cohort model). Staff also suggested expanding mindfulness and K–12 developmental programming and increasing the district’s public relations to highlight student successes.
District leaders emphasized that many of Baldwin’s strategies already exist in pockets across RSU 22 and that small, incremental changes could be scaled. The board asked staff to return with implementation plans and any budget implications before seeking district-wide adoption.
