TLC
The community of the Outer Islands Teaching & Learning Collaborative (TLC) is a teacher-created, teacher-led group that forms a lifeline of support to help sustain Maine’s one and two-room island schools by providing a peer network for students, teachers, and families.
Small, isolated schools can be vital, innovative, and collaborative centers of teaching and learning that prepare students to thrive in their communities and beyond. The TLC supports these schools through multiple virtual touchpoints every week and several multi-day, in-person events every year.
In August, teachers get things started with a multi-day, in-person planning and professional learning retreat. During the school year, they meet weekly online to stay connected to each other and to plan collaborative areas of study and social opportunities for students.
Students and families gather in person on one of the TLC islands at the start of the school year for the Inter-Island Event, a long-standing island tradition that has been happening for 30+ years. It is a three-day camping trip and celebration of island life that the host island community organizes with logistical support from the TLC and other partners. The TLC hosts multi-day field trips in the fall and spring to mainland locations. These trips are based on student and teacher interests, and they enhance the academic and social curriculum, and provide essential in-person time together. During the school year, students stay connected to each other through frequent virtual meetings each week, including book groups, morning exercises, and online parties and celebrations.
The TLC currently serves the schools on Chebeague, Cliff Island, the Cranberry Isles, Frenchboro, Isle au Haut, Matinicus, and Monhegan.
More about the Program
TLC History
In 2009, educators from the Cranberries, Isle au Haut, Matinicus, and Monhegan gathered for a retreat on the Sunbeam. They discussed the ways in which teaching in one- and two-room schools is challenging and isolating for both students and themselves. The group began meeting virtually to discuss their unique situation and offer support.
In 2010, the group put a name to their efforts, and the program officially became the TLC. That year, the teachers from Cliff Island joined, broadening the program’s reach to Casco Bay. Frenchboro joined in 2012. As the TLC continued to grow, its need for additional administrative and technological support grew and in 2014, the group became an official program of Island Institute.
In addition to collaborating with each other across the islands, over the years, the TLC has worked with several other local and regional organizations, schools, and individuals. Two key partners include Island Readers and Writers in Maine and the Cuttyhunk STEAM Academy on Cuttyhunk Island in Massachusetts.
In early 2025, Island Institute President Kim Hamilton and Mission President John Zavodny found themselves chatting about each organization’s efforts in island education. With the structure in place to expand the education component of its island services, the two organizations agreed that the Mission is the right parent organization for the TLC. At the end of the 2024/25 school year, the TLC formally transitioned to become part of the Mission’s suite of programs, ensuring the continuation of this vital collaboration for the outer island school communities.
The Impact
8 Island Communities Served: Cliff, Chebeague, Cranberries (Islesford and Great Cranberry), Frenchboro, Isle au Haut, Monhegan, and Matinicus
Between 0-20 students enrolled at each school
5 Students: Average school enrollment
45 students and 8 teachers served last year
210 students and 37 teachers served since 2009
Our work is your work, made possible by your generous gifts.
No matter how hard times get, the Mission will be there, helping sustain and strengthen families and communities. Please join us. Your donations bring warmth when it’s cold, shed light where it’s dark, and give strength when burdens grow heavy.
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