2014 -- S 2180

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LC003696

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

AND THE STATE'S THREE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO

COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP EXCEPTIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

OPPORTUNITIES IN CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

     Introduced By: Senators P Fogarty, Algiere, Ciccone, Lombardi, and Doyle

     Date Introduced: January 30, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Education

     WHEREAS, Career and Technical Education (CTE) spans the high school to college

years, providing a pathway for students interested in exploring career options prior to graduating

from high school; and

     WHEREAS, CTE programs build on public-private partnerships that provide students

with academic and technical knowledge and work-related skills. Active involvement in

apprenticeships and hands-on opportunities with business and industry partners are common

within quality CTE programs; and

     WHEREAS, At the secondary level, comprehensive high schools and career and

technical centers in Rhode Island provide CTE courses and programs to more than 5,700 high

school students in all five of the state’s regions; and

     WHEREAS, CTE also provides rich, job-embedded experiences for adult learners who

need to refresh their skills or wish to gain the skills necessary for entry into a new career. The

Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and private institutions, including Johnson and

Wales University, New England Institute of Technology, and Roger Williams University, partner

with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) on CTE initiatives; and

     WHEREAS, CTE is funded through federal monies stemming from the Carl D. Perkins

program, as well as through state investments; and

     WHEREAS, In March of 2012, the Rhode Island Board of Regents approved new career

and technical education regulations. The new CTE regulations were intended to transform

existing programs into new career preparation pathways in critical and emerging industries; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s continued workforce challenges call for even more forceful

action by the new Board of Education, which has the authority to ensure collaboration across our

public systems of education. In particular, the state needs its secondary teachers and

postsecondary faculty to engage in exceptional professional development that focuses on a re-

imagined CTE system and thoughtfully takes place over time; and

     WHEREAS, RIDE and the three public institutions of higher education in Rhode Island

can mobilize their human and material resources to create an exceptional program of professional

development that can transform our CTE system and drive student learning to new heights; now,

therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby respectfully requests that the Rhode Island Department of Education, in collaboration with

the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, and the University of Rhode

Island, develop a three-year program of exceptional CTE professional development for all

secondary CTE teachers and administrators in the state, for provisionally-certified CTE teachers,

and for relevant faculty at the three public institutions of higher education. The professional

development should reflect world-class CTE practices, programs, and instructional approaches

that can lead to a transformed system of CTE in Rhode Island; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate requests that the professional development series focus on

creating challenging CTE programs of study, increasing academic excellence, building effective

relationships with business, industry, and other partners, and connecting secondary and

postsecondary education and training. RIDE should make participation in this professional

development a requirement for schools and districts to apply for and receive CTE categorical

funding; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is directed and authorized to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Chair of the Board of Education, the

Commissioner of Education, and the presidents of the Community College of Rhode Island,

Rhode Island College, and the University of Rhode Island.

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