2014 -- S 2861

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LC004586

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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

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION CONVENE WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO

ESTABLISH A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR COMPREHENSIVE K-12 SCHOOL

COUNSELOR PROGRAMS

     Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Pichardo, Cool Rumsey, Sheehan, and Cote

     Date Introduced: April 09, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Education

     WHEREAS, A decade ago, the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary

Education (RIDE) collaborated with the Rhode Island School Counselor Association, Providence

College, and other educators and organizations to create the Rhode Island Framework for

Comprehensive K-12 School Counseling Programs; and

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Framework emphasizes the need for school counselors to

help young people understand the link between academics and future plans, develop skills in

career exploration, acquire and maintain positive personal/social relationships, and ultimately

become responsible and productive citizens; and

     WHEREAS, Since the 2005 publication of the Rhode Island Framework, the state has

undergone a sea of change in terms of its industrial base, economic strength, and workforce

demographics. Now, more than ever, Rhode Island needs school counselors in place who act as

key intermediaries who collaborate with businesses and other organizations to ensure that

students acquire real world skills. By doing so, school counselors also allow employers in the

state to tap into a stronger pipeline of emerging talent; and

     WHEREAS, For school counselors to succeed in the face of the new challenges

confronting the state, they need a robust, system-wide vision that reflects the transformed

landscape of today and tomorrow. This kind of vision best emerges through deliberate, purposeful

efforts to engage the right array of stakeholders; 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 Elementary and Secondary

Education convene a group of stakeholders, including, but not limited to, the Rhode Island School

Counselors Association, faculty from school counselor preparation programs, representatives

from school districts, leaders from teachers unions, and partners from business and industry, to

establish a new framework for comprehensive K-12 school counselor programs that responds to

the state’s most pressing workforce needs; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby further requests that RIDE work with stakeholders

to embed in the framework increased opportunities for secondary students to acquire real world

learning experiences through apprenticeships and internships. The framework should also include

a model system for tracking and monitoring outcomes, for school districts to consider and adopt;

and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby further requests that RIDE provide the General

Assembly with a written account of the new framework by June 1, 2015; and be it further

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

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

Commissioner of Education, the President of the Rhode Island School Counselor Association, the

Dean of the School of Education at Rhode Island College, the Dean of the School of Professional

Studies at Providence College, and the President of the Greater Providence Chamber of

Commerce.

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LC004586

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