2014 -- S 2864

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LC004585

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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 TO INCLUDE IN ITS NEXT ROUND OF

SCHOOL COUNSELOR PREPARATION PROGRAM APPROVAL REVIEWS A GREATER

EMPHASIS ON STRATEGIES AND SKILLS IN ORDER TO ALLOW SCHOOL

COUNSELORS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY SUPPORT WORKFORCE READINESS IN K-12

SETTINGS

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

     Date Introduced: April 09, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Education

     WHEREAS, School counselors play a central role in promoting student achievement and

supporting students as they consider their options for colleges and careers. These education

professionals serve as key conduits of information regarding career exploration opportunities.

They are natural collaborators who work well with agencies and organizations in the community

to maximize students' chances for success; and

     WHEREAS, School counselors must be prepared to respond to the needs of today's

students, who now confront a challenging economy and careers that may span multiple

disciplines. For many students, first-hand workplace experience in the form of internships and

apprenticeships allows them to acquire job-embedded knowledge, develop insights into potential

careers, and build essential soft skills; and

     WHEREAS, The educator preparation programs at Rhode Island's institutions of higher

education are responsible for providing school counselors with the coursework and training that

will enable them to support a range of students, including those in career and technical schools

and those who enter the workforce directly; and

     WHEREAS, It is critical for school counselor preparation programs to ensure that their

graduates understand the ways that internships and apprenticeships enhance classroom-based

learning for K-12 students, and acquire practical knowledge of how to partner productively with

businesses, non-profit organizations, and other entities from the community that can offer

students extraordinary experiences; and

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Senate’s recent report, The Rhode to Work, underscores

the need for many more secondary students to have the opportunity to pursue internships and

apprenticeships, to gain the skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s workforce; and

     WHEREAS, The new set of standards for educator preparation programs approved by the

Board of Education at its November 13, 2013, meeting similarly highlight the need for educator

preparation programs to get K-12 students career ready and to integrate Rhode Island initiatives;

and

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

(RIDE) is scheduled to review school counselor preparation programs at institutions of higher

education in the state; 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 to include in its next round of school counselor program approval reviews a greater

emphasis on strategies and skills in order to allow school counselors to more effectively support

workforce readiness efforts in K-12 settings; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby further requests that the school counselor

preparation programs in the state collaborate with RIDE to expand the learning opportunities for

school counselors in training that center on workforce readiness; 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 Dean of the School of Education at Rhode Island College, and

the Dean of the School of Professional Studies at Providence College.

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LC004585

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