2014 – S 2861
Enacted 05/06/14
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Pichardo, Cool Rumsey, Sheehan, and Cote
Date Introduced: April 09, 2014
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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