FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu; Laura Hart, 401-456-8977, lhart@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – RIC’s Feinstein School of Education and Human Development (FSEHD), in partnership with Rhode Island PBS and Learning401, will host the first Innovation Share – a series of public forums focused on what is working in Rhode Island elementary schools. The goal is to inspire further innovation and to increase the number of Rhode Island students who graduate from high school and go on to college.
The forum will be held on Monday, March 23, from 5-7 p.m., in Alger Hall 110. The Rhode Island community is invited to join the conversation – “anyone and everyone who cares about education.” The event is free but seating is limited to the first 100 registrants.
A significant stakeholder in the series, the dean of the FSEHD, Donald Halquist, said he is pleased that RIC is hosting the premiere. RIC’s FSEHD educates and certifies more than 90 percent of Rhode Island’s teachers.
Halquist noted that RIC’s “rich history” of educating student teachers and other school professionals includes “staying connected with teachers, administrators, parents and students to fully understand the reality of life in Rhode Island schools.”
“We also recognize the importance of fostering relationships with school and community members that move the profession and our communities forward,” he said. “Participating in the Innovation Share is one way for us to do that. I look forward to engaging in conversations with teachers, parents, students and community leaders to hear their perspectives on what is working in our elementary schools and how we can strengthen the educational landscape throughout the state.”
Innovation Share will open with a screening of clips from the documentary “180 Days: Hartsville” (2015), an award-winning PBS documentary that inspired the formation of Innovation Share.
Set in the small rural town of Hartsville, S.C., the film takes viewers through a year in the life of the town and the efforts by the entire community to reform its public education system. Despite the high poverty rate, Hartsville students have a graduation rate of 92 percent, noted PBS. Organizers of Innovation Share believe that Hartsville’s successes can become a model for elementary schools nationwide.
Another Rhode Island PBS broadcast – “Rhode Island Classroom” – was a second inspiration for Innovation Share. This half-hour, quarterly television series showcases the most innovative programs and people in Rhode Island’s elementary school system.
Following the screening of “180 Days: Hartsville,” stories of Rhode Island’s successes will be shared by a panel, showcasing the exceptional teachers and programs that are helping Rhode Island’s youngest learners become successful learners and keeping them on the path to college.
Following the panel presentation, there will be breakout discussion groups to brainstorm innovative strategies. The groups will later reconvene to share their ideas with the larger group. Halquist anticipates FSEHD faculty and teacher candidates to take part. The forum will end with a wrap-up and light refreshments.
Innovation Share organizers encourage the entire community to come out and help transform education in the state – the imperative, said the organizers, is to “put the public back into public education.”
To register and reserve a place at Innovation Share, go to: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ealmksh12cea77ef&oseq=&c=&ch=.
For more information, visit:
http://www.pegri.tv/ripbs/180days/innovationshare.html
or
http://www.learning401.org/#!events/chqk
Two full-length, one-hour episodes of “180 Days: Hartsville” will be aired back to back on Thursday, March 26, at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 graduate and undergraduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
