CARCIERI TOUTS MATH & SCIENCE REFORM ACHIEVEMENTS WITH U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY SPELLINGS & SEN. CHAFEE

08-31-2006

Governor Highlights RI Initiatives to Improve Math & Science Ed Quality

At a roundtable discussion today with U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and U.S. Senator Lincoln D. Chafee, Governor Donald L. Carcieri stressed Rhode Island’s efforts to improve the quality of math and science education for elementary and secondary school children.

The discussion -- which was held at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce -- included the participation of a number of stakeholders in Rhode Island’s economic and education communities.

Governor Carcieri has been a strong proponent of increasing the quality of math and science education in Rhode Island. He created and chaired a Blue Ribbon Panel on Mathematics & Science Education, and has championed a number of education reform initiatives including: the establishment of statewide math and science curricula; improved teacher training programs in math and science; and a reordering of how the sciences are taught in high school, called Physics First.

“We all know that there is demand for workers with strong math and science skills,” Governor Carcieri said. “We must ensure that our students have the knowledge they need to pursue jobs in these important fields. We must also ensure that we have the type of educated workforce that will attract high-tech companies to Rhode Island. At the end of the day, math and science education is about creating Rhode Island jobs.”

“I have made it a priority to enhance student achievement in math and science,” Carcieri continued. “That’s why I established and Co-Chaired the Blue Ribbon Panel on Math and Science which put forward a host of recommendations designed to improve education in math and science.”

“From launching the I Can Learn Program for learning algebra at Central Falls High School, to designing statewide math and science curricula, to establishing the Physics First initiative to reorder how we teach science to high school students, we are making significant progress,” Carcieri said. “I’m especially pleased that – after a lot of hard work – I managed to convince the General Assembly to approve a number of my math and science education reform initiatives in the budget for this year.”

“I want to thank Secretary Spellings and Senator Chafee for their support of our efforts to improve the quality of math and science education in Rhode Island,” Governor Carcieri concluded. “And I want to thank Rhode Island’s educators, business leaders, and parents for understanding the importance of giving our students the math and science skills they need to compete in the modern economy.”

Last year, Governor Carcieri created and chaired a Blue Ribbon Panel on Mathematics & Science Education to identify program and performance gaps in mathematics and science education and identify the best solutions for closing those holes.

The panel’s final report, released in September 2005, was an action plan with a series of specific strategies that will result in measurable improvements by Rhode Island students in those subjects. Governor Carcieri included many of the final report’s recommendations in his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2007.

A summary of Governor Carcieri’s efforts to reform math and science education in Rhode Island is attached, along with the final report of his Blue Ribbon Panel on Mathematics & Science Education.

Participants in today’s roundtable discussion included: Laurie White, President, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce; Clyde Briant, Vice President for Research, Brown University; Saul Kaplan, Executive Director, Rhode Island Economic Development Corp.; Dr. Jeffrey Seeman, Dean, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island; Joseph MarcAurele, Chairman, President and CEO, Citizens Bank of Rhode Island; Katherine O’Dea, Executive Director, Tech-Collective and Tech Collective Workforce Development Fund; Dr. Albert Kausch, President, Hybrigene, Inc.; Bob Camara, Vice President, Sovereign Bank; John Ayers, Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch; Sharon Hoffman, Director, Rhode Island Scholars, The Education Partnership; Patricia Kirby, Director of Development, The Education Partnership; Jack Warner, Commissioner, Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education; and Michael Sentance, Regional Representative, U.S. Department of Education.