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Partner State Rhode Island State Profile
Professional Development System The Rhode Island Adult Education PD Center has been in operation since 2007 and originated from an earlier initiative run by Janet Isserlis, Literacy Resources/Rhode Island. The PD Center has an Advisory Council, composed of representatives from 11 adult education programs from around the state, as well as from the state Office of Adult Education. It is funded by the RI OAE, the Rhode Island Foundation and the United Way, and is an independent affiliate of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development at Rhode Island College. The PD Center provides workshops, consultation, and on-site professional development for the 38 state-funded adult education programs, as well as for all other programs of adult education in the state. It also facilitates monthly Practitioner Learning Communities (PLC’s) for case managers, ESOL, directors, practitioners, tutors and job developers, in which best practices and research are shared. Initiatives and priorities are decided by annual surveys of the field and input from agency professional development plans, leading to a consensus process within the Advisory Council, as well as by the five year Scope of Work contracted with the RI OAE. STAR Implementation STAR was brought to Rhode Island through the interest and generous support of the state Office of Adult Ed. Seventeen programs were a part of the pilot, which began in August 2008. They were selected primarily based on interest, as well as having a need to improve the outcomes of their Intermediate ABE learners. Year Two of STAR in RI was facilitated by our own ‘Trainers in Training’: Barbara Bowen and Amanda Duffy. Fifteen new practitioners took part, bringing the two-year total to over half of the RI adult education agencies having participated in a STAR training. Amanda and Barbara are presently recruiting for the Cohort Three, and there is high interest! The key to the successful implementation of STAR practices has been the on-the-ground professional development support through trainers, occasional technical assistance group sessions, site visits to all participants, and access to the Tool kit. Programs Implementing STAR:
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