Wagner started by recapping an eventful couple of weeks for RIDE, beginning on Monday, March 19 when he delivered his 2018 State of Education Address from Potter Burns Elementary School in Pawtucket.

The speech was an opportunity for Wagner to present some impressive statistics about educational trends in the state – such as increasing AP participation in high school students by 38 percent (the largest year-over-year increase in the country); increasing college enrollment by students still in high school by 150 percent through dual enrollment programs; and increasing enrollment at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) by 43 percent since the inception of Rhode Island Promise.

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Jobs was a hot topic at the Prepare Rhode Island Summit held Saturday at the Knight Campus of CCRI.

“We live in a world today that’s changing faster than ever and the only way we’re going to make sure that Rhode Islanders can keep up and get ahead is if they have relevant job skills. Period. End of discussion,” said Governor Gina Raimondo in her address to the gathering of hundreds of educators from 29 school districts and representatives from six area universities across the state. “And who deserves that? Everybody.”

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PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) - Rhode Island Education Commissioner Ken Wagner used his annual State of Education speech Monday to urge his colleagues to embrace student passion as they seek to improve educational outcomes throughout the state.

Speaking before more than 200 educators, students and elected officials at the newly-renovated Potter Burns Elementary School in Pawtucket, Wagner highlighted innovative programs in schools in every corner of the state while also acknowledging the achievement gaps most districts still face.

"When we spark a student's passion, when we provide a strong foundation and a safe, 21st century learning environment, when we support them with a positive school culture, challenge them with rigorous learning opportunities, and offer them personalized career pathways, our students will take the lead, Wagner said.

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PAWTUCKET, R.I. — State Commissioner of Education Ken Wagner said Monday that public education is about so much more than test scores and grade point averages.

It’s about finding your passion, whether it’s in English or engineering, welding or 3-D manufacturing.

“If you have the passion, we have the pathway,” he told about 200 people, including students, teachers, dignitaries and parents, on Monday evening at Potter Burns Elementary School. “But let me also be clear to our educators. If we only create pathways without challenging and preparing students for the real world they are about to enter, we will have wasted our time and theirs. Rigor, challenge and preparedness are the fuel that must power these pathways.”

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More than 300 Education and Industry Leaders Collaborate on  Career Education and Workforce Development

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GLOCESTER – Consisting of students from various career and college educational pathways, the Ponaganset High School Robotics Team is headed to the regional FIRST Robotics Competition in Bridgewater, Mass., this weekend.

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LINCOLN – As with many Rhode Island schools, the William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School’s less-than-optimal physical buildings and equipment don’t match the quality of its dedicated faculty and engaged students, said officials on Monday.

The need for state-of-the-art technology and equipment is especially critical at this vocational school that offers a full academic curriculum, they said.

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Scituate High School Academy of Engineering students are almost ready to deliver a holiday gift: a prosthetic arm for a 9-year-old boy.

Ollie Mancini, the son of Scituate 8th-grade math teacher Nicole Mancini, was born without his left forearm. Thanks to local students, he’ll have his new arm by Christmas.

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Ponaganset High School is the model for the new career and technical program hailed by Gov. Gina Raimondo in her pledge to prepare students for jobs that are both highly paid and highly skilled.

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More than 300 educators and local business leaders took time out of their weekend this past Saturday morning to participate in the first-ever Prepare RI summit, a state initiative which “closes the gap” between student learning and future, high-demand careers.

“It is not just about test scores or graduation rates,” said Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Commissioner Ken Wagner. “It is about preparing students in a way that the people who will employ our students feel that they are aligned with what they need.”

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