Rhode Island § 16-66-4 - The Rhode Island School Staff Institute

§ 16-66-4. Operations.

The department of elementary and secondary education shall:

(1) Establish policies and procedures for the institute consistent with this chapter.

(2) Carry out the following responsibilities:

(i) Receive, process, and approve requests for in-service education program grants;

(ii) Inform all school systems of opportunities and resources available for in-service education;

(iii) Help to create new and productive relationships among colleges, collaboratives, school systems, and others concerned with in-service education;

(iv) Maintain an in-service resource file;

(v) Work with school staffs as they prepare their program grant proposals;

(vi) Consult with the advisory board in the development of new ways of providing in-service education;

(vii) Provide staff to work with the advisory board;

(viii) Monitor funded institute programs.

(3) Fund the operation of the institute and institute programs with income from the following sources:

(i) Those federal categorical funds available to the department and designated for in-service education, though a certain amount of these funds may be retained by the department for state in-service programs.

(ii) Any funds that may be appropriated for the institute by the general assembly.

(iii) Other funds from governmental and non-governmental sources which may be made available to the department for the purpose of funding the institute.

(iv) Institute programs and program grants. The initiative for applying for institute grants to conduct in-service programs rests with school personnel who have a common objective and a plan to meet that objective through in-service education. Once an institute program is approved and funded by the department, its operation is the responsibility of the initiating group. Programs shall be approved, funded, and operated on the following principles:

(A) Institute programs will be designed to meet federal guidelines, state priorities, and/or local needs as identified by local school staff.

(B) Institute programs should help groups with shared objectives and responsibilities to improve the instructional program or educational services offered in their schools.

(C) Members of school staffs or others who will be directly affected by the in-service programs must be invited to participate.

(D) Participation in in-service programs will be voluntary.

(E) Participants will plan their own programs, determine program format, choose consultants, and monitor and adapt programs in progress.

(F) Institute programs should respond to a diversity of school, staff, and student needs, and consultants recommended for their demonstrated capacity to help achieve program goals may come from a wide variety of fields (e.g., business, health, government, the arts, education). Institute programs will encourage new and productive relationships between schools, their communities, and the society at large.

(G) Administrators, teachers, related services personnel, or others whose support is essential to achieving and sustaining program goals should be actively involved in the program and implementation of its objectives.

(H) Programs will be offered on site unless participants determine otherwise.

(I) Professional recognition for participation in Rhode Island school staff institute programs will be determined on the local level.

(J) The department of elementary and secondary education will encourage schools to provide incentives for participation.

(K) The awarding of academic credit, if any, will be decided by participating institution(s) in consultation with the participants.

(L) Consultants who conduct the in-service will be evaluated by participants.

(M) The department of elementary and secondary education will fund only those programs that give evidence of participatory planning and that use resources and consultants of high quality.