As the COVID-19 pandemic began to race across the country, Danielle Ricci could see a nursing shortage on the horizon and wanted to find a way to inspire a new generation of nurses.
“Between burnout and people not wanting to be in the field anymore, we kind of have to train this younger generation to want to be in the field,” said Ricci during a Zoom interview from her classroom at Cranston High School East.
Ricci had been a nurse for a decade working in nursing homes and outpatient surgical centers. When she saw a job posting for a career and technical education nursing instructor, she leveraged her professional credentials and experience to apply. Just a few hours after the interview, she was offered the job with an emergency certification that came with a stipulation – she had to get her teaching certificate within three years.
She was guided to the Career and Technical Education Teacher Certification Program at Roger Williams University. It is the only approved CTE teacher certification program through the R.I. Department of Education and is designed to be a one-year program with a working adult’s schedule in mind, said its director, Lynne Bedard. Often those who are retired or looking for a change in pace are the ones attracted to make the transition.
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TEACHER TRAINING: Anthony Carrion, left, and Jessica Barresi are enrolled in Roger Williams University’s Career and Technical Education Certification Program to become CTE teachers.
PBN PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS[/caption]
Before starting the program five years ago, Bedard worked in Rhode Island public schools’ CTE programs. Bedard’s administrative experience in Woonsocket gave her perspective into hiring and retaining CTE teachers.
“I knew the barriers,” Bedard said. “It was really frustrating to lose good people who I knew would be awesome with our students.”
One of the barriers Bedard and Ricci noted is the pay cut many CTE teachers face when transitioning from the trades to the classroom. Ricci credited her husband’s support as the reason her family could afford a $30,000 reduction in salary.
RIDE knows pay discrepancy is a barrier to getting qualified teachers in CTE programs, say state Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and Student Opportunity Officer Steve Osborn. Osborn, who has been in his position since 2020, noted some individual school districts are able to offer competitive salaries while being mindful of limitations of resources. According to Ricci, she was able to obtain a higher starting salary based on her experience.
Additionally, Osborn noted that RIDE updated its education requirements for trade professionals who are looking to transition from the industry to being a teacher in CTE programs.
“We wanted to make sure we aligned our level of education to the education of the field,” Osborn said.
Still, navigating the education, experience and testing requirements can be mystifying. With those hurdles in mind, Bedard designed a program with both an in-person and online curriculum and one-on-one support in navigating the process to becoming certified.
Typically, cohorts of 15 to 18 participants start in July with a three-week intensive program to prepare them for a year filled with projects, practicum and seminars. The combination of hands-on experience will help participants achieve the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards, Bedard said, and pass testing and licensure requirements. Bedard said the program is experimenting with alternative start dates to align itself with the hiring patterns of CTE programs in public schools and job training centers across the state.
One of the highlights of the program involves teaching coaches who work with individual students throughout and beyond the program.
“It’s an essential ingredient to the success of the program,” Bedard said.
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TRAINING GROUND: Roger Williams University’s CTE Teacher Certification Program is the only state-accredited career and technical education teacher prep program in Rhode Island. Pictured is the university’s downtown Providence campus.
PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO[/caption]
Ricci started the program in June 2023 and graduated this past May. She’s received support from her school district,ß but the RWU program has helped fill in the gaps of support for lesson planning and curriculum design to help her become a teacher.
When Ricci created the program at Cranston High School East, there were eight students. Now she walks 27 students through hands-on experience in the classroom and is constantly evolving her lesson plans to help her students prepare for a career in the medical profession.
CTE programs across the state are growing, Infante-Green says.
“There is nothing better than teaching your kids, seeing the excitement and the drive for them wanting to do better and wanting to go into the communities to make a difference,” said Ricci, noting she enjoys seeing her students do what she loves. “I wish when I was younger I had something to go off of at such a young age.”
