Educator Course Network (ECN)
Educators deserve access to high-quality learning experiences that are relevant, differentiated, purposeful, and sustained in order to improve and build upon their practice throughout their careers. The ECN is the lever to create such access.
Launching in the spring of 2019, the ECN will be a marketplace for districts to access high-quality professional learning offerings from vendors whose work aligns with the RI Professional Learning Standards (RIPLS) and meets the criteria for RIDE's endorsement. It is our hope that the ECN will provide educators with valuable opportunities to improve their practice by augmenting what is available locally.
For general questions related to professional learning, please email PL@ride.ri.gov.
From Commissioner Wagner's January 25, 2019 Field Memo
In the December 7 Field Memo we invited interested professional learning providers to respond to our Request for Information (RFI) so that we could better understand the perspectives of potential vendors. We are excited to share that we received over fifteen quality RFIs from both local and national organizations. The RFI process confirmed that we are, indeed, asking the right types of questions to vendors and helped us clarify and improve the questions themselves.
We are confident that our revised application will elicit information that districts, schools, and teachers can use to make informed choices about how they choose to spend their precious professional learning dollars. Moreover, this application process will support the development of the ECN as a statewide professional learning marketplace that aligns with key aspects of the Rhode Island Professional Learning Standards.
Supporting RIDE in reviewing ECN applications, is an experienced group of educators from across Rhode Island. In the November 2 Field Memo we invited educators to apply to serve on the ECN advisory committee. We are excited to share that the following individuals were selected from an extremely talented and experienced pool of applicants:
1. Dawn August (Teacher, Barrington)
2. Don Cowart (Curriculum Director, Coventry)
3. Cassandra Johns (Teacher and Principal Residency Network candidate, Providence)
4. Stephanie Primiani (Central Office Administrator, Blackstone Valley Prep)
5. Awilda Reinoso (Brown Urban Education Program candidate, RI State House Intern)
6. Amanda Williams (Assistant Principal, RI School of the Deaf)
7. Suzette Wordell (Principal, Tiverton)
We are thrilled to have them support us in this initial launch of the ECN. The learning acquired from this initial launch will inform future application submission and review processes for the ECN.
The application is now open. All interested professional learning providers must electronically submit their completed ECN application by Friday, February 22, 2019 to PL@ride.ri.gov.