Last week, Brown announced the distribution of the first $3 million of the $50 million in workforce development grants the University agreed to pay in its July agreement with the federal government. $1.5 million of the initial grants will go toward the Community College of Rhode Island to increase the number of bilingual early childhood educators through the city’s first bilingual credential program. The CCRI’s program is expected to produce as many as 180 more teachers for the Providence Public School District. The support provided by Brown’s grant will not only serve Rhode Island’s workforce but also the students and families who depend on the PPSD. We applaud the University for investing in a program that will have such a crucial and enduring impact on the Providence community.
Brown should continue to support educator training programs so the University’s dollars will be working twice as hard by both generating stable employment in the present while shaping a more educated Rhode Island for the future.
Providence is currently experiencing a shortage of new teachers. The PPSD is facing issues with outstanding vacancies and a lack of educators who are equipped to serve the rapidly increasing multilingual student population. Rhode Island also had the highest growth of multilingual language learners in America from 2010 to 2020. Yet, multilingual teachers only make up 5% of the state’s workforce of educators, potentially because of the high costs of becoming certified as a multilingual teacher. Additionally, Rhode Island has made minimal progress towards its goal of increasing diversity in teacher recruitment, and the school system is overly reliant on underpaid substitute teachers. Faced with this data, it is more important than ever for Brown to focus on funding the training of new teachers.
Any Brown grant to workforce development programs in Rhode Island would help stimulate job growth in important sectors in the state. The best teachers inspire their students to pursue careers in service, arts, science and business. A strong K-12 education prepares individuals to attend college, which is one of the most important factors in ensuring financial success. According to data from the United States Census Bureau, the median household income in 2024 for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was $132,700. This was more than double the $58,410 median household income of those with only a high school degree. Brown should consider the outsized impact that its grants could have on shaping Rhode Island’s future leaders.
One such program that would benefit from these grants is ExcEL Educators Leadership Academy, a nonprofit that supports training for multilingual educators across PK-12 classrooms. Brown’s recent investment in the CCRI’s multilingual educator credential program will expand access to initial certification and degree pathways, including for current teacher assistants seeking career advancement. Through a preparation program for veteran educators to receive multilingual teaching credentials as well as resources for teachers to support English language learners, ExcEL helps educators who are already working better serve their rapidly diversifying classrooms.
Another development program that should be considered is the Rhode Island School for Progressive Education, led by Christine Wiltshire Aves ’98 MAT ’01, which aims to diversify Rhode Island’s teacher workforce. In a state where 40% of the student body are students of color, fewer than 5% of their teachers identify as such. Faced with a 26% loss of their total funding after state budget cuts, a financial award from Brown would help the RISPE continue to train and certify new educators.
Brown has an outsized impact on the Rhode Island community and a responsibility to drive the state’s economic development and support its workers. In July, the editorial page board applauded the University’s voluntary agreement with the federal government, and the stipulation that Brown invest in Rhode Island’s workforce was one of the reasons why. As Brown allocates the remaining $47 million to state workforce development, we urge these organizations and other teacher training programs to apply for grants and for the University to consider their value.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board, and its views are separate from those of The Herald’s newsroom and the 136th Editorial Board, which leads the paper. A majority of the editorial page board voted in favor of this piece. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
