Rogers High student discusses school opportunities alongside U.S. education head Cardona

NEWPORT — Steady rain fell on the grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Monday, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the education and business leaders meeting upstairs.

Representatives of some of Rhode Island’s largest employers mingled with many of the region's public education leaders at the inaugural Reimagining Education & New England’s Workforce (RENEW) Summit, an initiative that grew out of the weekly early morning Zoom meetings Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Angelica Infante-Green and her New England counterparts have been holding since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those in attendance, including every New England state education commissioner and representatives of businesses like Bank of America, Stanley Black & Decker, CVS and Electric Boat, heard opening remarks from Infante-Greene and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

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Cardona, who went to a technical high school in Meriden, Connecticut, before becoming the youngest school principal and the first Latino commissioner of education in the state, pointed out he was one of three New Englanders in President Joe Biden’s cabinet, along with Gina Raimondo and Marty Walsh.

Starting his career in education as a fourth-grade classroom teacher, Cardona spoke about the need for “intentional collaboration” between educators, government officials, and business leaders.

“There’s more money in education than ever before," he said. "Let’s use this disruption to raise the bar … Every state leader has American Rescue Plan (Act) dollars right now to create or expand career and college pathways and take steps to transform education in their communities. The president’s budget also includes over $200 million for career-connected learning.”

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Cardona and Rogers High School senior Dellicia Allen rounded out a panel discussion, which also included the presidents of the Community College of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island, the managing director of Bank of America and Maine’s commissioner of education.

They focused on building strong college and career pathways and accelerating learning as school systems emerge from the COVID pandemic. The most powerful education official in America and the rising senior from Newport’s local public high school each commanded the room’s attention as they spoke in turn about the work necessary to overcome two unprecedented years that were challenging for students and educators alike.

Allen is in an accredited cosmetology program at Rogers and also did a summer internship with the local NAACP branch thanks to programming at her high school.

“I think the two biggest problems I see plaguing our education system and economy right now are the lack of equity and the failure to invest in our marginalized youth," she said. "In unprecedented times, we have a chance to take unprecedented actions, and our education system needs to be revolutionized in a way that supports all learning styles and not just the needs of a particular group of students.”

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It was clear every adult on the panel and in the audience, including Cardona, was listening intently to Allen’s perspective as a local student on the topics at hand. The discussion centered largely around workforce preparation, pathways to opportunity through career and technical education, and the needs of modern students preparing for either college or a viable career directly out of high school.

John Jordan, managing director at Bank of America, mentioned his company’s Pathways Program, which is committed to hiring 10,000 people without college degrees from low- and moderate-income communities and training them in a purpose-built academy.

“We exceed that goal in 2½ years and committed to hiring another 10,000 because it has been such a successful program," he said.

There was good reason to hold the regional event in Newport. While some may point to the fact Rogers High is not exactly a high-ranking academic powerhouse as public schools in Rhode Island go, they might be surprised to learn Newport has one of the most extensive Career and Technical Education programs in the state, offering accredited tracks in cosmetology, cybersecurity, advertising and new media, sheet metal technology, residential carpentry and several other fields.

Additionally, Newport is home to the Paul W. Crowley East Bay Met School, a longtime innovator in alternative education, as well as a bustling CCRI campus, making the City-by-the-Sea something of a hotbed for CTE programming and pioneering educational practice.

“One of the reasons we are here is because Newport does lead in CTE programs," Infante-Green told The Daily News. "There is a cybersecurity program. There is also culinary. There is work with Electric Boat. So there is an array of amazing programs in Newport … Our students here have opportunities that we would like to see nationwide.”

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: US Education Sec. Miguel Cardona discusses career education in Newport