Focus will turn to math, science

• Rhode Island • Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, R Announcing that education is one of the three focal points of his action plan for the state’s economy, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri this week called on

the legislature to help him bolster the science and math preparation of Rhode Island students. The first two strategies target expanding the research capacity of the state’s universities

and building a $140 million science center at the University of Rhode Island, the Republican said in his Jan. 25 State of the State Address. MATH AND SCIENCE: Gov. Carcieri, who is in the

final year of his first term, proposed spending $15 million in targeted investments to improve science and math instruction, and technology in schools as the third part of the plan. Read a

complete transcript of Gov. Donald L. Carcieri’s 2006 State of the State address. Posted by Rhode Island’s Office of the Governor. The proposal follows up on the recommendations of a

blue-ribbon panel on math and science he announced last year. The plan calls for better collaboration between schools, colleges, and employers; attracting more people to teach math and

science; improving teacher training in those subjects; and providing more rigorous programs of study for students. He cited the Physics First program that is being piloted in five Ocean

State school systems, as well as the I Can Learn program for teaching algebra, which is also being piloted. URBAN EDUCATION: To address the needs of urban schools in and around Providence,

the governor said he will create a working group to develop a plan for a metropolitan school district, to include the Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket school districts. “The

combination of these districts could produce significant efficiencies in administration, transportation, standardized curriculum, and infrastructure,” he said.