Connecticut Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission

It is not too late…. HELP WANTED: What you need to know about job   training programs.

9:30 am -  OPEN HOUSE – meet representatives from job training
programs in CT who will share lots of information.
Coffee and refreshments will be served.
10:00 am – PANEL DISCUSSION – hear from folks who will tell you more
about these opportunities and how to qualify for them.
Followed by – QUESTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS – express your views
on training programs and the job market.
Light lunch will be served.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER

OFFICE OF REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND CHOICE  

EDUCATION DIVISION DIRECTOR

ANNUAL SALARY RANGE:  $117,084 – $149,403

The Connecticut State Department of Education is currently recruiting for the position of Division Director in the Office of Regional Partnerships and Choice Programs. In this role, the Division Director will report to the Department’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) and be a senior member of the COO’s leadership team.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

The Division Director will manage strategy and operations of the Regional School Choice Office in the collaborative effort among the Department, Sheff plaintiffs’ representatives, the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), the Hartford Public Schools, and Hartford area stakeholders to support Sheff initiatives and programming designed to reduce the racial, ethnic and economic isolation of Hartford-resident minority students. In all these partnerships, the Division Director will help bring greater focus on the need to align initiatives to the Department’s strategies to close achievement gaps and improve all students’ readiness for College and/or Career. The Division Director will also manage relationships, grant programs, and collaborative initiatives with all regional partners including the Regional Educational Service Centers (RESC’s).

The office is responsible for the following activities:

• Collaboration, planning and oversight that facilitates: (1) the      development and implementation of exemplary school choice models, to      enable existing Magnet Schools to attain Sheff compliant enrollment and      improve educational performance; (2) achievement of the Desegregation Standard      in quality integrated programming; (3) replication of programming and      practices through training centers that teach best practices to districts,      teachers and administrators in the Greater Hartford Region and throughout      Connecticut; (4) develop robust measures of performance that guide the      program and all its stakeholders towards strategies and practices that      efficiently and effectively improve student academic outcomes;
• Comprehensive and collaborative regional marketing and recruitment      of students for all Sheff programming, including the coordination of such      efforts with the Connecticut Technical High Schools, Regional Vocational      Agriculture Centers, and any newly created interdistrict magnet programs      and state charter schools in the Greater Hartford Region;
• Development of a comprehensive strategy for outreach to Hartford      and suburban parents to inform the development of, and participation in      Sheff programming opportunities in the Greater Hartford Region;
• Transportation of Hartford and suburban students who participate      in Sheff programs;
• Development and implementation of a common application process for      all Interdistrict Magnet Schools, Sheff Charter Schools, Connecticut      Technical High Schools, and Open Choice programming in the Greater      Hartford Region;
• Management of an Information Service Center within the RSCO to      provide a single location to obtain applications and information regarding      all Sheff Region Programming including information about Connecticut      Technical High Schools and Regional Vocational Agriculture Centers;
• Development and maintenance of statistics and data, including      information regarding:  demand for      school choice programming (e.g., number of applicants, demographics for      applicants, program choices); placement; enrollment; retention; student      achievement and growth metrics; return on spending analyses; and Hartford      and suburban wait list data for reporting purposes; and
• Development and implementation of a uniform and transparent      lottery process for Sheff compliant programming in the Greater Hartford      Region;
• Oversee all state and federal grant programs with all RESCs      ensuring they are aligned to legislation and/or to policies that have been      implemented to improve academic and social well-being of students in      Connecticut’s public schools. This includes – in collaboration with the      Commissioner and the Commissioner’s cabinet – developing and implementing      the process for review, approval, and performance analysis of state funded      RESC initiatives – with particular focus on efficiency and effectiveness;
• Develop and or oversee implementation of RESC collaborations that      assist the Department with its education reform strategies in critical      areas such as, but not limited to:
  • Educator and Leader Effectiveness;
  • Common Core Standards, Curriculum and Assessment transitions;
  • Turnaround of low performing schools

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES:

• Prepare reports as required for the Connecticut State Department of Education Sheff Office, the Commissioner of Education; the State Board of Education; and the Connecticut State Supreme Court at the direction of the Commissioner or his designee;
• Manage the RSCO budget including the five (5) year contracts with both CREC and Hartford Public Schools; specify their roles and responsibilities in the RSCO Office;
• Supervise and direct staff as necessary to meet the Regional School Choice Office’s goals as provided for in the stipulated agreement;
• Provide support to all collaborating entities in the Hartford region in obtaining and maintaining the objectives and goals established in the agreement;
• Collaborate with other internal and external entities in order to support success of educators and students in academic and career goals.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

Considerable knowledge of the philosophy of methods of education, with an emphasis on educational administration and management; considerable knowledge of the objectives and purposes of educational programs within area of specialty; considerable knowledge of the principles of professional management; considerable knowledge of public school administration; considerable knowledge of the principles and techniques of budgetary preparation and fiscal management; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable written and oral skills; considerable ability to understand and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations; administrative ability.

Minimum Experience and Training Required:

An earned advanced degree and twelve (12) years of experience in the field of education or in related areas.

Substitution Allowed:

An equivalent combination of experience and training as determined by the State Board of Education.

Preferred Experience and Training:

• Experience and demonstrated success in:
  • Implementing school desegregation plans;
  • Working effectively with an urban school district, and racially, ethnically and economically diverse communities;
  • Developing capacity within communities to invest in meaningful innovation, especially desegregated education;
  • Managing diverse and complex projects and staff;
  • Maintaining program/project accountability and progress; and
  • Collaborating with diverse and sometimes competing interests of stakeholders, as well as other management and supportive entities;
• Detail oriented, with excellent organizational skills;
• Considerable knowledge of public school administration;
• Knowledge of the principles and techniques of budgetary preparation, performance analysis, fiscal management, and student success metrics;
• Considerable ability to understand and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations;
• Considerable oral and written communication skills and effective public presentation skills.

Experience with the programs described above in addition to having had roles as a senior administrator in a Connecticut public school system; demonstrated appreciation for managing and promoting educational policy that fosters quality multicultural, multiracial Pre-K-12 educational settings and a passion for improving the student and life outcomes of students are preferred.

The Department encourages applicants who do not meet the stated qualifications but who believe they possess equivalent qualifications to submit, in addition to their resumes, written statements indicating how their background and experience qualify them for the position.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Interested candidates should reference announcement #786, submit a letter of application and resume with details of experience and training, three (3) current professional references and an Application for Examination or Employment (CT-HR-12) which may be obtained from the Department of Education website at http://www.sde.ct.gov to: Charlene Russell Tucker, Chief Operating Officer, 165 Capitol Avenue, Room 303, Hartford, CT 06106, Telephone: 860-713-6550.  All required documents must be submitted to be considered for interview.

 Closing date for application:    May 10, 2013

  Anticipated date of employment:    Immediate Upon Selection 

The State of Connecticut Department of Education is committed to a policy of equal opportunity/affirmative action for all qualified persons.  The Department of Education does not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability (including, but not limited to, intellectual disability, past or present history of mental disorder, physical disability or learning disability), genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by Connecticut state and/or federal nondiscrimination laws.  The Department of Education does not unlawfully discriminate in employment and licensing against qualified persons with a prior criminal conviction.  Inquiries regarding the Department of Education’s nondiscrimination policies should be directed to:  “to Levy Gillespie, Equal Employment Opportunity Director in the Affirmative Action Office, State of Connecticut Department of Education, 25 Industrial Park Road, Middletown, CT 06457, 860-807-2071.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

……For the second topic, I will continue with the theme of American Civil War veterans. Here, I would like to highlight the research of Wallingford resident, Irving D. Moy into Joseph Pierce, Company F, 14th Connecticut Volunteers. My discovery of Mr. Moy’s research came in a roundabout way when I was browsing through the screens of subject headings on the Civil War for a book I was cataloging. Subject headings can be remarkably descriptive of content when used well. The particular subject heading that caught my eye was “United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865 — Participation, Chinese American.”

The armies of the American Civil War were a diverse lot, with Irish Brigades on both sides, at least one Russian general (Ivan Turchaninov) serving the Union Army, and immigrants of many nations serving in the ranks. The State Library’s Kevin Johnson has portrayed the story of African-American Private William Webb of Hartford, a soldier in the 29th Connecticut Volunteers in hundreds of presentations. However, I was surprised to learn of Chinese-American participation in the Civil War, though I was aware of their role in the history of the American West, particularly in building the railroads.

The simple stone inscription in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Meriden, ・Civil War Corp. Joseph Pierce, Co. F 14th C.V., Died Jan. 3, 1916, age 73・ gives no hint of the extraordinary odyssey of the man honored by it. As a ten-year-old boy, he was bought by Connecticut sea captain Amos Peck in China in 1852. Pierce・s Chinese name is lost to history. The boy acquired his new name from a combination of a nickname given on his sea journey to the U.S. (・Joe・) and the name of the U.S. President at the time (Franklin Pierce). Upon returning to New England, Captain Peck left Joseph with his mother in Berlin, Connecticut. Although Pierce was bought as a slave, Mrs. Peck raised and educated him as a part of the Peck family.

On July 26th, 1862, 21-year-old Joseph Pierce volunteered in New Britain for service in the 14th Connecticut Volunteers, filling the ・born in・ space with ・Canton,・ conspicuously crossing out ・in the state of・ and filling in the following space with ・China.・ Joseph saw action at Gettysburg and other battles, and was promoted to Corporal. He survived the war and returned to Connecticut.

Pierce spent the rest of his long life as a silver engraver. He married Martha Morgan of Portland, Connecticut and fathered four children; two sons and two daughters. His obituary in the local newspaper makes no mention of his ethnicity, simply stating that he was ・well known and liked.・

The compilation of Mr. Moy・s research, as well as many of the original records upon which it is based, are preserved at the Connecticut State Library.

Reference: Moy, Irving D. Joseph Pierce, Co. F Fourteenth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, ・A Chinese Yankee Soldier.・ 1997

CT Students for a DREAM is working on to open up financial aid at CT public colleges to undocumented students.

On line petition to collect signatures from individuals, SIGN & SHARE!

http://wfc2.wiredforchange.com/o/8496/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9050