For the past 13 years, Central Falls High School special education teacher Briana Jones has taught the school’s transition program for students ages 18-22, and recently, she also began leading the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Business Entrepreneurship Culinary program. Her hands-on curriculum builds confidence, independence, and real-world skills for her students to reach their potential.
Jones models her can-do attitude in every endeavor. She decided to launch the culinary arts program’s food truck—without knowing how to drive the truck or run a kitchen. “The Taste of Central Falls” food truck is part of the Rhode Island Department of Education’s Menu for Success student-operated food truck program, which first launched in Central Falls. Since then, the food truck program has become a model for similar programs across Rhode Island, providing opportunities for special education students to learn how to take orders, prepare meals, manage finances and pursue industry-recognized food safety certifications. Jones expanded the program to include both general and special education students, a testimony to her commitment to fostering inclusivity at CFHS.
She is both a teacher and a coach, finding ways to involve students, parents and community leaders in everything from academic planning meetings to internship opportunities. She seeks out meaningful employment for her students and trains parents to serve as their children’s “job coaches,” a paid position under Rhode Island state law.
Her commitment to the community extends deep into Central Falls and beyond. She volunteers with Unified Sports and Special Olympics; serves as the special education lead at both CHFS and in the district; mentors peer educators; leads professional development training on Universal Design Learning; and teaches special education classes as an adjunct professor at the University of Rhode Island.
Jones completed a bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in 2013, where she double majored in elementary education and mild to moderate special education in elementary, middle and secondary, with an endorsement in significant intellectual disabilities. She earned a master’s degree in 2021 from The George Washington University in interdisciplinary secondary transition with a concentration in autism spectrum disorder.
Press Release: Let the Celebrations Begin! Rhode Island Teacher Is First in the Nation To Be Named a 2026 Milken Educator
